Viewers swoon over ‘The Bachelor’

The ratings bouquet went to ABC on Wednesday, as the two-hour finale of “The Bachelor” attracted nearly 26 million viewers, easily defeating “The West Wing” and “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.”

Based on Nielsen Media Research estimates, the average represented ABC’s biggest Wednesday audience for any entertainment program in more than three years, as viewing steadily built through the telecast. By way of comparison, tune-in exceeded Fox’s “American Idol” finale, as well as every episode of the current “Survivor.” Roughly 70% of “The Bachelor’s” audience was female, registering its highest ratings among younger women.

In the concluding hour that actually was taped months ago, Aaron Buerge -- the 28-year-old banker sifting through 25 women -- proposed to Helene Eksterowicz, a 27-year-old from New Jersey. Although the results were ostensibly kept under wraps, an online gambling service ceased taking bets on the program a few weeks ago after an influx of wagers on Eksterowicz from Buerge’s hometown of Springfield, Mo.

CBS’ “Victoria’s Secret” special averaged 10.5 million viewers, falling short of last year’s rating on ABC. According to Nielsen data, an estimated 600,000 children ages 2 to 11 were in the audience. Some watchdog and parents’ groups complained that the broadcast should have been scheduled at 10 p.m. because of its content.

Facing double-barreled competition, “The West Wing” slipped to 15 million viewers, the show’s lowest new-episode rating since its first season.

“The Bachelor” fared even better in the Los Angeles area, where it was watched in almost 20% of homes in the market.