Carter: Engagement Not PR Stunt

Singer and soon-to-be reality-TV star Aaron Carter says his quickie engagement and break-up with Playboy playmate, Kari Ann Peniche was not a publicity stunt for his new reality show, "House of Carters."

"No it definitely wasn't (a stunt). It was my decision at the time, it definitely wasn't for that," Carter says in an interview with The ShowBuzz. "It was more off of my feelings, you know, I just wanted to have somebody there for stability and to love. It was definitely not a publicity stunt."

Carter says he acted off of impulse when he proposed on stage Sept. 16 to Peniche, before 200 people during Playboy's Comedy Tour in Las Vegas.

"I acted off of impulse instead of really thinking through with my decision," he says. "Really just people make mistakes and you learn from it. I learned from it, I acted off of impulse. Now I know what not to do."

Carter says he and Peniche are still friends. "We're going our own ways, we have other things to concentrate on," he says.

The engagement and subsequent break-up came after cameras stopped rolling in the Carter household. The new reality show which documents the Carter's family drama debuts Oct. 2 on E!

"It's less of a show and more reality," Aaron's older brother, Nick, tells The ShowBuzz. "I basically bring my family back together after having struggles, with family drama with our parents, the whole typical Hollywood thing of being managed by parents and begin in the business … there's so much involved, but I'm basically bringing everyone back together to just unite us again and start over as a family."

So, is Nick — who also dated Peniche — dating anyone at the moment?

"I'm not actually," says Nick, who still sings with The Backstreet Boys. "I'm actually to the point where I'm not really necessarily looking. If it finds me, then that's great. I guess I'm a little more keen to what's going on the older I get, and I'm just not going to let anyone come in an take advantage of me. My love lies in my family now. That's really my No. 1 goal."

But Aaron puts their girl situation more bluntly, "We're looking!" he says with a laugh.

By Amy Bonawitz