I'm not ashamed to say that Kenny and Mari are my favorite couple currently on Paradise. Their relationship has everything: a potentially controversial but mostly ignored age gap, a messy breakup followed by two (T-W-O) other women entering the chat, birthday cake in a fire, and romantic, risk-it-all declarations of love. This is the stuff Paradise dreams are made of. But, will they survive the hot temps and late nights? It's time to investigate if Kenny and Mari are dating post Bachelor in Paradise.
Kenny and Mari aren't super active on Instagram or Twitter, unfortunately, so their social media accounts don't provide too many clues as to whether or not they made it off the beach. But I have to believe that they do. I mean, they told each other in last week's episode that they would both leave the beach together right then and there. This is days after Kenny was taking Demi to the Boom Boom Room and playing volleyball naked on the beach with Tia. They literally just made their relationship official and they're both ready to leave if that's what it takes to make it work? Tell me they're not meant to be, I dare you.
Just look at this photo from Sept. 14's episode. They look so sweet and in love (Kenny also looks like he's watching whatever train wreck is about to happen with Pieper and Brendan, but that's a whole other thing.)
I'm not just saying that I think Mari and Kenny are still dating after Paradise (though I very, very much do) — spoiler alert! — I've also read it in spoilers, which have consistently claimed that they leave the beach engaged. Reality Steve reported in late June, as filming wrapped up in Mexico, that Kenny and Mari get engaged at the end of the season and leave together.
Now, Reality Steve doesn't always get it right, and even if they did leave engaged, that doesn't mean they're still dating now, over two months later. However, there was an encouraging update for Mari/Kenny shippers last month in August, when a fan claimed on the Bachelor subreddit that they had seen Kenny and Mari in Chicago. "Kenny and Mari were walking downtown in the Loop in Chicago with a small white dog and Chipoltle," they reported. (Mari has a small white dog named Monster Bear.) "Mari was wearing a hat but we noticed Kenny right away. Seems like they are still going strong. Looked super happy!"
A lot can happen in a month, so assuming Kenny and Mari were happy and together in Chicago in August, that doesn't mean they're still together now, but I have hope. I believe in you, Mari and Kenny!
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Image: ABC/Craig Sjodin