The roses, and the complimentary Neil Lane rings, will be returned. Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone, who fell in love on season five of Bachelor in Paradise and subsequently emerged as one of the franchise’s strongest couples, have “mutually decided†to separate after eight months of marriage. “Never did we imagine this scenario, but we’ve come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves,†the couple said in a statement. “We are best friends that love and care for each other so deeply. We’ve appreciated everyone’s love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this.†Nielson, a fitness coach who competed on Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season of The Bachelor, and Randone, a sales trainer who pursued Becca Kufrin on The Bachelorette, both were given a villain edit on their respective initial seasons. Upon their arrival in Paradise in 2018, they fell for each other quickly, and Randone proposed to her during the finale. Their marriage was televised during Paradise’s very dramatic sixth season.
This separation makes Nielson and Randone the first married Bachelor Nation couple to be heading for a divorce. While broken engagements and break-ups are common within the franchise, no other married couple throughout its two-decade history has initiated a split until now. Most recently (and most memorably), Bachelorette lead Hannah Brown ended her engagement to Jed Wyatt, the winner of her season, after it was revealed he only went on the show to get publicity for his music career.