Morgan From 'Cheer' Had A 17-Hour First Date With Her Fiancé, Stone

Cheer star Morgan Simianer has been on exactly one Hinge date in her life. She invited Stone Burleson, who works in real estate, to join her and her friends for Taco Tuesday. Although the date got off to an awkward start, they ultimately talked into the wee hours of the morning. That was 383 days ago — and they haven’t been apart for a single day since. Fast forward to March 28, 2022, and People announced that Burleson had popped the question. Spoiler alert: Simianer said yes.

“I never really did online dating, but with COVID, I felt like it was something new to do because you couldn’t go out and meet people,” Morgan tells Elite Daily. “At first, I was really hesitant. I thought I was just going to match with fans or people who won’t actually want to know me for me.” Luckily, Stone didn’t have a clue who she was when they matched.

He had been on a handful of Hinge dates, but none like this one. “I’m lucky I ended up running into Morgan. My life changed after that,” he says. Although he loves Morgan for her kindness, carefree spirit, and killer sense of humor, her fame is an entertaining perk. “It’s so fun watching her mingle with fans. She makes everyone feel important,” he says.

Here’s their story:

How long have you known each other?

Stone Burleson: About one year.

How long have you been dating?

SB: We’ve been inseparable ever since we met.

Do you live together? Are you engaged? Do you have a pet you share?

Morgan Simianer: We’re engaged! We’re also cat parents to a little fur baby. Our birthdays are actually October 9th and October 11th, so we just decided October 10th is our joint birthday.

SB: My gift to her was Louis Boo. I definitely freaking hit the nail on the head, because she’s absolutely in love with her child.

What initially attracted you to each other’s profiles?

MS: I just thought he was really handsome. He seemed like he was genuine, not creepy.

SB: I had absolutely no clue who she was. I just saw that she was a beautiful girl.

Who sent the first message, and what was it?

SB: I commented on a photo of her standing on some rocks at the beach. I asked where she was.

How long did you exchange messages or texts before your first date?

SB: Just one day. When we first started messaging each other, I asked for her Snap. It said “subscribe.” I thought it was just “add” and “add back.” I was like, “What the heck? What is this? I’m subscribing to you?” And she just laughed it off. So that was the first flag where I was like, “OK, that’s a little weird.” We were supposed to go on a date that Friday, but just to verify that I wasn’t a killer or anything, she invited me to her friend’s Taco Tuesday, so that’s when we met.

What was your first date like?

MS: Before the date, he sent a picture of me to his family group chat and said, “Yeah, I’m going on this date with this girl named Morgan.” They said, “This girl looks just like Morgan from Cheer.” But I wasn’t like, “Hi, I’m from a Netflix show.” I was keeping it low-key. I was nervous, but at the same time, I wasn’t, because my friends were there. For the first 30 minutes, I didn’t talk to him — my friends did.

SB: Finally, one of her friends mentioned anime, and that’s what broke the ice. Another friend got dragged into the conversation, and so finally, Morgan hopped in. Then, she and I started talking one-on-one. Around hour five or six of the date, one of her friends showed me he’s got, like, 150,000 followers. I was like, “Holy cow, that’s freaking ridiculous.” And then he was like, “Well, this is nothing on Morgan.” She tried not to smile. She didn’t want to mention anything to me. Finally, she showed me her Instagram with one million freaking followers. And that’s how I found out about Cheer. After tacos, she invited all of us to go back to her apartment’s rooftop. The friends passed out around two in the morning, but Morgan and I just couldn’t stop talking. We were there until seven in the morning when the sun was rising.

MS: The date was 17 hours long.

SB: When I was driving back home, I called my mom. She was ecstatic. Morgan was my whole family’s favorite character. I saw Morgan again that night, and we watched all six episodes back to back. Next thing I know, I’m crying at Episode 4, hearing her story. It was amazing.

Describe the DTR conversation.

MS: We literally have spent every single day together since our first date. So, we didn’t really have that one moment where we were like, “Will you be my boyfriend?” or, “Will you be my girlfriend?” We just knew that’s what it was.

What was your first Instagram together?

MS: We had taken multiple pictures beforehand, but I didn’t want to post and have people be like, “Oh my gosh, who is that?” Because everyone just freaks out if I post anything and people make their own ideas up about what’s going on. So, I waited a while. On April 25, I finally posted a picture of us at breakfast with my friends, tagged him, and wrote, “Brunch w/ my babe.”

SB: I must have gotten over a thousand followers or something from that one photo. I’ve never gotten that many notifications before in my life.

Describe the moment you first realized you were falling for them.

MS: There are a lot of moments, but seeing the way he interacts with his family was one of them. He’s always calling his sisters, checking up on them — his mom, his dad, even his cousins. I was like, “Oh my gosh. He cares a lot about other people.” I really love that about him.

SB: I never wanted to fall for someone right away, but it was that first date. I’ve never been so intrigued by someone, had so many laughs, been able to spill my heart the way she did to me. It felt so right and I didn’t want it to end. I contemplated skipping work. I just wanted to know more and more about her. And to this day, it’s the same thing. I still want to know more and more about her.

MS: When you know, you know.

Who said “I love you” first?

MS: I was. It came out as an accident, because whenever I hang up on the phone with my friends, I’m always like, “I love you, have a good day, bye.” It just comes out. I was trying to control it around Stone, but then one time, I said it.

SB: I was like, “Thank God, now I can say it.” I had wanted to say it for a freaking month.

What was your first fight about?

MS: Food. I’m a picky eater and this kid eats everything.

What's your favorite underrated thing about each other?

MS: On the outside, he seems intimidating. He’s just a big kid and always has a straight face. He’s super friendly and funny, but he just looks so in the zone.

SB: People might not know she’s hilarious. She’s got dry humor and super quick wit.

How often do you text throughout the day?

MS: We don’t really text. We’re with each other basically 24/7, and I’m more of a FaceTime person. Within the last year, we probably have, like, 100 text messages between us.

SB: Texting takes too much time — and I just want to see her beautiful face.

What was the last thing you texted about?

MS: Wordle.

Do you know if you are astrologically compatible? Do you care?

MS: I feel like we’re compatible. Online, it says two Libras make an OK pair. I think we’re more than OK.

Which TV show do you marathon together?

SB: We really loved Squid Game.

What was your favorite date you’ve ever been on?

MS: Stone and I have made it a goal to try and go to every steakhouse in the Dallas area. We’ve gotten a few of them crossed off the list. Every time, we have so much fun — we get to see different environments and the food, obviously, is amazing.

Why do you think your relationship works?

MS: We have a lot of traits that are very similar: we like to put other people first and we don’t like arguing. We squash anything that happens and then we bond from it.

SB: She hit the nail on the head. We agree about everything.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from each other?

MS: Stone’s very driven. He wants to get something done? He gets it done that very second. I can put things off, so being around Stone, I’m more motivated to get things done in a timely manner.

SB: Her mindset is that everything will work out, and I’m the opposite. So, she helps me realize how important my time is now, and that it’s OK to relax. You don’t have to be 100%, 100% of the time.

What’s your best piece of advice for people on dating apps?

MS: Just go for it. I was never expecting to find the love of my life, but I sure did. Never settle and you’ll find the person you’re meant to be with.

SB: Don’t be embarrassed by it. Just embrace it. I mean, that’s just how it is with the times nowadays. You will find that person. You will fall in love. It doesn’t matter how old you are. It’s coming.