Big Brother is one of the biggest shows in the reality television world. What doesn't
come as a surprise is just how many romantic couples have resulted from this series. But
very few relationships made inside the house survive in real life. Here's what the most
memorable couples are doing now.
Chris "Swaggy C" Williams and Bayleigh Dayton hit it off quick during Big Brother 20. The
two quickly appealed to fans and soon "Swayleigh" was
a favorite.
"S-W-A-Y-L-E-I-G-H."
Unfortunately, Swaggy was booted in the second live eviction and would have to wait another
few weeks to be reunited with Dayton. Swaggy took that time to meet Dayton's parents and
spent much of the 2018 summer with her. This all culminated with a heartfelt proposal at
the season finale.
The two were officially married in February 2019, and, these days, they seem to be living
the fairy tale romance.
"Just when I look at her, like I say all the time, like she's my motivation."
Dayton suffered a tragic miscarriage in the jury house, but she says that Swaggy's support
was everything.
"At the end of this process, it literally just was like, 'No, like I know I'm gonna
spend my life with this boy.'"
Despite already being legally married, the two promise a full-blown wedding.
"It needs to be dramatic, DJ, music, on point, everybody's coming. Yeah."
"Just send a TV crew."
It was day one of Big Brother 19, and sparks were flying between Jessica Graf and Cody
Nickson.
"I'm coming into this game, trying to maintain my focus, trying to win this $500,000, and
of course, I see Jessica."
The two might have been fan favorites, but, in the house, they were basically pariahs.
Nickson rocked the boat early on and eventually tanked both his and Graf's games. Nevertheless,
after some nasty treatment in the Big Brother house, their future was looking bright.
The two were cast on and subsequently won the 30th season of The Amazing Race. After
two amazing TV journeys together, Nickson proposed to Graf.
They wed in the fall of 2018 with a baby already on the way. The pace of their relationship
was quick, but the two have the love to back it up. They told People:
"We are so lucky to have found each other in the most unconventional of ways but we
did. We found our forever in each other and can't wait to begin this new chapter of our
lives."
Their daughter, Maverick Nickson, was born on St. Patrick's Day 2019, reassuring everyone
that they were able to get their happy ending.
Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette might be one of the best-looking showmances, and
they were certainly one of the spiciest. However, Calafiore was not a hit with the other ladies
in the house. He would badmouth a lot of the female houseguests, including Everette herself,
behind their backs. Despite all of this, Everette stuck with him, and the two dated for a time
after the season ended.
Zaulie officially broke up just before the 2017 Super Bowl. Everette told the Charlotte
Observer:
"It was like, 'OK, this is a good time to do it, because nobody will be paying attention
to it...Let's just get this video out and then we'll delete it right after.'"
Everette described their relationship at the time as good friends and "really tight." Calafiore
would go on to star in MTV's Ex on the Beach and The Challenge and would get into even
more drama there.
The showmance between McCrae Olson and Amanda Zuckerman on Big Brother 15 was pretty much
doomed from the start. The pizza delivery boy and real estate broker were opposites,
but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Olson would talk about his ex-girlfriend Jessica
quite a bit on the live feeds, and Zuckerman began making waves in the house as an aggressive
bully. Not even Olson was safe from her temperament.
"I'd do anything just to be able to scratch through the drywall and just get out of here."
Eventually, both would leave the house, with Olson getting fourth place and Zuckerman seventh.
While they dated for some months after the show, they broke up by early February 2014.
A major factor was Olson's strong feelings for Jessica. In an open letter, he proclaimed
his regret for going on the show in the first place. There was speculation that Olson did
get back together with his ex, but no hard evidence exists. Zuckerman moved on and married
in the fall of 2017. She gave birth to her daughter, Madison Rose Zachman, in December
2018.
Rachel Reilly had an unremarkable game in Big Brother 12, with only one ally in Brendon
Villegas. And she found herself getting evicted in Week 5. That would have been it for her
if it weren't for Villegas. The couple later got engaged and were invited back in the duos
season of Big Brother 13. Evidently they got on very well outside of the house. The couple
has made many more appearances throughout the franchise and has become an iconic pair.
Villegas and Reilly said "I do" in September 2012. Their reach only expanded further as
the pair competed twice on The Amazing Race, with Reilly competing a third time in 2019.
In 2016, they welcomed their first child, Adora Borealis Villegas, into the world.
Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd were a power couple of Big Brother 11. Schroeder got fifth
place and won America's Favorite Houseguest, while Lloyd won the whole shebang. After their
season, they became inseparable. Lloyd told Entertainment Weekly:
"Right after the show, we'd only go about four days before seeing each other."
After a stint on The Amazing Race, they returned on the duo season of Big Brother 13 with Schroeder
winning America's Favorite Houseguest a second time.
"And that prize goes to…Jeff."
"Yeah!"
Five years after meeting in the Big Brother house, Schroeder came full circle by proposing
to Lloyd on a visit to the house in 2014. Their first child, Lawson, was born in October
2016, and their second, Layton, was born in September 2018. As of 2019, Lloyd and Schroeder
have been together for a decade. It just goes to show how one little reality show can change
your whole life.
Victor Arroyo III and Nicole Franzel weren't a showmance during their run on Big Brother
18. It wasn't until well after Franzel won the season that the two connected.
"I think everything came together for the premiere of Big Brother 19, where we were
in New York and we just clicked."
But the couple really fell in love while filming the 31st season of The Amazing Race.
