One of the biggest surprises to come out of The Golden Wedding special on ABC — which saw Gerry Turner marry Theresa Nist amidst two hours of Bachelor Nation chaos — was Brayden Bowers’ live, on-air proposal to girlfriend Christina Mandrell. The newly engaged couple have only been dating for a matter of months, and while the Bachelor in Paradise star had solid reasons for putting a ring on it so quickly, fans shared some pretty strong opinions about the polarizing couple.
Why Brayden Bowers Wanted To Get Engaged To Christina Mandrell So Soon
Brayden Bowers, who is known in Bachelor Nation for his unique fashion choices of scarves and earrings, and Christina Mandrell, who many thought might become the Bachelorette at one time, hard-launched their relationship at the end of Bachelor in Paradise Season 9. That finale aired in December, but it actually finished filming at the end of June, so sometime between those dates, Mandrell apparently slid into Bowers’ DMs. Regardless of how many months the couple have notched, Bowers had no qualms about making it official, as he told People:
It's like they say, when you meet someone, you know, you know. And it's like I've never known before. I've dated before, but I've never known before. And then I meet her, and it's like there's no doubt in my mind.
Ahead of the proposal, Brayden Bowers announced at The Golden Bachelor’s wedding special that he was moving to Nashville, Tennessee, to live with Christina Mandrell and her 7-year-old daughter Blakely. Mandrell’s daughter played a role in Bowers’ decision to propose, as well, as he continued:
The thing is with her and her daughter, I wouldn't make a move out there if I wasn't sure that she's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I figured that we should make this proper and set the example too for Blakely and to show her the kind of love that she deserves as well. And so, it's the kind of love I want to give to her mom every single day.
So not only is Brayden Bowers certain that he’s found his person, he seems to be taking it extra seriously because her child is involved. But not everyone was won over by his grand gesture.
Brayden Called ‘Tacky’ And ‘Classless’ For Proposing At Someone Else’s Wedding
It wasn’t lost on Bachelor Nation that stealing the spotlight on someone else’s big day is a pretty big no-no. Despite Jesse Palmer explaining that Brayden Bowers had gotten both Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s blessing beforehand to propose, many thought it was a classless move, with one calling Bowers “the tackiest man on earth,” and another posting:
Brayden WOULD upstage someone’s wedding and propose… that is SO TACKY #TheGoldenBachelor #TheGoldenWedding pic.twitter.com/NU5YubBJeHJanuary 5, 2024
You’d have to imagine typical etiquette goes out the window, though, at a wedding that’s attended and even officiated by the groom’s ex-girlfriends.
Others were certain that producers put Brayden Bowers up to it in order to highlight the couple’s success after all three Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 love stories were revealed to be over within days of the finale airing. One fan wrote:
Producers telling Brayden if he proposes tonight they’ll pay for the ring since none of the Paradise couples were successful #GoldenBachelor #GoldenWedding #TheGoldenWedding #TheGoldenBachelor pic.twitter.com/viH0slmNzvJanuary 5, 2024
While that definitely seems like a possibility, Bachelor Nation really needs a win right now after all the BIP breakups and the heartbreaking news that Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo are divorcing. I’ll definitely be rooting for this couple — along with Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, of course — as we prepare to watch Joey Graziadei’s journey when The Bachelor returns on Monday, January 22, on ABC. And if you want to relive Brayden Bowers’ proposal or any other part of The Golden Wedding, the special can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.
