Bachelor in Paradise’s Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelor in Paradise's Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn's Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Under the Mexican sun. Maurissa Gunn and Riley Christian fell in love during season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise — and made history in the process. Christian made his Bachelor Nation debut during season 16 of The Bachelorette, competing for Clare Crawley's heart in 2020. After the hairstylist got engaged to Dale Moss in week four, the lawyer stayed on as one of Tayshia Adams' suitors. The former phlebotomist sent him home in week nine before choosing Zac Clark as her winner. Gunn, for her part, briefly appeared on Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor, which aired in early 2020. The pilot sent her home during the first rose ceremony. When the patient care coordinator first arrived in Mexico for BiP, she initially hit it off with Connor Brennan, who originally competed on Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette. After Christian made his entrance in week two, however, Gunn's romance with the musician quickly fizzled. [jwplayer Fjxk2gVz-zhNYySv2] The attorney and the Atlanta resident connected right away, deciding to go to the boom-boom room after their first date. Though the move generated backlash among some viewers, Gunn wasn't bothered by the critics. “We got back to the beach and we wanted to continue our conversation. So, as two consenting adults, we went into the boom-boom room together, which is fine,” she explained during a September 2021 episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast. “The difference between my situation and other people’s situation is that it’s not on national TV and I’m not afraid to talk about it.” At the end of the season, the duo became one of three couples to get engaged during the finale along with Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt and Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin-Solis. While many fans thought Gunn and Christian were a sure thing all along, the Montana native later told Us Weekly that she wasn't convinced he was going to propose. “The whole time we were standing there, I’m like, ‘OK, well, I’m about to be embarrassed, we’re about to walk out together,'" she said in October 2021. Christian, for his part, said he knew he wanted to pop the question after the pair's overnight date. "I said [on the episode that] I had some things to, like, think about, which I did because I mean, having a family, being engaged is everything that I ever wanted,” he told Us after the finale. “So obviously I want to take my time and make the decision, but, you know, it didn’t take too much time. I thought about it. I got it out and it was game time.” When the duo decided to tie the knot, they became the first Black couple in the history of Bachelor in Paradise to get engaged. Less than one year later, however, their love story came to an end. In January 2022, the pair confirmed in a joint statement that they decided to call it quits. Keep scrolling for a look back at Gunn and Christian's romance: [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelor in Paradise's Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn's Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Under the Mexican sun. Maurissa Gunn and Riley Christian fell in love during season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise — and made history in the process. Christian made his Bachelor Nation debut during season 16 of The Bachelorette, competing for Clare Crawley's heart in 2020. After the hairstylist got engaged to Dale Moss in week four, the lawyer stayed on as one of Tayshia Adams' suitors. The former phlebotomist sent him home in week nine before choosing Zac Clark as her winner. Gunn, for her part, briefly appeared on Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor, which aired in early 2020. The pilot sent her home during the first rose ceremony. When the patient care coordinator first arrived in Mexico for BiP, she initially hit it off with Connor Brennan, who originally competed on Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette. After Christian made his entrance in week two, however, Gunn's romance with the musician quickly fizzled. [jwplayer Fjxk2gVz-zhNYySv2] The attorney and the Atlanta resident connected right away, deciding to go to the boom-boom room after their first date. Though the move generated backlash among some viewers, Gunn wasn't bothered by the critics. “We got back to the beach and we wanted to continue our conversation. So, as two consenting adults, we went into the boom-boom room together, which is fine,” she explained during a September 2021 episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast. “The difference between my situation and other people’s situation is that it’s not on national TV and I’m not afraid to talk about it.” At the end of the season, the duo became one of three couples to get engaged during the finale along with Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt and Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin-Solis. While many fans thought Gunn and Christian were a sure thing all along, the Montana native later told Us Weekly that she wasn't convinced he was going to propose. “The whole time we were standing there, I’m like, ‘OK, well, I’m about to be embarrassed, we’re about to walk out together,'" she said in October 2021. Christian, for his part, said he knew he wanted to pop the question after the pair's overnight date. "I said [on the episode that] I had some things to, like, think about, which I did because I mean, having a family, being engaged is everything that I ever wanted,” he told Us after the finale. “So obviously I want to take my time and make the decision, but, you know, it didn’t take too much time. I thought about it. I got it out and it was game time.” When the duo decided to tie the knot, they became the first Black couple in the history of Bachelor in Paradise to get engaged. Less than one year later, however, their love story came to an end. In January 2022, the pair confirmed in a joint statement that they decided to call it quits. Keep scrolling for a look back at Gunn and Christian's romance: [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

June 2021

The pair's engagement didn't air until October 2021, but it was filmed four months earlier. "I’m still in shock… 6/26/21," Gunn wrote via Instagram after the BiP season finale aired. "I love you @rileydchristian."

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

August 2021

When the twosome's BiP season began, Gunn was initially attracted to Brennan. The Tennessee native was eliminated in week two after Gunn coupled up with Christian.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

October 2021

After the couple got engaged during the BiP finale, Gunn gushed about her life with Christian in an Instagram post. “I woke up this morning with nothing but tears of happiness,” she wrote. “I can’t believe this is how I get to spend every Sunday morning for the rest of my life… @rileydchristian you have changed my world completely, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Credit: Courtesy of Maurissa Gunn/Instagram

October 2021

Christian took his fiancée on a trip to visit his hometown of Detroit. "We had the most amazing time," Gunn wrote of the getaway, sharing several selfies via Instagram. "I got to see where he went to school, the neighborhood he grew up in, and of course I had to check out the famous Coney Island. We also walked around downtown and did a little site seeing. It couldn’t have been any better."

Credit: Courtesy of Maurissa Gunn/Instagram

November 2021

The duo celebrated their first Thanksgiving together with Gunn's family in Montana.

Credit: Courtesy of Maurissa Gunn/Instagram

December 2021

Before the holidays, the couple visited the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to snap some sweet selfies. "All I want for Christmas is you," Gunn wrote via Instagram.

Credit: Courtesy of Riley Christian/Instagram

December 2021

For their first Christmas together, the twosome wrote matching pajamas and posed in front of their Christmas tree. "Christmas with you is the best," Gunn commented on Christian's Instagram post about the holiday.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

January 2022

After weeks of speculation about their relationship status, the duo confirmed that they called it quits. "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," the former couple told People in a joint statement. "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." 

Credit: Courtesy of Riley Christian/Instagram; Courtesy of Maurissa Gunn/Instagram

January 2022

Christian switched his Facebook profile photo from a picture with Gunn to a solo shot on January 25. He also wiped Gunn from his Instagram page, leaving a few memories from Bachelor in Paradise on the account and one somewhat hidden photo of the pair together in a December 2021 carousel of pics.

Gunn, for her part, further cleansed her Instagram page of moments with Christian. She previously kept their engagement photo shoot up along with BiP snaps, but those are now gone.