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Exciting news from the world of reality TV! Former Bachelor star Jake Pavelka has announced his engagement.
Jake, who captured hearts as the lead on the 14th season of The Bachelor, is ready to tie the knot with his longtime partner, Aimee. The couple’s engagement was confirmed in an interview with People, published on February 14.
Their love story began in January 2024 when Jake and Aimee connected on the dating app Bumble. Fast forward to November 22, 2025, Jake proposed to Aimee in the comfort of their Dallas, Texas home.
Reflecting on the romantic proposal, Jake shared with People, “We had a wonderful dinner filled with laughter and champagne. Upon returning to our apartment via Uber, I had set the scene with rose petals and candlelit ambiance.” Aimee was taken by surprise, initially thinking, “What’s going on here? Did somebody break into our apartment?” as she tried to make sense of the lit candles and beautifully arranged table.
While many couples struggle to withstand the pressures of reality TV fame, particularly those from Bachelor Nation, Jake and Aimee’s story offers a heartwarming exception. Since its debut in 2005, The Bachelor franchise has been a formidable force in television, giving rise to six different spinoffs and countless love stories, even if not all have a fairy-tale ending.
“When she turned around, I was down on one knee with a really pretty ring, and I asked her to marry me,” Jake said. “She kind of gasped and then muttered yes. It was sweet and intimate. I definitely made the right choice keeping it private. It was a really special moment.”
Jake admitted to having some frayed nerves before he proposed to Aimee.
“We live in a high-rise in Dallas, so on the way to dinner, I walked Aimee to the elevator and then I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, I forgot something. I got to run back to the apartment real quick,’” the former reality star said. “I frantically ripped a bag of rose petals open, I pulled the table away from the wall and set a battery-operated candle on there. I sprinkled the roses everywhere and decorated real quick, got back to the elevator and she was like, ‘What did you forget?’ I was like, ‘I needed to get a drink of water.’ I couldn’t even think of a good lie.”
The former pilot previously gushed about meeting Aimee on Bumble in an October 2024 interview on the “Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast.
While some roses stand the test of time, others wilt before the Neil Lane engagement ring can be resized. The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with Alex Michel dubbed the world’s most eligible Bachelor. More than 20 women competed for his heart and one of the most successful reality TV franchises was born. […]
“We matched in, like, the 15 minutes I turned it on,” he said of swiping right after a flight from his Dallas home base to Santa Barbara, California. “I said, ‘I’m not looking for a long-distance relationship’ and she said something kind of fun, like, ‘Well, you couldn’t handle it anyway.’ I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ This is probably the girl. She’s so wonderful.”
Jake first appeared on screens during Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette in 2009. He was the star of The Bachelor season 14 the following year. Jake proposed to Vienna Girardi in the season finale, which aired in March 2010, however, the couple went their separate ways by June that same year.
The exes had a tense showdown during a July 2010 episode of The Bachelorette as then-host Chris Harrison sat down with the pair to discuss what went wrong.
“When we were at home [it was] lonely,” Girardi said at the time. “I just wanted him to be around me and talk to me and kiss me like a normal relationship. My impression was that you were a pilot and we would go back to Dallas and live a normal life. All of a sudden, you were in LA and you were pursuing an acting career.”