‘BIP’s Riley And Maurissa Are Still Going Strong, According To Their Latest IG Posts
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Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise is (sadly) over, meaning the singles on the beach have all either found their person or left the Playa Escondida resort behind. The couples have gone through some major ups and downs during their beach vacay.
At the start of the season, Connor Brennan from Katie's Bachelorette season and Maurissa Gunn from Peter's Bachelor season were two Paradise peas in a pod. But once Riley Christian from Tayshia's Bachelorette season arrived, Connor and Maurissa's fling was an instant distant memory for her.
Ever since their one-on-one date, Riley and Maurissa have been inseparable, and they got engaged in last night's season finale. But and a lot can happen when the cameras stop rolling.
Here's the full scoop on Riley and Maurissa's Paradise destiny, including whether they're still engaged today:
Were Riley and Maurissa dating before Paradise?
It's unlikely. Although there's a literal sea of Bachelor in Paradise spoilers out there, nothing seems to point to a pre-show relationship between these two (yet). Turns out, that first meeting in Mexico might really have been love at first sight!
ICYMI, here's Riley:
And, here's Maurissa:
What happened with Riley and Maurissa on this season of Bachelor in Paradise?
Riley and Maurissa were on the beach for the long haul this season. They didn't need more one-on-one dates to make quality time happen on the beach. All they needed one night was a can of whipped cream and some creativity.
In the season finale, Riley proposed to Maurissa with a serious Neil Lane sparkler—and she said yes. Yep, that means Riley and Maurissa were one of the three couples to get engaged at the end of the season.
"Me watching the amazing chemistry between Maurissa and Riley 🥺," another viewer added.
Me watching the amazing chemistry between Maurissa and Riley 🥺 #bachelorinparadise pic.twitter.com/yjEQDK4jNU
— Gibby (@gluegungibby) August 25, 2021
Clearly, Bachelor Nation approves.
Are Riley and Maurissa still together now?
Yes!
Need photo evidence? Now, there's plenty on Instagram. Riley and Maurissa both posted this ah-dorable snap:
And comments from the couple's Bachelor Nation friends started pouring in. "Congrats beautiful!!! Soo happy for you guys✨♥️," wrote Bachelorette co-host Tayshia Adams. Fellow BiP season 7 contestant Abigail Heringer added, "Happy for you babes 🥰."
Before their on-air proposal, Maurissa gushed to the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast all about how she and Riley formed a steamy connection on the beach, according to Us Weekly.
She says the famous (and "air-conditioned," apparently) "boom boom room" was actually the key to their relationship: "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. We would have more conversation[s], get deeper sometimes.”
Maurissa also added that she was skeptical of finding love on air at first. “I was that person that was like, ‘There’s no way you can fall in love with someone this quick on TV. It’s gotta be fake,’” she said. “Especially ‘cause I didn’t go through it before and just with Riley, when I knew, I knew."
"And we spent all day, every day together and [had] no phones, no access to the outside world, none of that," she continued. "So we have no distractions, no outside influences—like family or social media—and so we really get to know each other, we get to have conversations and find out about each other’s lives.”
They've supported each other on social media, too.
When the going gets tough, these two just get tougher. After Riley and Maurissa's first one-on-one on the show ended in the boom boom room, the couple received some backlash from fans about having sex on the first date.
Maurissa defended herself in a video on Instagram: "I don’t need to explain what I said, because I said it with conviction," she wrote in the post's caption, which shows her answering questions about having sex while dating. "However, there are other women that may not be as nonchalant or as indifferent as I am, to handle the kind of criticism that I’ve been receiving," she continued.
"To my next point, it’s OK FOR WOMEN TO LIKE SEX! Sex is a 2 person act, so there shouldn’t be a double standard regarding which gender can openly like it, and which gender should be timid about their enjoyment," Maurissa added. "It’s already hard enough being a woman in today’s society, so we as women should do everything to lift each other up rather than bring each other down."
And Riley backed his fiancée up in an old Instagram Story. "First things first, we’re grown, so mind your business, okay? We came out to ‘Paradise’ because we are looking to be in committed relationships. We are trying to find love," he wrote, according to the Bachelor Nation website.
"Me and Maurissa hit it off on the very first night. I know there are many people out there who wish they could hit it off the way we hit it off on the first night and then make their way to the bedroom, and then after that night still be into each other," he said. "At the end of the day, this is how me and Maurissa felt about one another. There was obviously physical chemistry. There was emotional chemistry as well, and it just led to the Boom-Boom Room, which is where you want it to lead.”
So, yep—even off-camera, these two are in each other's corner.
And, a celeb matchmaker thinks they make a great couple... for a while.
Amber Kelleher-Andrews is the co-founder and CEO of Kelleher International, one of the largest matchmaking firms in the U.S., shared her perspective on Riley and Maurissa.
"I really thought he was so cute with Marissa," she says. "It's going to break my heart to see what happens, but I really like her. She's just darling!"
Her only red flag is Riley's laid-back attitude.
"I just feel like he's a little bit more of a charmer," Amber says. But guys like that "can turn into good guys," she added. "I was watching him like, 'Is this his time? Is he going to be that guy? Or is he just going to be easy to sway over to someone else?' And he doesn't have enough camera time for me to tell." But, she's not totally convinced they have what it takes long-term, either.
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