"For me, like I knew before, but after the Race it 100 percent solidified it. You know
what I mean?"
Evidently, the journey was a success. Arroyo took a note from a few other couples and proposed
to Franzel in the Big Brother house on the live feeds in September 2018.
Big Brother 15 is one of the most controversial seasons of the franchise. The houseguests
were notorious for spouting racist, homophobic, and sexist comments on the live feeds. GinaMarie
Zimmerman was one such person, and she actually ended up being fired from her job for her
horrible statements.
However, there was another instance of Zimmerman's questionable behavior. Some will argue that
Zimmerman's flirtations with Week 2 evictee Nick Uhas does not count as a coupling, but
perhaps someone should have told Zimmerman that.
Zimmerman certainly acted like they were incredibly close.
"I don't wanna be here without him."
"I know, I know, but you've got to do this for him."
After Uhas' elimination, Zimmerman kept a "shrine" to him in her room and had an emotional
meltdown if anyone dared touch Uhas' cereal box. During the season, she even admitted
to wanting to marry Uhas. In an interview with Wetpaint, Uhas admitted of the relationship:
"It was a fauxmance that became a showmance and then I got evicted."
The two did go on at least one date after the show, but it would appear that a trip
down the altar was not in the cards for them.
Dr. William Kirby and Janelle Pierzina were both second-time players when they met on
Big Brother: All Stars. Perhaps that's why their showmance was mostly strategy. Evidently,
Kirby was in a relationship at the time. She explained to TV Guide:
"Who I am in my real life is not what I do on TV...I just try to be a persona and try
to be a character on the show."
Thus, the shocking twist of Pierzina eliminating Kirby was probably not as emotionally charged
in reality.
"Of course it's strategy."
Kirby married longtime fiancée and fellow reality star Erin Brodie in 2017. He continues
to practice dermatology in Los Angeles. Pierzina later competed in Big Brother 14 and joined
The Amazing Race's 31st season with fellow Big Brother alum Britney Haynes.
Unsurprisingly, Kirby and Pierzina's strategic showmance did not continue romantically once
the curtain closed on their Big Brother season. This couple just goes to show that you can
use flirtation as a weapon in the game.
Like Janelle Pierzina's elimination of Will Kirby, Drew Daniel voted off his showmance
partner Diane Henry in the fifth season. The major difference being, however, that their
showmance was for real. At the finale though, Henry didn't seem to hold much of a grudge.
She explained to The Early Show:
"I was the person who told him at the beginning of the day, 'Keep the personal and us separate,'
so I would be [a] hypocrite if I didn't."
Daniel had a girlfriend going into the season, but Henry was willing to, quote, "give him
a chance to prove his sincerity" to her after the season ended. In that same interview with
The Early Show, Daniel promised to take her on a nice trip with his winnings. But it'd
appear that the two eventually drifted apart. Henry did an interview with Joker's Updates
in which she reassured fans that she still keeps in contact with Daniel.
While Henry reportedly married in 2012, Daniel was arrested that same year for domestic violence.
Big Brother 17 had a few notable showmances during its run, but one in particular caught
our eye, the one between Austin Matelson and Liz Nolan. Complicating their budding relationship,
however, was production's decision to bring back the "Twin Twist" from Season 5, meaning
that for the first five rotations, Nolan and her twin sister, Julia, played as one person.
On top of that, Matelson had a girlfriend outside of the game, though he swore to The
Hollywood Reporter that his feelings for Nolan were real.
"Liz is someone that's genuinely special to me, and I want to build a relationship with
her outside of this house."
Despite the drama, the obvious affection showed through, and the two tried to make it work
outside of the house. But Nolan and Matelson split up in February 2016. Matelson continues
to wrestle under the name Luchasaurus, complete with an amazing face mask.
Nolan, on the other hand, has been pursuing a modeling career with her sister. Even though
the two didn't end up together, Matelson did cut off his ponytail-beard for Nolan, so some
good came out of their relationship.
Daniele Donato and Dominic Briones certainly make up one of the more quiet couples on this
list. But it's their lack of drama that makes it so enjoyable to see them flourish. A simple
three-week "flirtmance" blossomed into so much more. They started dating outside of
the house after the Season 13 finale and eventually married in 2013. Donato told People:
"Truth be told, I really didn't like him at first...After the finale, we became inseparable.
We got to know each other really well, and we fell in love!"
Naturally, Donato and Briones welcomed their first child, Tennessee Autumn, in August 2018.
Considering all the other craziness and drama here, it's good to see that there's still
room for a nice, simple love story.
Clay Honeycutt and Shelli Poole ran the house for a good five weeks during Big Brother 17.
With all that power, no amount of make-out sessions could stop the house from targeting
them. Honeycutt and Poole were put on the block against each other in Week 6. In a true
act of romantic martyrdom, Honeycutt fell on the sword and asked the house to vote for
him over Poole.
"I mean, this has been her dream to do this, and it's an unfortunate situation for both
of us, but I didn't want to be the one to take that from her."
The two continued dating after the show, with Poole even meeting Honeycutt's family. However,
they split up a few weeks after the finale, with Poole commenting:
"There was no drama or hard feelings, we simply moved on as dear friends. We are both happy
and thank y'all for your incredible sweetness and love!"
Poole continues to live in Atlanta, Georgia and sells accessories on her Etsy shop. As
for Honeycutt, it looks like he's moved on.
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