All The Clues Brendan Morais And Pieper James Are Dating After 'Bachelor In Paradise'

All the buzz on the beach this season of Bachelor in Paradise surrounds Brendan Morais, 31, and his speed-romance with Pieper James, 23, (from Matt James' Bachelor season).

When she zeroed in on Brendan, everyone at the Playa Escondida resort took notice. After their one-on-one date, they became an instant couple and dominated the plot line. But, there are still more questions than answers amid the spicy game of cast telephone. Thankfully, Reality Steve has been posting updates about the Brendan and Pieper connection for a few months now.

So, here's everything to know about Brendan Morais and Pieper James' current relationship status, when they first connected, and how they got together:

Were Brendan and Pieper dating before Bachelor in Paradise?

The short answer? Yes. In early June, a source said "Pieper and Brendan have been dating for a few weeks now," per Us Weekly.

"Either he’ll fly to New York and hang with her, or she’ll fly to Boston to hang with him. She was most recently in Boston over Memorial Day weekend and they were even spotted out in public together," the source added.

At the time, it sounded like the two were really getting along. "They’re keeping their relationship under wraps since they’re trying to make it work long-distance and it’s still new,” the source continued. “They both are super into each other and are getting to know each other and are just having fun going on dates."

FYI, here's Brendan:

And, here's Pieper:

What happens with Brendan and Pieper on Bachelor in Paradise?

Right when the pair reunited on the show, Brendan told Pieper they should stick together. “We have to have each other’s back," he said. "It has to be you and me, first and foremost, before anyone else on the beach, and that’s the only way we’re gonna get through this, like, being in the position we wanna be in, utilizing this time here and taking advantage of what Paradise would promote together.” (Yikes.)

Brendan did get his wish after all, and he'll be hanging out with Pieper on the show for at least a few more episodes. But, they don't make it to the finale, according to Reality Steve. "Brendan Morais and Pieper James left the show before overnights as a couple," he wrote on his blog.

After Brendan dumped Natasha to be with Pieper, fans were outraged. Brendan instantly became this season's reigning villain, while he and Pieper lost tens of thousands of Instagram followers overnight.

Bachelor in Paradise isn't over yet, and Brendan and Pieper are set to hang on the beach a bit longer.

Exhibit A: the latest trailer for week 5.

So... yeah. Brendan and Pieper aren't going anywhere (yet).

What have Brendan and Pieper said?

Since all the drama has gone down, both Brendan and Pieper have shared their side of the Mexico shenanigans. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Brendan wrote "here for the wrong reasons 😏," while an original caption on one of Pieper's posts read, "all's fair in love and war 😉."

One fan captured both posts on Twitter, saying, "the level of disrespect. I can't."

As the fan backlash increased, both Brendan and Pieper took to their Instagram Stories to apologize. “After taking time to begin to process the events that unfolded over the past few days, I have realized I was wrong on so many different levels,” Brendan wrote.

“First of all, I removed my last post from my feed. I posted it before the episode aired and had no idea the magnitude of hurt I caused. My approach to many things in life is sarcasm. In this instance with regard to my post, I was completely insensitive.”

He also addressed Natasha directly: “Most importantly, I apologize to you, Natasha. I hurt you. I am deeply sorry for doing so. I understand that the damage is already done and all I can do going forward is acknowledge the error of my ways. For those of you that felt my actions triggered certain feelings and emotions I am truly sorry.”

Brendan concluded: “lastly, despite the fact that Pieper and I had misunderstandings going into paradise (and I can’t stress this enough)—if you feel the need to express disdain for the situation, please do so at my expense. I am completely at fault. A full statement and apology will follow.”

Pieper shared her own statement. "Just a gentle reminder that reality tv isn't real," she wrote. "An edited, produced, and cut down show isn't going to show you every single thing said and done. An edited and produced show can't show you conversations that happened before filming between friends."

"I make light of this show because it's a light hearted show," she continued. "I don't believe in pitting women against each other. I don't believe men are prizes to be won at the expense of someone's feelings. I believe in open communication to get answers, not name calling on the internet."

"At the end of the day it's a tv show. We the viewers are shown what makes the best television, just as any show. And folk what we have here is a very successful show 🤍."

So, are Brendan and Pieper together now?

Again, it definitely looks like they are (and fans are pretty convinced). It seems like they probably spend a lot of time together either way—the Us Weekly source mentioned that both Brendan and Pieper have "mutual friends" and “hang out in the same Bachelor crowd.”

Reality Steve added that they do leave the show together on their own terms (perhaps a Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert situation?). "We saw the stories pre-show that they were dating before BIP even started, this became a storyline on the show, I believe they started getting called out for it by others, so they just bounced, but are dating post-show," he said.

Steve also tweeted a photo of the pair hanging out together in Miami: "They’ve been seen quite a few times since they left ‘BIP’ together before the final day, but here was Brendan and Pieper yesterday outside of the SLS hotel in Miami," he wrote.

"Me sliding into Pieper's DMs to get the real story on Brendan," one fan tweeted. (Same!)

If you need me, I'll be scouring Instagram for more info.

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