Bachelor in Paradise stars Riley Christian, and Maurissa Gunn’s steamy romance started as soon as Riley walked down the steps of Paradise.
They recently announced their split and are moving on to bettering themselves separately.
Riley and Maurissa’s story with The Bachelor franchise
Riley made his first appearance on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette. After Clare got engaged to Dale Moss in week four, Riley switched gears and turned his affection to Tayshia Adams.
Unfortunately, he had to deal with rejection from not one Bachelorette lead, but two. Luckily, producers liked him enough to cast him for the latest season of Bachelor in Paradise.
Maurissa’s experience was much shorter-lived. She appeared on Peter Weber’s season and was sent home the first night. There was something about her that stuck, however, because she was also cast on Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise.
Maurissa had already started a romance with Connor Brennan, a contestant on Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette. It wasn’t strong enough to stick because Riley came down and swept Maurissa off her feet.
Unfortunately for Connor, Riley’s arrival meant the beginning of the end of his love story.
Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn’s love story
Riley and Maurissa’s romance started off with a whole lot of chemistry. They were not shy about expressing their connection through whipped cream, exotic food tastings, and even a trip to the Boom Boom Room.
By the end of the season, they were one of three couples to leave the beach engaged. They made history by being the first Black couple to leave Paradise together.
Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin-Solis, and Riley and Maurissa all left Paradise with a ring and life partner. It was one of the most successful seasons to date.
By August of 2021 the new couple explored their relationship together and started posting publically as soon as Bachelor in Paradise ended.
Two months later, they spoke to US weekly about their wedding plans, the Boom Boom Room, and their time on Bachelor in Paradise.
Riley even took Maurissa to his hometown to explore where he grew up and it was a beautiful experience. Although their relationship only lasted three months after Paradise, they really made an effort to be with each other.
Riley and Maurissa visited Times Square for Christmas and proclaimed their love for each other.
“We have decided to go our separate ways. Never did we imagine this, but we’ve come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves…we’ve appreciated everyone’s love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this.”
Riley and Maurissa released a joint statement earlier this week and deleted all evidence of each other off of their socials.
Before they disappeared from the public eye, both Riley and Maurissa were known to post about each other all of the time. From cute Christmas pajama pictures to Sunday morning matching hoodies, it appeared as though everything was peachy and full of love and happiness.
Riley and Maurissa’s love story has come to a sad ending. Bachelor Nation is surprised to see this power couple split. However, it is not unexpected news as speculation began earlier this month when both of their social media accounts started changing.
Bachelor in Paradise is currently on hiatus.