BB18 was the season of showmances, with three strong pairs having formed over the course of the show. One of the standouts was the romance that formed between James and Natalie, whose connection carried them through much of the season. Especially when things got difficult, they stuck by each other and, as Natalie said during her confrontation with Paulie, James "taught [her] how to trust a man." While their showmance often brought out the best in them, they faced a bitter note as they were on rough terms when Natalie was evicted — and it was weeks before she and James would see each other again. Despite this rough patch, James and Natalie both want to date after Big Brother, according to interviews they did with Bustle following the finale.
"I know this game put a strain on our relationship inside the house," James says, "but I got some good vibes off of her coming out of finale night so hopefully we can talk and just rekindle some stuff and find out if we’re gonna try to take this another step. I’d be totally down [to date]." Natalie, similarly, tells Bustle, "He's stuck with me forever. He is my soulmate."
The bond that these two share is incredibly strong, and they're hoping it's strong enough to survive the world outside of the Big Brother house. "I believe soulmates come in love form and also in best friend form," Natalie says. "Right now, I do want us to see how we are in the outside world, to see if we really connect. I mean, we do connect, but I wanna see the real James, not in the Big Brother house."
The pairs seems to be in it for the long haul, but there's one large obstacle in the way — and it seems to be the same obstacle that plagues other Big Brother showmances once they leave the house. Natalie believes distance could play a huge factor in their future, or perhaps lack thereof. "He lives in Texas, I live in New Jersey/New York, so it’s very difficult," Natalie says. "We live in two different places, but I feel like if we truly love each other after the show then we’ll be together and we’ll make it work." James, on the other hand, when asked about possible obstacles responded with, "I’m really not sure, to be honest." It seems that in James' eyes there's no obstacle between him and Natalie, or he forgot that they live rather far away from each other.
While the road ahead may not be easy, it seems James and Natalie are willing to take on any obstacle as long as they're taking it on together.
Additional reporting by Taylor Ferber.
Images: Bill Inoshita/CBS, Giphy
