Heavy/ABC Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell are dating.
Brayden Bowers was not able to find true love on Charity Lawson’s season of “The Bachelorette,” nor was he successful during season 9 of “Bachelor in Paradise.” He recently revealed he has found love, though. His relationship comes thanks to Bachelor Nation, even if the couple did not meet on-screen.
Shortly after filming “Bachelor in Paradise,” Bowers connected with Christina Mandrell from Zach Shallcross’ season of “The Bachelor.” By the time the BiP finale aired, Mandrell and Bowers were serious enough to be making plans for the future.
She is “the one,” Bowers has said, and he recently shared how the two initially connected.
Here’s what you need to know:
Brayden Bowers & Christina Mandrell Connected Via Instagram
On December 12, Bowers talked with Bachelor Nation about his relationship with Mandrell. He explained that after he returned home from filming “Bachelor in Paradise,” Mandrell “commented on a couple of my Instagram posts.”
He noted he “didn’t respond right away, but then I saw a cute Instagram Story of her and her daughter Blakely and I responded to her Story.”
Bowers shared that he intentionally chose a post that included the “Bachelor” star’s daughter. “I wanted to subtly let her know that having a daughter isn’t something that scares me away,” he explained.
In fact, the “Bachelor in Paradise” star admitted, “Her being such a good mom is actually something I’m attracted to.” The two exchanged messages via Instagram for a bit and then exchanged phone numbers.
“She lives in Nashville and I live in San Diego, so we started by just texting, then our first FaceTime call was over four hours,” Bowers revealed. A couple of weeks later, the pair decided he would fly to Nashville to attend a concert with her.
The “Bachelor in Paradise” star noted, “We just instantly clicked… there was no awkwardness at all in person and we just flowed the entire time.” After that visit, they stayed connected via daily FaceTime calls and traveled back and forth for in-person visits.
“The moment I met Christina, I knew it was different, like I felt like I was already in love with her,” Bowers admitted. He continued, “My relationship with her was immediately unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”
Bowers Told Mandrell He Loved Her After a Scary Boating Accident
Bowers noted he didn’t want to scare Mandrell, so he tried to pace himself. However, on September 19, he and fellow “Bachelor in Paradise” star Aaron Schwartzman got into a boat accident. “We almost died,” Bowers shared.
Fox 5 San Diego talked with Bowers and Schwartzman after the scary incident. The two men, along with three others, were off the coast of San Diego when an issue arose with the boat.
They were over 15 miles from shore, and the boat quickly sank. The men were unable to send any kind of distress signal, and they were stranded in the water for over three hours. Luckily, two men on a different boat saw them and saved them.
While Bowers was in the water, he told Bachelor Nation, he realized “there was one thing that really stood out and upset me.” He explained, “I had one big regret and it was that I didn’t tell Christina that I loved her.”
Once the men were rescued, Bowers borrowed his father’s phone and called Mandrell. He told her he loved her for the first time, and she declared the same. She flew to San Diego the next day and spent time with his family, and the relationship has gotten more serious from there.
“I see this as end game for me and I know she feels that way too,” Bowers gushed. He’s transferring his nursing license to Tennessee, and he plans to move in with Mandrell and her daughter in January.
Throughout the filming of “Bachelor in Paradise,” Bowers had the opportunity to work with a therapist. It was during therapy he had some important realizations about his life and his readiness to find a “forever partner.”
“Meeting Christina has given me a new sense of motivation and drive and has made me want to be an even better version of myself,” Bowers explained. He continued, “She and Blakely have given me a new ‘why’ and I’m just so happy I get to love them both. It feels amazing.”