By Mark Ambrogi

Samantha Steffen had always been a faithful watcher of “The Bachelor.”

“When I was on my family vacation, my mom’s best friend said have you ever thought about trying out for ‘The Bachelor,’” Steffen said. “My dad said you should do it if it’s Chris (Soules). I blew it off. I got home to LA a week later and couldn’t get it off my mind. So I looked up auditions and saw it was in Costa Mesa, an hour away from me, the next day. I thought it was meant to be. I went, didn’t expect anything and it spiraled from there.”

The 2005 Carmel High School graduate, nicknamed Sammi, was selected as one of 30 contestants for the 19th season of the ABC reality dating show. Steffen didn’t end up being picked by Soules and was eliminated in episode six on Feb. 9. But she doesn’t regret the experience.

“I went there with intentions of what seems like a great guy and he really was,” said Steffen, who turned 28 on Feb. 15. “I got so many good friends out of it and that’s the best thing that came out of it for me. It’s really fun for me to continue to watch it and root for my friends.

“I’ve made some of my best friends in the entire world. I never expected that.”

Steffen said some friends were surprised she got a rose when she hadn’t been seen on the show much.

“They didn’t see the long conversations that we did get to have together,” Steffen said. “I think we did have a connection even though we never had the one-on-one date. I was one of the girls left that didn’t have a full date with him so it was hard to get to know him on a deeper level. Really the only chance I got to talk with him was during rose ceremonies and on group dates.”

Steffen, a fashion designer, launched a new clothing line in the summer. Since her six or seven weeks of filming “The Bachelor” in the fall, she has concentrated on marketing it.

“That’s (marketing) pretty much what I’ve been doing 24/7, focusing on work and my clothing line,” said Steffen, founder of IDGAF clothing. “It’s been keeping me busy but it’s been really great.”

Steffen’s mother Mala said she and her husband Joseph, who now live in Noblesville, knew their daughter’s fate, but didn’t know what would be aired.

“We had a lot of fun watching,” Mala said. “We’re proud of Sammi. It was a great learning experience she gained. We’ve watched the show since the first season, never guessing in a million years our daughter would be on it.”

Steffen said she received a lot of support from friends from Carmel and Indiana University she hadn’t heard from in years.

“It was very, very sweet,” she said.

Steffen said she has been on a few dates with some really nice men in recent weeks.

“I’m not seriously dating anybody but I’m looking to,” she said.