Brayden Bowers, despite not finding love on Bachelor in Paradise, has ventured into a romantic relationship within the Bachelor Nation. The 25-year-old surprised viewers during the Season 9 finale of BiP on December 7, revealing his connection with fellow Bachelor Nation alum Christina Mandrell.
The show provided updates on each contestant, presenting a cute video of Brayden and Christina along with the message, “Now, Brayden is dating Christina from Zach’s season. Brayden is teaching Christina’s daughter how to accessorize.”
Christina, aged 28, initially appeared on Zach Shallcross’ Season 27 of The Bachelor, which aired from January to March. Although she was eliminated during the third week, she disclosed having a daughter named Blakely with her ex-husband Blake Dennis. Brayden, on the other hand, stirred controversy during Charity Lawson’s Season 20 of The Bachelorette, concluding in April, where he self-eliminated in the fourth week.
After his brief Bachelorette stint, Brayden sought another chance at love in Mexico. In Season 9, which premiered in September, he formed an immediate connection with Kat Izzo from Zach’s season. However, their romance eventually faded away. Brayden reflected on his experience in October, admitting, “I don’t do well with dating multiple people at once…how do you truly get to know someone when you’re getting to know five other people?”
While his connection with Kat ended as she explored other relationships, Brayden moved on with former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia—until Becca Serrano from Zach’s season arrived in Paradise.
Brayden, adhering to his dating principles, decided to end things with Rachel to explore a potential relationship with Becca. He explained, “I know that Paradise is open and doesn’t have rules, but for me, I have my own rules, and I think that’s kind of more so just what I followed. I can’t hold other people to that, but that’s what I hold myself to,” as revealed in an interview in October.
Ultimately, both Becca and Rachel chose to self-eliminate, resulting in Brayden not receiving a rose and being sent home.
Before initiating his relationship with Christina, Brayden characterized Paradise as having “hot and sweaty rose ceremonies,” describing his experience on the show as “a wild ride” in an interview with Us.
Source: US Magazine