Bachelor in Paradise’s Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelor in Paradise's Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby's Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby have both weathered tragedy, getting a second chance at love during season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Allio made his Bachelor Nation debut during Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette in 2021, but he ultimately self-eliminated because he didn't want to leave his son, James, alone at home. The Ohio native shared James with wife Laura, who died of breast cancer in 2019. Maltby, for her part, appeared on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, which aired in 2017. Before her appearance on the ABC dating show, the neonatal nurse was in a relationship with Nick Haag. The couple had been engaged for just three months when Haag died of a drug overdose in 2011 at age 29. Following a brief Paradise connection with Sierra Jackson, Allio hit it off with Maltby after she asked him on a one-on-one date. The pair didn't get engaged during the season finale, but they did exchange the L-word — and agreed to keep seeing each other after filming. In September 2023, Allio revealed that he and Maltby called it quits after one year of dating. Keep scrolling for a timeline of Allio and Maltby's romance:

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1st Meeting

The pair met in week two of BiP season 8, which filmed in summer 2022. After encouragement from Adams, Maltby asked Allio to accompany her on a one-on-one date.

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A Successful Date

The duo hit it off right away and shared a kiss during their first date, which Allio said felt like it could have been the "last first date of my life.” Before Maltby's arrival, Allio was in danger of going home following Jackson's exit. “I felt defeated and now it feels like there’s a little bit of hope here,” the single dad said during a confessional interview.

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Off-Camera Drama

After Maltby and Allio's first date aired in October 2022, some viewers — including Jackson — questioned the timing of the Wisconsin native's arrival. “I’m gonna go meditate,” Jackson tweeted after Maltby's debut, which she called “convenient.” Allio, for his part, admitted in a TikTok video that he had some regrets about how things transpired with Jackson. “Taking a rose when you’re [sic] heart’s not in it is ‘leading someone on,’” he said in October 2022. “Choosing to end my only relationship when I was gifted a constellation and didn’t have a rose was not a ‘good look’ but I knew that. I still should [have] handled the breakup better, that’s on me.”

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An Important Conversation

During the season finale, Allio and Maltby agreed that they weren't ready to get engaged, but they wanted to pursue their romance outside of the show. "Ever since Laura passed, I've had difficulty giving and receiving love. And for the longest time I have felt incredibly just lost, wandering, numb, you know?" Allio said before revealing that he's kept a compass in his pocket since his late wife died. "I bring it with me everywhere so I don't get lost. On the inside of it, it says, 'I find you wherever you are.' And I can't help but think this compass brought me to you."

Maltby told Allio that it would be an "honor" to meet James, adding that she wouldn't try to "step in" and replace his mother. "[Laura] would love you," Allio told Maltby. "I know that for certain. She'd be happy it was you."

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Final Rose Ceremony

Michael gave Danielle a rose during the season's final rose ceremony, which aired in November 2022. 

Credit: Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram

August 2022

The duo attended Adams' wedding to Sarah Hyland as a couple.

Credit: ABC/Stewart Cook

November 2022

During the BiP reunion, which filmed on November 4 and aired on November 22, Maltby revealed that she is moving to Ohio to be nearer to Allio and his son, adding that she won't be moving in with them. He also told the Bachelor alum that he loves her. Maltby replied, “I’m shocked as s–t right now.”

Credit: Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram

February 2023

“Pack it up. Pack it in. Next stop… Cleveland ❤️,” Allio captioned an Instagram video as the couple packed Maltby’s Nashville apartment.

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Maltby/Instagram

June 2023

Maltby praised her partner’s parenting skills on Father’s Day.

“Happy Father’s Day to this freaking studley [SIC] man- good grief 🫠 💛,” she wrote. “You literally do it all and don’t get or take enough credit for the incredibly witty, cute, yellow loving, smart, silly, crafty, un-marcusy 🙃human you are shaping. Every kid deserves a dad like you @michael_alliol4 💛 Love you big time 💛.”

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Maltby/Instagram

August 2023

After sparking split speculation over the summer due to not sharing as many photos together via social media, Allio dodged a question about their relationship status on the “She’s All Bach” podcast.

“I’ll say this. Being in a public relationship, it isn’t fun,” he explained. “Danielle and I, like, both agree that the only people that should be in our relationship are us two. So we think just the healthiest way to have a relationship is to keep it private.”

Though he and Maltby “love each other … very much,” Allio shared that they want to keep the details close to the vest. “I think when you start having a relationship and bringing people into it, people have opinions, you know, and it’s just not the right way to run a relationship, so that’s just something we’ve decided,” he said.

Credit: Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram; Courtesy of Danielle Maltby/Instagram

September 2023

“I guess I’ll just come out with it. We’re not together anymore,” Allio revealed during an episode of Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast. “It’s not what we planned. We both threw a lot into this relationship and it’s really awful when it doesn’t work out.”

He also hinted that he and Maltby weren’t compatible with one another, stating, “You mourn the loss not of just that person and that friend in your life, but also the future that you had envisioned. And it’s to no fault of hers. She poured everything into this.”

Noting that they are “working through some things and trying to stay close,” Allio concluded the breakup discussion by stating that “starting over again” is “always frightening.” He added: “I know that time will heal because I’ve felt that before, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult.”

Maltby broke her silence days later, claiming, “This breakup was not a mutual decision arriving at some perception of incompatibilities.”

She issued the statement via her Instagram Story, explaining that the last couple of months “have been extremely difficult and painful” for her but she doesn’t “regret the love [she] gave for a second.”

Maltby insisted that she hopes for “the best for Michael” and will “always” have his son, James, in her “heart” as they “move forward separately.”