If you’re a member of Bachelor Nation, you may want to know if Kenny and Mari from Bachelor in Paradise season 7 are still together and engaged or if their relationship fell apart after their love triangle with Demi.
Kenny and Mari are two of 30-plus contestants on Bachelor in Paradise season 7, which premiered in August. The show, a spinoff of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, follows contestants from past seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette as they look for a second chance at love. Bachelor in Paradise season 7—which is the first season to air since season 6 two years ago due to the current health crisis—was filmed over the course of three weeks in June at the Playa Escondida Resort in Sayulita, a town in Vallarta-Nayarit, Mexico. The resort is the same location Bachelor in Paradise has filmed at since season 2.
While the location is the same, the host will be different. After former host Chris Harrison quit the Bachelor franchise in June following his racism scandal with Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant from The Bachelor season 22 with Matt James, ABC announced that Bachelor in Paradise season 7 would be hosted by a rotating roster of celebrities that includes David Spade, Titus Burgess, Lance Bass and Lil Jon.
As for what to expect this season of Bachelor in Paradise, bartender Wells Adams told Us Weekly in July that there will be a lot of drama and romance. “There’s love, there’s romance. There’s a lot of drama, you know, it’s got everything,” he said. “The drinks are bad, the advice is worse, but the bar is open. … There are some twists and turns that I was shocked by, and I never thought would ever happen on the show. And I think people are really, really going to love this season.”
And for those who have watched past Bachelor in Paradise seasons, Joe Amabile, who was on Bachelor in Paradise season 5 and returned for season 7, told the “Click Bait” podcast July that the current season is more “insane” and “intense” than his first. “I wasn’t expecting to be original cast,” he said. “I forgot all of what Paradise is about and it is a wild ride, and this season is insane. It really is. … It almost was, like, every day got more and more intense.” He continued, “It was a lot different than my first time. It was wild.”
As for those who wonder how much Bachelor in Paradise is real, guest host Lance Bass told Us Weekly in August that the drama is very, very real. “I was surprised to see how real everything was, because, you know, those shows can probably get very heavily produced,” he said. “[I thought,] ‘They’ve been on the franchise before, it’s like they come in kind of like actors.’ Like, ‘OK, I know what y’all need. Let’s do this.’”
But back to Kenny and Mari. So…are Kenny and Mari from Bachelor in Paradise season 7 engaged and still together? Read on for what happens to them after their love triangle with Demi.
Who is Kenny from Bachelor in Paradise?
Image: ABC/Craig Sjodin.
Kenny Braasch, a 40-year-old boy band manager from Chicago, Illinois, was a contestant on The Bachelorette season 16 with Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams. He was eliminated in week 7. Before his elimination, Kenny was one of the most vocal contestants who criticized Clare and her winner, Dale Moss, whom she left in the middle of the season for.
Kenny works as a talent buyer for 115 Bourbon Street, a bar in Merrionette Park in Chicago, according to The Chicago Tribune. He also manages five cover bands: Boy Band Night, a group that pays tribute to boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and One Direction; the Ron Burgundys, a soft rock band; the Hair Band Night, a hair metal group; Motown Nation, a motown band; and Country Night, a country group. Kenny, who graduated from Oak Lawn Community High School, is also a model. He’s walked the runway for brands like Neiman Marcus and posed for magazines like Vogue Russia and Naperville magazine. He was also the face of the Joker in Mortal Kombat 11. Kenny was also on the July 2020 cover of Desnudo magazine and the February 2014 cover of Today’s Chicago Women for its annual single issue. He’s also posed for the cover of romance novels like Julie Ann Walker’s Born Wild and Ashlyn Chase’s Kissing With Fangs.
In his Bachelorette bio, Kenny revealed that he often put his career before his relationships in the past but is ready to settle down. “This handsome man about town is ready to say “Bye Bye Bye” to the single life. Kenny is a talent buyer in Chicago, where he creates and manages boy band cover bands. He’s the first one to admit that in the past, he’s put his career before his relationships, but now as he inches closer to the big 4-0, Kenny is tired of having ‘No Strings Attached’ and is ready for someone to join him on this journey he calls life,” his bio reads. “For Kenny, looks and personality are equal in priority and he’s hoping for a girl with both. He wants a woman who is not controlling, fake or wrongly opinionated. And if he doesn’t agree with her opinions, she should be ready for a spirited conversation because Kenny says he doesn’t let things slide easily. One way to secure Kenny’s heart is through music.”
His bio continues, “He loves to talk shop and could spend hours reliving his favorite concerts or albums. Kenny is often misjudged by what people see on the outside, but inside, he’s sensitive and caring. He’s waited this long to find the right woman and isn’t about to just settle for anyone, “This I Promise You!”
Who is Mari from Bachelor in Paradise?
Image: ABC/Craig Sjodin.
Mari, a 25-year-old marketing director from Odenton, Maryland, was a contestant on season 25 of The Bachelor with Matt James. She was eliminated in week 4. Mari, whose full name is Mariela, was born in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, before moving to Severn, Maryland. She was the 2019 Miss Maryland, the 2014 Miss Maryland Teen USA and a top 10 finalist in the 2017 Miss World America pageant.
She’s currently the marketing director of Maryland Plastic Surgery & Pure MedSpa in Glen Burie, Maryland, according to her Linkedin. Before that, she was a program coordinator for Make a Veteran Smile and a social media, marketing and events coordinator for Lash Moi. She graduated from Townson University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. She was also a part of the Pi Kappa Delta sorority. She also graduated from Townson University in 2021 with master’s of science in marketing intelligence.
In her Bachelor bio, Mari described herself as “career-focused” but also a “nurturing and thoughtful” partner. “Mari is a former beauty queen living the American dream. After moving to Maryland from Puerto Rico as a teenager, Mari enrolled in college and competed in pageants—most recently winning Miss Maryland USA in 2019 and placing Top 10 at Miss USA,” her bio reads. “Now, she is a career-focused woman on the go who is ready to find the love of her life and settle down. She says that as a partner, she is very nurturing and thoughtful, and hopes to find a man who values her and gives her the same.”
Her bio continues, “She describes herself as a romantic, thoughtful, “all-in” partner, and loves to make her significant other happy by cooking for them, planning small surprises and giving massages. Mari loves her job and says it’s very important that she have her own thing going for her. She also loves that she can work completely remote because she can’t wait to have kids and wants to be a working mom that shows young women they truly can have it all!”
For her fun facts, Mari listed the following:
- Planning to get her boating license.
- Was 2019’s Miss Maryland and top 10 at Miss USA.
- Can’t wait to be a working mom one day to show young women they can have it all!
Are Kenny and Mari from Bachelor in Paradise still together and engaged?
Image: Courtesy of ABC.
So…are Kenny and Mari from Bachelor in Paradise season 7 still together and engaged? The answer is yes. Despite their love triangle with Demi Burnett, a contestant from The Bachelor season 23 with Colton Underwood, Kenny chose Mari, and they’re one of three couples who got engaged in the Bachelor in Paradise season 7 finale. The other couples are Joe and Serena P., and Riley and Maurissa. (Click here for more about Bachelor in Paradise season 7’s winners.) According to Reality Steve, Kenny and Mari are still together after Bachelor in Paradise. For more Bachelor in Paradise season 7 spoilers, click here.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC. Here’s how to watch it for free.
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
Buy: 'Bachelor Nation' by Amy Kaufman $13.89
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
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