HONOLULU -- Tens of thousands followed his quest for love on the nationwide TV show "The Bachelor," but now Lt. Andy Baldwin is heading to the Middle East.

He talked with KITV about the deployment, his TV experience and the future, including Tessa.

The nation watched as he wowed, wooed and then made a choice to wed on the ABC TV series.

However, nearly six months later, no wedding bells. While the engagement is off, Baldwin said the relationship is not necessarily over, in fact, Tessa is in town this week.

"Tessa and I love each other very much. We're trying to keep our private life private now. It's on to the next bachelor, but things are good," he said.

Meanwhile, the Navy doctor, who works with the Navy SEALS, is headed for deployment to Bahrain.

"We've recently been tasked to go over to the Persian Gulf and serve as a special command and control element over there. It's an opportunity that's going to be risky, but it's also our opportunity to do our job in protecting our freedom," Baldwin said.

KITV caught up with Baldwin as he prepared to compete in the Ironman Triathlon on the Big Island. It was one of his final triathlons before deployment.

He talked about his wild year.

"It started racing this year when bachelor was on. 'Go Bachelor, Bo Bachelor.' No, it's Andy. It's Andy. It's great to have a fan base," Baldwin said. "I absolutely love Hawaii. That was one of the biggest things that I wanted in the show was to showcase Hawaii. I'm so proud to be stationed here in Hawaii and be active in the community."

He has remained active in the community, from lending a helping hand in the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" of the Akana family to doing the honors in cutting off hair that will be made into wigs for cancer patients.