Bachelor in Paradise couple Brandon Jones and Serene Russell appear to be the strongest couple on Season 8, but how did their journey in Mexico end? Did Brandon and Serene split, leave Bachelor in Paradise as a couple or get engaged -- and are they still together now?
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[Bachelor in Paradise Spoiler Warning: This report contains spoilers about Brandon and Serene's Bachelor in Paradise fate and how their relationship progressed or ended].
On Bachelor in Paradise's eighth season, Serene, a 26-year-old elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, OK, was the first bachelorette to arrive on the beach in Mexico.
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Serene, who was eliminated from Clayton Echard's The Bachelor season in fourth place, said she was looking forward to meeting Brandon, a 26-year-old former traveling nurse recruiter from Portland, OR, because he seemed "so sweet and genuine" on Michelle Young's The Bachelorette season.
And Brandon said he was ready to be vulnerable one more time to hopefully find the love of his life.
As attractive men -- who showed interest in the teacher -- arrived one after the next in Paradise, Serene was still holding out hope that Brandon would be her knight in shining armor.
Brandon then jumped on the beach and did a dance, and Serene admitted to her girlfriends she was barely breathing. Brandon said he thought Serene was "insanely beautiful," and so he immediately pulled her away for a chat.
"I've been waiting for you to get here," Serene admitted.
Brandon seemed surprised and expressed how he was so excited to see her. Brandon totally had his eye on her, and then they talked about their careers and how Brandon was working as a personal trainer at the time.
Brandon and Serene were both extremely nervous, and Serene couldn't stop smiling. They were all giggles and didn't waste any time going in for a kiss.
Brandon essentially called dibs on Serene once the men moved into their villa and discussed their options, and the ladies recognized how Serene was wrapped up in Brandon -- and so they all seemingly agreed to leave him alone.
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Brandon and Serene proceeded to spend every day together -- napping, eating lunch, kissing and frolicking in the ocean. They seemed completely smitten with each other.
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At the first Rose Ceremony, Brandon gave his rose to Serene, and he called her "the most beautiful and brightest joy on the beach."
Days later, a Date Card showed up for Brandon, and he naturally asked the brunette beauty to join him for a night out.
Brandon and Serene got all dressed up for their date, and when Serene approached him in a tight, red, cutout dress, Brandon yelled, "Stop it, you're my date?! Oh my God!"
Brandon actually had tears in his eyes, and Serene said a man had never looked at her that way before. Brandon's reaction to Serene even made Brittany Galvin want to cry, and it made everyone on the beach hopeful they could have that one day.
Serene knew she and Brandon had something "really special," and Brandon told her over dinner that night that she was the most beautiful blessing in his life.
"I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm crazy about you," Brandon told his date.
Serene gushed about how their relationship had been so easy, and she thanked him for the little things and making her feel comfortable on a daily basis.
Serene said Brandon made her feel deserving of everything she's wanted in a relationship and from a partner, which she had never experienced before.
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"You are deserving and so much more," Brandon replied.
"When I saw you, I didn't want to be with anyone else but you -- this gorgeous girl who is just as dorky and weird as me. I'm falling in love with you, and I am so happy that I am. I'm so happy that my life led me to you."
"Well, I am definitely falling in love with you, too," Serene replied. "And I've never felt like this special in my life. I've never felt someone go above and beyond."
Brandon felt like the luckiest guy and concluded, "I'm all yours," before kissing the bachelorette. He noted how he could envision spending the rest of his life with Serene, and she clearly felt the same way.
So what happens next between Serene and Brandon on Bachelor in Paradise?
According to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Serene gives her rose to Brandon at the second Rose Ceremony of the season when the women have the power.
The Bachelor in Paradise couple reportedly continue to fall in love and give each other roses.
Even the show's first-ever "Casa Amor" Love Island-type twist -- when Serene and Brandon will be separated and introduced to new singles of the opposite sex -- doesn't tear them apart.
Serene and Brandon reportedly make it through Fantasy Suites and appear in the Bachelor in Paradise finale.
Carbone reported back in late June, "The only couple I'm almost positive is gonna get engaged is Brandon and Serene. In fact, I'd be surprised if they didn't. Outside of that, anyone's fair game to break up."
Carbone later tweeted in early July that Brandon did, in fact, propose marriage to Serene at the Final Rose Ceremony and she said "yes."
Serene therefore left Bachelor in Paradise with a diamond on her finger.
Neither Serene or Brandon have hinted about their current relationship status on social media, but fans have every reason to assume they're still together. Carbone also hasn't reported otherwise.
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Bachelor in Paradise will air its finale on Tuesday, November 22 on ABC.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski