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“After the finale, we became inseparable.”
Almost every season of Big Brother is guaranteed to have a showmance -- but whether these couples make things work outside of the house is a different story! Throughout the show’s 25 seasons, many contestants have found themselves in the midst of a flirty friendship while competing for the top spot. While not all of these relationships blossom into full-blown romances, those that do tend to stand the test of time. Quite a few contestants have actually gone on to get married and start a family, proving that there might be more to Big Brother than just winning the cash prize!
Following news this week that show alums Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott are headed for a divorce, here are 8 couples who stood the test of time.
1. America Lopez & Cory Wurtenberger
America Lopez and Cory Wurtenberger’s flirty relationship began during season 25 and eventually turned into a full blown romance. Even after filming wrapped, the couple have kept things going strong and were recently spotted attending a football game together. Both America and Cory say they have high hopes for their future together.
“I’m very optimistic about our future, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s OK,” Cory told Us Weekly. “But she’s incredible and I can’t go into our relationship [outside the game] being like, ‘Oh no, everything’s going to change.’ … Like, no, she’s great. I think it’ll work out.”
2. Derek Xiao & Claire Rehfuss
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss met while filming season 23 of Big Brother but they didn’t truly fall for each other until they were in the jury house. The couple say that they would stay up until the early hours of the morning talking and ended up developing a strong bond. After filming wrapped, Derek and Claire announced that they were dating -- and have been going strong ever since. They even competed on The Amazing Race together, which they say brought them even closer. In the end, they won the $1 million grand prize.
“We just were really required to talk about like, ‘How do we communicate, how do we wanna solve problems?’ and be very honest and be very real with each other in a way that I think a lot of couples don’t have to be, necessarily, and still be happy. So, that just made it so much stronger, and it’s made it so much more applicable when we get into, like, fights or whatever outside of the race too. I do think it was really a test -- which I think is very cliche that people say -- but I think that it did make us a lot, lot stronger,” Claire told Us Weekly.
3. Daniele Donato & Dominic Briones
Viewers first met Daniele Donato during Big Brother’s eighth season but it wasn’t until season 13 that she met her now-husband Dominic Briones. While in the house, the pair were just friends but after they both wrapped filming, things turned romantic. The couple got engaged in 2012 and got married just a few months later. They now have two children.
“Truth be told, I really didn’t like him at first,” Daniele told People. “I thought he was a little troublemaker. But we became friends, and although I didn’t like him like that, it just grew. After the finale, we became inseparable. We got to know each other really well, and we fell in love!”
4. Victor Arroyo & Nicole Franzel
Victor Arroyo and Nicole Franzel both appeared on season 18 of Big Brother but didn’t romantically connect until after the show ended. The pair ended up dating and later appeared on The Amazing Race together. Victor then surprised Nicole by popping the question on a season 20 episode of Big Brother when she thought she was on set to host a competition for current houseguests.
“It felt like everything came together and it was just so right,” Victor shared with ET. “Like, wow. We can really handle situations well together and, yeah, I want to marry this girl.”
The couple officially tied the knot in 2021 and since then, they’ve welcomed their first child.
5. Jessica Graf & Cody Nickson
Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson became inseparable after meeting on season 19 of Big Brother. Although they didn’t make it to the end of the show, they went on to appear on The Amazing Race -- and take home the grand prize. Then, in February 2018, Cody popped the question while the couple were on a hike in Los Angeles.
“I found my true love, I got the ring, only one thing left to do,” Cody wrote on Instagram. “Thank the Lord, thank you to everyone who prayed for us, thank you BB for casting us so we could meet.”
The couple tied the knot later that year and have gone on to welcome four children.
6. Jordan Lloyd & Jeff Schroeder
Back in 2009, Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder met on the set of season 11 of Big Brother. While they didn’t strike up a showmance, they did become close friends and began dating after filming wrapped. Like many other BB couples, they went on to appear on The Amazing Race and although they didn’t win, the experience brought them closer. They then returned to Big Brother during season 16 so Jeff could propose to Jordan in the backyard of the house.
In 2016, the couple revealed that they had gotten married and were expecting their first child. Jordan and Jeff are now parents to two little boys.
7. Swaggy C & Bayleigh Dayton
Swaggy C and Bayleigh Dayton may have only been in the Big Brother house together for just three weeks but they fell hard for one another. The couple actually became pregnant during filming but unfortunately lost the baby while in the jury house. Then, during the season’s finale night, Swaggy popped the question and Bayleigh said yes. They got married in 2019 and have since welcomed two children.
8. Brendon Villegas & Rachel Reilly
Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly fell in love during season 12 of Big Brother and went on to prove that showmances could last outside of the house. After getting engaged on Valentine's Day in 2012, Brendon and Rachel went on to become the first showmance couple to actually tie the knot.
“Admittedly, I still remember that first night,” Brendon later told E! News. “Rachel was giggly and school girlish about me, but I was very skeptical. Even though I was liking her and thinking she was cool, I still was very scared to fall for someone inside this game. When we were put on the block, that's what cemented it.”
After getting married, the couple have gone on to welcome two children.
