Ever since Brayden Bowers and his extensive earring collection sauntered into Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette, the Californian travel nurse has been a controversial figure. His cocky attitude ruffled the guys at the mansion before he self-eliminated in Week 4, and then, when he appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, he made a connection with Rachel Recchia only to blow her off for Becca Serrano—who wound up leaving him high and dry on the beach.
Now, in the wake of Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner’s Golden Wedding, Brayden has been charged with another offense—stealing the spotlight by proposing to his girlfriend Christina Mandrell at the event.
For those unacquainted with this champagne-soaked franchise, a quick primer: Brayden Bowers made his Bachelor Nation debut on Charity’s season, where he snagged the coveted First Impression Rose and quickly soured his own reputation in the mansion by bragging about their kiss. Charity’s brother Nehemiah, who was lurking in the background of Night One disguised as a bartender, warned his sister about Brayden’s behavior.
Compared to some other notable players in the pantheon of Bachelor “villains,” Brayden has always been pretty innocuous. His chief offense during Charity’s season was a common one: He apparently joined the show even though he didn’t really seem to believe in it. As his fellow contestant Sean McLaughlin put it to him during a contentious group date, “You had arguably the most time out of anyone in this group [with Charity], and you still have doubts about the process? What do you still need to see?” When Charity pulled Brayden aside to ask what was wrong, he confessed, “I feel like I like you, but I feel like I don’t want to be here right now, and I don’t feel like I’m capable of getting there in this environment.” So he went home instead.
In spite of his apparent doubts about finding love in a reality competition series, Brayden chose to return to the franchise just months later on Bachelor in Paradise. There, he eventually reunited with Rachel Recchia after they sparked dating rumors by showing up at Charity’s live finale together. But when Becca showed up on the beach, Brayden pretty much immediately gravitated in her direction, offering Rachel little more than an unsatisfying half-explanation and an even more frustrating half-hug on his way out the door. Woof.
Although Brayden failed to find love on the show, Bachelor in Paradise’s finale—which aired in December—revealed that he’d begun dating Christina Mandrell, who briefly competed on Zach Shallcross’s season of The Bachelor. Just weeks later, the couple got engaged at Gerry’s Golden Wedding. Some members of Bachelor Nation apparently feel they pulled focus, but as someone who spent most of the special laughing at gold carpet correspondent Kathy Swarts’ jokes and wondering how jilted finalist Leslie Fhima is doing right now, I gotta say... I’m not sure they really did.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve found someone I can be myself with unapologetically,” Brayden told Christina during Thursday’s ceremony. “Like Gerry said, we have such little time. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Christina cut Brayden off, kissed him, and said, “Put it on me!” Then, it occurred to her: “This is why we got our nails done?”
Perhaps the moment struck some as inappropriate because we’ve seen, like, none of their relationship unfold unscreen. At the wedding, Brayden revealed that they met after Mandrell slid into his DM’s. It also doesn’t help that Brayden has not historically been the King of Commitment. But as everyone kept saying during the wedding special, life is short—and if these two crazy kids think they’re ready to tie the knot (or at least, to get engaged for all of us to see) after, like, six months, then who are we to stop them?