In September 2022, Big Brother U.S. finished airing its 24th season, with Taylor Hale making reality show history and taking home the winner’s fat prize. The latest season — much like all others — was marked by drama, fierce competition, and naturally, some romance.
As everyone knows, couples with roots in reality shows usually have short-lived relationships. Being trapped together 24 hours a day brings the contestants’ emotions to the surface, amping up their intensity. Once they get back to the real world, however, romance tends to fizzle out, which is why a majority of the couples formed during the show have parted ways. Sometimes, though, love withstands the test of time.
At the time of writing, out of the myriad of romances — or “showmances,” as the public calls it — sparked at the Big Brother house, only a few live on to this day. Making it so far in a relationship involves dedication, and for that, these couples deserve to be celebrated. Thus, here we list all the Big Brother romances that prevailed after the show.
Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd
This pair made viewers’ hearts warm during season 11 of Big Brother, and to this day remain one of the favorite romances to come out of the reality show. Under the house’s surveillance, they became loyal allies while affection slowly grew. After the season ended, the two wasted little time in starting their relationship, which later led to an engagement.
In 2014, Schroeder proposed to his beloved during a special episode of Big Brother, and the couple finally tied the knot in March 2016. Nowadays, Lloyd and Schroeder are still happily married and have two sons.
Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas
In season 12, Brendon Villegas set his sights on Rachel Reilly for the very first time, and the attraction was there immediately. Despite that, neither of the two thought they would end up falling for each other, especially not in a reality show with the whole country watching. As fate would have it, by the end of the first week, the pair was already dating.
In February 2011, the couple got engaged and married the following year in Los Angeles. Since their Big Brother season ended, Reilley and Villegas have made appearances on other reality shows, never straying too far from the audience’s eager eyes. Currently, they remain together and have two children.
Daniele Donato and Dominic Briones
Dominic Briones and Daniele Donato first met in season 13, where they became good friends. It was the second time Donato participated in the reality show, having previously shared a romance with houseguest Nick Starcevic in season 8. As the expression goes, though, if you don’t succeed the first time, try again – and that’s exactly what Donato did.
For a while, friendship was all there was between her and Briones, but things took a turn outside the surveilled house. In 2012, Donato got engaged to Briones, and marriage came the following year. Now, they share a life together with their daughter, Tennessee.
Victor Arroyo and Nicole Franzel
Viewers witnessed Nicole Franzel have a fling with her housemate, Corey Brooks, in season 18, but that’s not who she ended up with. The two briefly dated after the season wrapped up, but they broke up soon after. That’s when Victor Arroyo came into the picture. During the show, he struck up a friendship with Franzel, and the two reunited at the season 19 premiere. Only after that did they become a couple. In 2021, Arroyo and Franzel began married life, welcoming their first child to the world later that year. The two remain very much in love to this day.
Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf
Unlike most of the couples we’ve mentioned thus far, Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson’s showmance took flight in the first week of Big Brother. The two season 19 competitors quickly fell in love, having no qualms about starting a relationship on live TV. Having both been eliminated before the season’s conclusion, they immediately jumped on the opportunity to compete in The Amazing Race as a duo, ending up victorious this time around. In February 2018, they got engaged, marrying in October of that same year. At the time of writing, the couple is still going strong and has since given life to three children together.
Bayleigh Dayton and Swaggy C
While staying at the Big Brother house, Chris “Swaggy C” Williams and Bayleigh Dayton grew very close to each other, falling in love during the show’s 20th season. Unfortunately, the duo was separated soon into the competition, due to Swaggy C’s elimination, but that didn’t put an end to things. They maintained their relationship and during the season finale, Swaggy C popped the big question, getting himself a fiancée. Williams and Dayton were wed in 2019 and are currently still enjoying family life with their daughter, Alora Leigh, while awaiting the birth of a second child.
Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott
Despite meeting during the show and generating romantic speculation, these two only made things official after leaving the Big Brother house. About three months after season 22 wrapped up, Christmas Abbott and Memphis Garrett finally entered a relationship – to no one’s surprise. The engagement announcement came in 2021, and in May 2022, they tied the knot, and have been happily married ever since. Despite currently having no children together, the couple is content with their blended family of four.
Claire Rehfuss and Derek Xiao
Derek Xiao met Claire Rehfuss during season 23 of the show, and from the beginning, he took a liking to his housemate. While admitting that Rehfuss was his type, the contestant didn’t consider something more until after they both got eliminated from the main house. As the pair reunited at the jury house and got to know each other better, their feelings blossomed, eventually leading to a romance. After the season reached its end, Rehfuss and Xiao confessed to being in love, publicly announcing that they had entered a relationship to some viewers’ surprise. The couple has been together ever since.
Big Brother season 25 is currently ongoing, and with it, new romances have been blooming. We’ll have to wait and see how far they make it after leaving the show.