Big Brother’ showmances : Exploring the television romances over the years

Big Brother contestants have often found love during their stay in the house. Long-time show host Julie Chen Moonves has also admitted to the fact while calling it a “marriage show”. 

During Entertainment Tonight‘s Big Brother 25th Anniversary Special, the host jokingly said that Big Brother has had more successful marriages than The Bachelor, further explaining that “you are locked away from society, you bond, and you get to see every side of that person.” While some pairs could not stand the test of time, some of the couples have walked down the aisle after meeting in the house of Big Brother.

Big Brother showmances: Some of the popular couples of the BB house

America Lopez and Cory Wurtenberger 

The two met during their stay in Season 25. What started as a little flirtation transformed into a relationship. The two are still strong and are reportedly living together in Nashville. 

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Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly 

One of the most popular showmances started between the two in season 12. The two eventually got the name of  “Brenchel”. The two returned during season 13, and Rachel won the season. The pair got married in 2012 and share two children: daughter Adora and son Adler, born in 2020.

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Mike "Boogie" Malin and Krista Stegall

The relationship started strongly in season 2 after Boogie was absolutely smitten by Krista. He even popped the question during the live finale. However, the engagement was short-lived as Krista later broke it off. 

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Christian Birkenberger and Alyssa Lopez 

The pair sparked romance rumours during their stay in the BB house in season 23. However, the romance was short-lived. In an interview with US Weekly, Alyssa explained that after leaving the show, she realized that she had a career, Christian had to focus on his career, and they had barely any time to hang out with friends, so having a relationship was something they were not able to do.

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Tucker Des Lauriers and Rubina Bernabe 

The two met in season 26 and soon sparked romance rumors, which were later confirmed when viewers saw them getting cosy during the live feeds. However, the relationship ended after a year as the pair called it quits in 2025.

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Daniele Donato and Nick Starcevic 

The pair met in the house of Big Brother in season 8 and quickly fell for each other. However, the relationship was rather short-lived. 

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Taylor Hale and Joseph Abdin 

The two sparked romance rumours during their stay in Big Brother season 24. The season winner called Joseph, the best support system”. However, the pair parted ways as distance played a role in the split. Joseph stayed in his home state of Florida, and Taylor could not see herself living there.

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Swaggy C and Bayleigh Dayton 

The two started a showmance during their stay in season 20. The two went strong and later announced in a YouTube video posted back in January 2020 that they had secretly tied the knot. The two have welcomed two children. 

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Nick Maccarone and Kathryn Dunn 

The two garnered attention as they started flirting in the Jury House of Big Brother season 21. Kathryn called Nick an incredible person and a friend during their stay in the Jury house. The couple, however, soon parted ways in April 2020 after they got into an argument on Instagram Live.

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Daniele Donato and Dominic Briones 

Sparks flew between the two in season 13 as Daniele returned for her second season and soon fell for Dominic. The two eventually got married in 2013 and welcomed daughters Tennessee and Lux. 

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Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott 

The two started a showmance in season 22. The two dated for a while and later walked down the aisle in 2022. However, the marital bliss was short-lived as the two, Memphis, soon filed for divorce in March 2024, just after two years of marriage.

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Alyssa Snider and Kyle Capener 

The two started a full-blown showmance in season 23. Kyle, however, caused a controversy due to his alleged racist remarks. Alyssa later admitted that she felt disappointed with what Kyle said. The two later went on a trip to Florida, thus giving way to romance rumours. However, later that year, Kyle confirmed their split on social media. 

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Reilly Smedley and Matt Klotz 

The two started flirting during their stay in the house in season 25 and soon turned into a relationship. However, the relationship turned out to be short-lived, as less than a month after the season finale, Reilly confirmed that they are not dating anymore. In an Instagram live, Reilly said:

“We are not dating right now. You know, he needs time. We talked about it. He needs time. He is doing his thing, and I'm not gonna interfere.”

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Makensy Manbeck and Matt Hardeman 

The two met in the Big Brother house in season 26. The two are going strong and seemingly had a budding romance going on between the two from the very start. The two made things Insta official soon after the season finale. Matt called Makensy his “biggest blessing and worth every bit of the wait” in the comment section. 

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Stay tuned for more updates.