‘Bachelor’ Villains Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell Get Engaged at ‘Golden Bachelor’ Wedding

By Emma Chance | TV | January 5, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | TV | January 5, 2024 |

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner married Theresa Nist live on ABC last night. No, I did not watch it, because who cares, but when I Googled it this morning to read what I knew would be boringly sweet reporting on the event, I discovered much more exciting news: Bachelor Nation alums Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell, both villains on their respective seasons, got engaged.

It was only in December, during the Bachelor in Paradise finale, that we learned of the relationship between Bowers and Mandrell. Bowers had left Mexico without love, and with what seemed like a chip on his shoulder over the whole villain thing, but somewhere between the filming and airing of the show, he and Mandrell met and bonded over their mutual feelings of being misunderstood by the viewership.

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At last night’s wedding, host Jesse Palmer interviewed the couple, asking how they met. Bowers explained that Mandrell DM’ed him, and initially won his heart with her love of the band Tenacious D. Then he passed the microphone back to Palmer and got down to business.

“Christina, from the moment that you picked me up from the airport with your crazy ass rose and your fake disguise, I just knew that there was something special and there was something different,” he said. “I have no doubts that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And like Gerry said, it’s like, you know, we have such little time and… I just know that I want to spend the rest of my days with you,” he continued, then got down on one knee and pulled out a, you guessed it, Neil Lane ring.

“This is why we got our nails done?!” Mandrell squealed, which softened even my prickly heart.

“You’re such a pain in my butt!” Bowers responded, laughing, which…hmm…

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“We were both, I feel like, misunderstood. And it’s like two misunderstood people that understand each other,” Bowers told People. “It’s like they say, when you meet someone, you know, you know. And it’s like I’ve never known before. I’ve dated before, but I’ve never known before. And then I meet her, and it’s like there’s no doubt in my mind.”

He revealed that they’re moving in together this week, along with Mandrell’s 7-year-old daughter, Blakely.

“The thing is with her and her daughter, I wouldn’t make a move out there if I wasn’t sure that she’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with,” he explained. “I figured that we should make this proper and set the example too for Blakely and to show her the kind of love that she deserves as well. And so, it’s the kind of love I want to give to her mom every single day.”

“There’s been bad, there’s been good. I mean, we’ve had these epic, crazy hard moments already, even though it’s, you know, some would say fast. But just the every day, like life. We’re excited for life,” Mandrell added.

I’ve been hard on Bowers, and while Mandrell wasn’t on her season long enough for me to really have anything to say about her, I can eat crow in this moment and acknowledge them as a cute couple. They were cast as villains because they’re both kooky, and that seems to be what makes them perfect for each other. So, they could be added to the short list of Bachelor success stories, or they could crash and burn as fast as they came to be. Mandrell’s statement is what gives me pause on that front, but hopefully, she was just caught up in the moment. Hopefully.

You can stream the Golden Bachelor wedding on Hulu, but you might as well skip that and just watch the proposal below.