So, Where Do Riley And Maurissa Stand After Paradise?
The world needs to know.
There are always some couples on Bachelor in Paradise who just seem to have it all figured out. During Season 7, Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn were definitely one of those couples. Even when they had a few rocky moments, they always managed to communicate and share some (OK, a lot of) quality time in the Boom Boom Room. Now that the season has come to an end, though, fans are wondering whether Riley and Maurissa are still together after Bachelor in Paradise. Here’s everything we know about how this couple is doing out in the real world.
On Sept. 22, Maurissa went on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast to discuss her relationship with Riley. She said her bond with Riley quickly became serious thanks in part to all their one-on-one time in the Boom Boom Room. “It was nice also because it allowed us more time together too, so that’s why we were able to build a connection so fast,” Maurissa said. “We would have more conversation[s], get deeper sometimes.”
That deep connection clearly served them well, since Riley and Maurissa were one of the few couples to not only head to the Fantasy Suites during the Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 finale, but also to their final rose ceremony to get engaged.
Heading into Fantasy Suites, Maurissa was confident about their relationship, while Riley seemed to still have a few hesitations. Even though Maurissa said she “couldn’t imagine leaving Paradise without [him],” Riley knew they still needed to have a lot of important convos before a proposal, like how they’d want to raise kids and life in general after Paradise.
Once their Fantasy Suite date started, however, it was super-obvious both Riley and Maurissa were on the same page. Maurissa told Riley he’s her person, and in response, Riley told Maurissa how he envisioned spending their Sunday mornings together with a growing family. Then they started licking whipped cream off of each other, because it’s Riley and Maurissa. It’s hard not to love their love, y’all.
But it wasn’t a done deal from there. The next morning, the couple woke and Maurissa quickly told Riley she wanted an engagement. In response, Riley told her he needed to do some “thinking” before kissing her goodbye, which naturally send Maurissa spiraling. After some soul searching, however, Riley decided Maurissa was his person too. When it came time to propose, Riley took a minute to mess with Maurissa and act like he might not get down on his knee before he presented her with a ring, making them the first Black couple to get engaged in Bachelor Nation history.
Without an “After the Final Rose” special, fans aren’t able to see the two lovebirds interact onscreen post-engagement, but it looks like the duo is still going strong. Even though the couple wasn’t following each other while BIP was airing, that didn’t stop them from posting cute couple pics from the show and tagging each other (which they *probably* wouldn’t do if they called things off). If that wasn’t a clue enough, less than a minute after their proposal aired, Maurissa posted an IG Story of the couple watching the romantic moment together while flashing her engagement ring.
In the final moments of BIP, ABC also confirmed Maurissa and Riley are still together in an adorbs montage showing what all the contestants are up to after the show. Now that Paradise is over and the couple is engaged, here’s hoping the next step on their journey is down the aisle. And a little wedding planning tip: If Riley and Maurissa opt for a signature drink at their reception, it’s gotta be a whipped cream shot.
