Bachelor Nation Stars Who Married or Dated Professional Athletes After the Show
Posted November 29, 2025
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Emily Ferguson and William KarlssonGabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
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.
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
, two years after appearing on Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor. The winner of that season, Hannah Ann Sluss, also married an NFL player, Jake Funk
, after her split from Weber.
Scroll down to see which Bachelor Nation stars have dated or married professional athletes:
Credit: Courtesy of Emily Ferguson/Instagram
Emily Ferguson and William Karlsson
Emily Ferguson started dating William 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 was pregnant with baby No. 2. Their son Lars was born that November.
Credit: Courtesy of Haley Ferguson/Instagram
Haley Ferguson and Oula Palve
Haley Ferguson began talking with Finnish hockey player
Oula Palve 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.
Fans met Hannah Ann Sluss in 2020 when she competed and won season 24 of
The Bachelor. However, Sluss and Bachelor Peter Weber called it quits before the “After the Final Rose” special, which aired that March.
Sluss began dating Jake 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
Season 24 Bachelor alum Sydney Warner got engaged to NFL player Fred Warner 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. Sydney and Fred announced in September 2025 that they are expecting baby No. 2.
Credit: Courtesy of Kelsey Weier/Instagram
Kelsey Weier and Matt Thomas
Kelsey 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 Matt 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. The couple got engaged in July 2025.
Credit: Getty Images
Madison Prewett and Michael Porter Jr
Madison Prewett was the runner-up for season 24 of The Bachelor in 2020. She briefly dated Peter Weber after he called off his engagement to winner Hannah Ann Sluss. However, Prewett and Weber confirmed in March 2020 that they had split.
Prewett then moved on with Michael Porter Jr., 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.
A blended family! Golden Bachelor Barry 'Bear' Myrden and Sunny Long pack on the PDA as their kids join them for a wholesome family birthday dinner
Barry 'Bear' Myrden and Sunny Long are proving they're one big happy family!
The Golden Bachelor and the woman who stole his heart on the Channel Nine dating series looked more loved-up than ever in a series of Instagram snaps and videos shared by Sunny's daughter, Chloe.
One selfie, taken by Bear himself, captured their blended family gathered around the dinner table.
In the photo, fans spotted the 62-year-old's sons Jack and Charles, along with Sunny, Bear and Chloe.
Two unidentified girls also appeared in the shot, assumed to be partners or friends of Bear's sons.
In one sweet clip, Sunny, 58, perched on Bear's lap as the couple packed on the PDA, sharing a kiss for the camera.
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The Golden Bachelor stars Barry 'Bear' Myrden and Sunny Long are proving they're one big happy family
The pair who won the Channel Nine dating series looked more loved-up than ever in a series of Instagram snaps and videos shared by Sunny's daughter, Chloe (Pictured: Barry 'Bear' Myrden and Sunny Long)
In front of them was a cake decorated with candles, marking Bear's belated birthday celebration.
Another clip showed Sunny playing the piano while a guest sang Elvis' 1961 classic, Can't Help Falling in Love.
Sunny also posted a carousel of dinner snaps, capturing the family's celebration of the Golden Bachelor's 62nd birthday.
One photo showed Bear surrounded by beautifully wrapped gifts, clearly spoiled by his leading lady on his big day.
Another captured Sunny beaming as she posed with Bear and two of his sons.
Fans watched Sunny and Bear’s love story unfold on screens this year, culminating in a tense finale where the infrastructure engineer chose the CEO as his partner.
And since then, Sunny has hit back at naysayers who have criticised the way she won the heart of the inaugural Australian Golden Bachelor.
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