The Bachelor Nation Couples Who Are Still Going Strong
When it comes to reality dating shows, little get as bad of a reputation as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Since its premiere in the early 2000s, the Bachelor universe has consistently been called out for the amount of failed relationships it produces.
There’s no denying that the show has had its fair share of breakups and subsequent drama, but it has also had many successful relationships born from it. And some of those couples are still going strong to this day, having married and had children, all thanks to The Bachelor and its subsequent spin-offs. So here are 10 of the best and cutest Bachelor nation couples.
Ann and Jesse
The Bachelor Season 13, The Bachelorette Season 4
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are designed so that the titular Bachelor or Bachelorette finds their one true love among the group of suitors chosen by production. However, contestants Ann Lueders and Jesse Csincsak challenged this by falling in love despite never sharing a season of the show together.
Jesse was the winner of The Bachelorette Season 4 after he was chosen by DeAnna Pappas in the finale. But the pair split shortly after the show wrapped. Ann was one of the suitors vying for Jason Mesnick’s heart on Season 13 of The Bachelor but was sent home in week 1. But both being in the Bachelor world allowed the two to find each other, and they immediately hit it off. They went on to marry in 2010 and share three children together.
Raven and Adam
Bachelor in Paradise Season 4
Raven Gates previously vied for the affection of Bachelor Nick Viall on Season 21 of The Bachelor, and was the season’s runner-up. Adam Gottschalk was a contestant on Season 13, Rachel Lindsay’s season, of The Bachelorette, but was eliminated in week 7.
Both of them were invited to Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise, where they met and fell for one another. They decided not to get engaged in the show’s finale, but remained together after filming ended. They later married in 2021, and now share two children together.
Ashley and Jared
Bachelor in Paradise Seasons 2 & 3
The road to romance was a rough one for Ashley Iaconneti and Jared Haibon. Ashley, who appeared on Season 19 of The Bachelor, and Jared, who appeared on Season 11 of The Bachelorette, were invited to Season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise. They coupled up quickly during the season, but Jared ended things in week 5, leaving Ashley heartbroken.
They both returned for Season 3, where Ashley once again set her sights on Jared, who began dating Caila Quinn, whom he left the show with in week 5. However, his relationship with Caila didn’t pan out, and in 2018 Ashley and Jared rekindled their romance. Jared later proposed on the very beach where he and Ashley met, and the two wed in 2019.
Arie and Lauren
The Bachelor Season 22
Arie Luyendyk Jr. made waves when he was chosen to be Season 22’s Bachelor, despite it being five years since his appearance on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette. For his own season, he chose to proper to Becca Kufrin. But come After the Final Rose, Arie pulled a Mesnick-move and dumped Becca live on television, opting instead to propose to his runner-up Lauren Burnham.
Despite the drama surrounding the choice, it worked out well for the pair, and they married in 2019. They now have three children together, and couldn’t be happier, making these two lovebirds one of the happier couples to ever come out of The Bachelor universe.
Jason and Molly
The Bachelor Season 13
Speaking of Mesnick, no list of Bachelor Nation couples is complete without the addition of Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, whose coupling served as a huge bombshell. Mesnick was chosen to be the Season 13 Bachelor after being the runner-up in DeAnna Pappas’ season of The Bachelorette. In the finale, Mesnick’s final two suitors were Melissa Rycroft and Molly Malaney, and he chose to pop the question to Rycroft.
But during After the Final Rose, Mesnick shocked everyone (including his then fiancé) by breaking up with Melissa, and asking Molly for a second chance. It remains one of the most shocking moments in Bachelor history, but despite the drama it caused, Jason and Molly went on to marry in a televised wedding, and they’re still going strong to this day.
Chris and Desiree
The Bachelorette Season 9
After being eliminated in week 8 of Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor, Desiree Hartsock was chosen to be the Season 9 Bachelorette. The road to romance for Hartsock was a bit of a bumpy one, as any viewer can likely remember the shocking moment Brooks Forrester opted to leave the show, despite being one of the front-runners. It seemed as though his departure was it for Hartsock, who was left devastated by the sudden exit.
But come the finale, she shared her feelings for Chris Siegfried. “I feel like I was blindsided by my feelings for Brooks, that I couldn’t see that the one thing I always needed was right in front of me. You have been by my side from the very beginning … I thank you every day for never giving up. And you mean the absolute world to me. I love you. I love you so much.” Hartsock gushed to Siegfried in the finale, accepting his proposal, which led to their 2015 nuptials.
Sean and Catherine
The Bachelor Season 17
Sean Lowe made it to third place on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette before being eliminated. But his journey to love was far from over. He was chosen to be the Season 17 Bachelor, and was given 26 women to choose from on his quest for love.
Among these women were the aforementioned Desiree, whom he sent home in week 8, and his eventual wife, Catherine Giudici. Despite not getting a one-on-one date until week 6, Catherine and Sean hit it off, and he proposed to her in the finale. They married in 2014, and have since gone on to become a fan-favorite couple among the Bachelor Nation, with Sean often being brought in to provide advice to the new Bachelor’s.
Jordan and JoJo
The Bachelorette Season 12
JoJo Fletcher was the runner-up on Ben Higgins’ season of The Bachelor, and though she didn’t win his heart, she won the hearts of everyone in America, landing her the title of Season 12’s Bachelorette. She accepted Jordan Rodgers’ proposal in the finale, and as if they couldn’t get any sweeter, Jordan re-proposed to JoJo in 2019, three years after their initial engagement.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Jordan explained: “I always wanted to re-propose, with no cameras, no producers, no drama…just us. Our first engagement was so real, and meant so much to us both, but as we start to actually plan our wedding for next year I wanted to do it all over again, OUR WAY!” The pair married in 2022, after multiple Covid-19-related setbacks, and are still going strong!
Jade and Tanner
Bachelor in Paradise Season 2
Another couple to come out of The Bachelor spin-off series Bachelor in Paradise is Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert. The pair met in week one of Season 2 and remained a couple all throughout the season.
They got engaged during the finale, and went on to marry in a televised 2016 wedding, which solidified them as the first Bachelor in Paradise marriage. They’ve remained just as in love as they were throughout the show, and have since welcomed three children.
Trista and Ryan
The Bachelorette Season 1
No list of the best Bachelor Nation couples would be complete without Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, the OG Bachelorette success story. Trista was the very first Bachelorette, after being the runner-up on the very first season of The Bachelor — which is already an impressive feat, she truly helped kick off the franchise. No Bachelor Nation romance has been quite as celebrated as Trista and Ryan’s, and for good reason.
After accepting Ryan’s proposal in the finale, the pair married in a televised wedding in 2003. Since then, they’ve welcomed two children, and celebrated 20 years of marriage in 2023. It’s an impressive feat for any couple, but especially a couple that came from a reality dating show — the first season of one no less. They’re proof that The Bachelor’s format can be a success, and remain the most loved and celebrated couple by Bachelor nation to this day.
