Third times the charm! Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes’ road to romance certainly had its bumps — but they found a happy ending after meeting on season 17 of The Bachelorette.
Katie’s unconventional journey — which was cohosted by Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe after Chris Harrison stepped down amid controversy — featured many twists and turns. Blake’s late arrival, for example, threw some contestants for a loop, but Katie never wavered on their strong connection.
While Blake didn’t show up until the fifth week of the season, he previously slid into Katie’s DMs after romancing both Clare Crawley and Tayshia on season 16 of the dating series.
“I definitely knew who he was, which also Tayshia’s ex-boyfriend! So that’s weird,” the former bank marketing manager exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2021. “We had chatted before, but usually what happens is, like, the guys will reach out to the women once they’re eliminated and be like, ‘Good luck, you did great.’ Like, very generic, you know? And so to see him, I was like, ‘Why is he here?’ Like, ‘What’s happening?’”
The shock of Blake’s arrival quickly wore off and the wildlife manager became a clear frontrunner. After first impression rose winner Greg Grippo surprised Katie with his abrupt departure following their hometown date, she was forced to regroup and reassess her remaining relationships.
The Washington native got the clarity she needed after her fantasy suite date with Blake, which aired as a part of the three-hour season finale in August 2021. Despite some hesitation on the Canadian’s part when picking out the perfect engagement ring, the couple got engaged during the finale and couldn’t stop smiling as they made their first official appearance together on the After the Final Rose special.
“It’s actually probably the most romantic thing someone’s ever done,” Katie gushed during the special, reflecting on Blake’s choice to crash her season. “I know you question it in the beginning. I know a lot of people did, but knowing that I could’ve turned him away and he would’ve looked dumb, he took all these risks for me and no one’s ever believed in me like that. So for him to just trust in us early on, it just means everything.”
Katie made it clear that she was confident she’d found The One — despite some fans’ skepticism about their connection.
“I think everyone can agree that this is exactly who I was supposed to be with,” she noted during After the Final Rose special. “He fought to be here for me and chose to stay even when I’m telling him to his face that I considered leaving. That he was confident enough to hold both of us till the end, I’m just so lucky. I love him so much.”
Scroll down to relive the couple’s road to romance:
Blake vyed for the hearts of both Clare and Tayshia on season 16 of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2020. Katie, for her part, was a contestant on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor.
ABC/Craig Sjodin
The Blake Moynes Shop founder first connected with his fiancée while she was competing on season 25 of the dating show, which premiered in January 2021. “When I actually reached out that first time, after the first episode, her responses were very cold back,” he revealed during a July 2021 episode of the “Click Bait” podcast. “She was nice, but she didn’t open up her dialogue in any way. It was shut down right then and there.”
The former Bachelorette contestant noted that he reached out to Katie after she brought a vibrator with her to meet Matt. “She came out of that limo with that vibrator, I was like, ‘Yeah, I like what she’s about,'” he explained, clarifying that it wasn’t about the vibrator itself, but rather how confident she was bringing it with her. “It’s the fact that she had the balls to have fun with it, and go with it, and go with the flow.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Blake joined season 17 during the July 5, 2021, episode. Tayshia informed the remaining 14 suitors that the Canada native would be joining them at Katie's request, which didn’t sit well with some of the men. Blake later noted that he could feel the tension when he showed up, but insisted he would have started the journey earlier if possible because he’d never met anyone like Katie.
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Blake scored a on a one-on-one date as soon as he arrived on the July 5 episode. The pair went horseback riding and quickly learned they had a lot in common. During the dinner portion of their date, Blake asked how Katie became so sex-positive, prompting her to opened up about surviving sexual assault and wanting to take back her power. After the intimate moment, Katie gave him a rose.
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The wildlife manager shared some of his favorite Canadian treats and activities with Katie during their hometown date on the August 2, 2021, episode of the ABC series. Their playful outing included eating syrup, playing hockey and riding a mechanical moose. Blake told his family — and the cameras — that she was The One as well as the cameras but couldn’t muster up the courage to tell Katie in the moment.
