She said yes! Victoria Fuller accepted Johnny DePhillipo‘s proposal during the season 8 finale of Bachelor in Paradise, and the duo left the beach engaged.
“You’ve completely changed my world and I never want to live another day without you. … You really have become, overnight, my best friend,” Victoria, 29, said through tears. “I’m completely head over heels for you.”
Johnny, 26, also got emotional before he popped the question.
“I’ve never felt confident about myself, I’ve never felt this secure. … But God has decided to bless me with something as special as you. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I feel like it’s fate,” he began. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. … No matter what in this lifetime, I will have your back, forever and always. I will never leave your side, ever. … I think every king has a powerful queen right next to him and you’re my queen, Victoria. With that being said, Victoria Fuller, will you make me the happiest man and will you marry me?”
Bachelor Nation fans were introduced to the Virginia Beach native during Peter Weber‘s season of The Bachelor in 2020, and she was briefly linked to season 19 lead Chris Soules later that year. The ABC personality returned to the franchise during the second episode of BiP season 8.
“Nobody’s more surprised that I’m back here than me,” she teased as she arrived on the beach. “But, here I am.”
Before connecting with Johnny, who first appeared on Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia‘s joint Bachelorette season, Victoria expressed interest in season 17 alum Justin Glaze. The duo went on one date, but neither felt a spark.
The medical sales rep gave Johnny a rose before the contestants were separated, with all the women leaving for a different resort. While at the second location, Victoria bonded with Alex Bordyukov — throwing a wrench in her relationship with Johnny.
“I’m going back to the beach hoping that Johnny is still being Johnny and still liking me and wanting to pursue things, but I’m bringing back this whole other element of, ‘Well, I kind of want to explore things right in front of your face,'” she told the cameras before reuniting with the New Jersey native. “That’s f—ked up. I just don’t know what I want. I feel like I’m going to have more to explain to Johnny than he is going to explain to me.”
Tensions between the pair heated up after Victoria confessed that Alex “checked a lot of boxes” for her as a potential partner. “When you left, you [told me], ‘Don’t go talking to anyone,'” Johnny fired back. “So do your thing because you obviously want to explore.”
Ultimately, the reality stars salvaged their romance on camera — but the drama continued off screen. One month before the finale aired, Victoria was spotted in Rome with Greg Grippo, sparking rumors that they were an item. When ZacharyReality claimed in October that it was “possible the producers sent” the twosome overseas “on purpose to make a scandal” and increase BiP‘s ratings before the season ended, Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss swiftly shut down the speculation.
“That’s absurd! #BachelorInParadise,” he tweeted at the time.
As fans waited to see Victoria and Johnny’s relationship play out, she and Greg attended a dinner party with other Bachelor Nation alums — and were caught kissing in a TikTok shared by Nick Viall. The podcast host teased alongside the November 6 video, “Game night had all the drama.”
