Emily Ferguson, Sydney Warner (née Hightower) and more Bachelor Nation stars traded in their roses for jerseys with their significant others’ numbers after the show.
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have produced several happily ever afters — but many former contestants didn’t find love until they left the Bachelor Nation bubble. Emily and her twin sister, Haley Ferguson, for example, left season 20 of The Bachelor as single ladies.
The twosome eventually found The One in their respective hockey player husbands. Emily wed Las Vegas Golden Knights star William Karlsson in July 2022 while Haley married Finnish hockey player Oula Palve one month prior.
Sydney married San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner in June 2022, two years after appearing on Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor. Sydney rooted for her husband while pregnant with their first child during Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024 as he played against the Kansas City Chiefs. (The 49ers lost in overtime, 25-22.)
Scroll down to see which Bachelor Nation stars have either dated or married professional athletes since leaving the ABC franchise:
Emily Ferguson and William Karlsson
Emily started dating Karlsson in November 2017. The following year, she supported the Golden Knights player in his first Stanley Cup finals, which the team lost. The pair got engaged in December 2020 and said “I do” in Las Vegas in July 2022.
Emily welcomed her and Karlsson’s first child, son Beckham, in May 2023. One month later, Karlsson won his first Stanley Cup Finals with the Golden Knights. The couple announced in June 2024 that Emily is pregnant with baby No. 2.
Haley Ferguson and Oula Palve
Haley began talking with the Finnish hockey player in October 2019 after sliding into his DMs. They officially started dating in January 2020 and got engaged in May 2021. Haley wed Palve in June 2022 in her hometown of Las Vegas.
Haley announced in October 2023 that she was pregnant with her and Palve’s first baby. Their daughter, Lovi, was born in April 2024.
Hannah Ann Sluss and Jake Funk
Fans met Sluss in 2020 when she competed and won season 24 of The Bachelor. However, Sluss and Bachelor Weber called it quits before the “After the Final Rose” special, which aired that March.
Sluss began dating Funk, who is an NFL running back, in late 2021. Sluss was on hand when Funk won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams in February 2022. The pair announced their engagement in January 2023. They tied the knot in Italy in June 2024.
Sydney and Fred Warner
The season 24 Bachelor alum got engaged to the NFL player in May 2021 after meeting on social media in 2020. The pair tied the knot in June 2022 and announced in October 2023 that Sydney was pregnant with their first baby. The pregnant star cheered on her husband in February 2024 as he competed in the Super Bowl. The couple welcomed son Beau in March 2024.
Kelsey Weier and Matt Thomas
Weier was part of season 24 of The Bachelor, exiting during week 8. She later appeared on season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise. Weier started dating basketball player Thomas in November 2022. She followed her boyfriend to Greece in 2023, where he played in the European league. As of 2024, Weier lives part time in Germany, where Thomas is guard for Alba Berlin.
Madison Prewett and Michael Porter Jr
Prewett was the runner-up for season 24 of The Bachelor in 2020. She briefly dated Weber after he called off his engagement to winner Sluss. However, Prewett and Weber confirmed in March 2020 that they had split.
Prewett then moved on with Porter, who plays small forward for the Denver Nuggets. The twosome went on a double date with his sister, Bri Porter and her husband, Reece, in October 2020, seemingly confirming their status. However, Prewett revealed in April 2021 that she was single after dating someone for eight months.
The former reality star married Grant Michael Troutt in October 2022 after getting engaged that July.