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Katie was blindsided by Greg after he decided to take himself out of the competition. Following his departure, both the Bachelorette and Blake questioned what would happen next with their own relationship. “If Katie is still hung up on Greg, there’s no point,” Blake said during the finale episode before their fantasy suite date cemented their status as a couple. Kate then sent runner-up Justin Glaze packing, leaving only Blake in New Mexico to meet her family.
“Definitely my feelings were growing, and I knew each time we saw each other it was just getting stronger and stronger, and it was just so easy. Like, we picked up right where we left off. Time didn’t matter,” she explained during the August 2021 After the Final Rose special. “Every day our love continues to grow stronger and stronger. We are not even the same couple that you guys just saw go down on one knee. We are so much more already, and we’re just really excited to start our lives together.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Blake freaked out during the August 9, 2021, finale episode as he looked at engagement ring options. Although he was confused as to whether it was the right time to commit to Katie, she was confident that he was The One.
“I always thought you showed up late, but if there’s anything I’ve learned during our journey together, it’s that love shows up when it wants, regardless of time, tradition, expectations, and that’s why we’re standing right here in this very moment,” she gushed before Blake's proposal. “You showed up exactly when you were meant to show up. I’ll forever be thankful that you fought to be here.”
Though it seemed like Blake wasn’t ready to get down on one knee when he first started to speak, he ultimately popped the question. “I can’t give you what you came here for because you deserve a lot more than that,” he said. “You deserve the world, and I’m excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
The lovebirds revealed during the After the Final Rose special that they are happily engaged. Katie told the audience that she wasn't fazed by Blake's hesitation. “I’m glad that he took the time to take it seriously,” she said. “It is an engagement. Yes, we didn’t have a lot of time with each other, but it does show just how serious he was taking this and he actually was maybe unsure for a moment. It just makes it that much more special that he meant it.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
“So excited to start our best f--king life! You’re a rock. My rock,” Blake wrote via Instagram in August 2021 after the season 17 finale aired. “A mature, nurturing, supportive & loving partner who continues to impress me every day. We have an adventure called life ahead of us and I hope you know I’ll do everything I can to help, push and encourage you to make the most of every little bit of it! I love you buggy.”
Courtesy Blake Moynes/Instagram
“Happy f--king birthday honey bear! 🐻💕What a wild couple of months it has been. I couldn’t have done this without you,” Katie wrote via Instagram in August 2021 shortly after fans watched her Bachelorette journey conclude. “I’m so ready to leave these bubbles and start living our life!”
The Washington native praised her fiancé, adding, “I couldn’t ask for a better partner. You are kind, patient, understanding, and your advocacy for the planet and animals is remarkable. I’m so lucky to call you my fiancé 💍. My best friend. My confidant. We are just two weirdos laughing our way through life together. Cheers to the upcoming adventures!”
Courtesy Katie Thurston/Instgram
The Washington native shared footage ahead of her Bachelor journey via Instagram in September 2021, before noting her gratitude for the reality series that gave her close friendships with her fellow contestants and even a fiancé.
“I really can’t grasp that it was exactly 12 months ago that I left for The Bachelor,” she captioned her post. “I had no idea how quickly life was going to change in such a short amount of time. I'm thankful for @bacheloretteabc and all it has provided. … I am thankful for @blakemoynes. I left a year ago in search of love. And because of him, the fight, the sadness, the tears, the pain … it was all worth it as it led me to him. The first few months of our relationship was unnatural but we made the most of every secret moment we were able to spend together.”
She continued, “We supported each other while watching back my many relationships. We made it out at the end of it all, stronger [and] happier than ever. Now our real life together can begin. It will have its own challenges as we relearn what our new norm gets to be but I’m ready. Ready for this next chapter. 💕”
from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/3fQV1PP
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