Brayden Bowers had a less-than-ideal experience vying for the heart of Charity Lawson on season 20 of The Bachelorette, and Christina Mandrell also had a less-than-ideal experience vying for the heart of Zach Shallcross on season 27 of The Bachelor, but it looks like the Bachelor Nation members found their perfect match in each other post-filming — how sweet is that?
Even though he pursued a relationship with Kat Izzo, Rachel Recchia, and Becca Serrano on season 9 of Bachelor In Paradise, a journey that he embarked on shortly after his journey on The Bachelorette came to a close, Brayden ultimately left the beach as a single man, but fortunately, he was not entirely out of luck when it comes to love…
Upon receiving his phone back after returning from filming season 9 of Bachelor In Paradise, Brayden saw a few comments from Christina on his Instagram posts that were left while he was away. Naturally, these comments led to the pair direct messaging one another, then texting, then FaceTiming, then traveling, and now Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell are a couple, madly in love with one another!
While fans of the franchise have seen Brayden Bowers back-to-back on our television screens, for those who are unfamiliar with Christina Mandrell, her official biography for The Bachelor is as follows.
“Christina is ready for her perfect, fairytale love story! She is a mom to her amazing 5-year-old daughter, Blakely, who she lives to make happy. Since getting divorced, Christina has been searching for her perfect man, but must be selective since she and her daughter are in this together. Christina is looking for a partner she can trust unconditionally and is open-minded to whatever life throws their way. Will Christina get the fairytale ending that she has always wanted with Zach? Only time will tell!”
While Christina did not get “the fairytale ending that she has always wanted” with Zach, she got it with Brayden, and after just a few months of dating, the travel nurse has deemed her to be “the one” — how wild is that?
“They say, ‘When you know, you know,’ and I see this as endgame for me, and I know she feels that way too. We know that merging two lives takes a lot, so we want to make sure that we’re being responsible, but if fools rush in, then I guess I’m a fool!”
In an exclusive interview with Bachelor Nation, Brayden revealed when he knew he was in love with Christina, and all it took was a near death experience…
According to Brayden Bowers himself, as soon as he met Christina Mandrell, it was truly love at first sight!
“I met Christina, and I knew it was different. Like, I felt like I was already in love with her. It was kind of crazy. My relationship with her was immediately unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I didn’t wanna rush into it too much though, or scare her. I was trying not to come on too strong and play it a little cool, but then the boat accident happened.”
Said boat accident was truly life-changing for Brayden Bowers, as well as fellow star of The Bachelorette season 20 and Bachelor In Paradise season 9, Aaron Schwartzman. Fox 5 San Diego reported that the frenemies, as well as three of their buddies, sank 15 to 20 miles off the coast of San Diego during a day of fishing, leaving them stranded and treading water for nearly four hours before they were found.
While the incident was truly terrifying, it gave Brayden the clarity he needed regarding his relationship with Christina.
“We almost died. When I was out there stranded in the water for over three hours, I was just thinking about the people I loved in my life. I thought about my family and how they knew I loved them, but there was one thing that really stood out and upset me. I had one big regret and it was that I didn’t tell Christina that I loved her. I was trying to follow this timeline and stay on the traditional relationship escalator, but it was just the one thing sticking out in my head that I didn’t get a chance to say, so when we got rescued, the first thing I did was borrow my dad’s phone (mine was at the bottom of the ocean) so I could call Christina.”
Grab some tissues, because what he said on the phone to his brand new boo is sure to turn on the waterworks.
“I told her I just had this life-changing experience and I know it may be early, but I had to tell her that I loved her and had these strong feelings. Without skipping a beat, she was just like ‘I love you too.’ She was the first person I called, and I just sat on the phone and we talked for hours.”
Contrary to popular belief, Brayden and Christina were not even boyfriend and girlfriend at the time!
“By the end, I was like, ‘Oh wait, do you want to be my girlfriend?’ Like, we weren’t official and it all felt out of order, though we both knew that this was way more than a regular fling, so it was kind of weird to say ‘I love you’ first and then ask her to be my girlfriend, because I know it’s supposed to go the other way around… Honestly, I didn’t care at that point.”
To close out the conversation, Brayden told Bachelor Nation that the very next day, Christina booked a flight to San Diego to see her brand new boyfriend and spend time with his family. Stealing the heart of both Brayden Bowers, as well as his mother, it looks like the two lovebirds are in it for the long haul…
While it appears to be smooth sailing between Brayden and Christina (no pun intended), it is safe to say we will be keeping up with them on Instagram until further notice for updates regarding their relationship.