Reality TV
The Bachelor In Paradise Finale Cash Twist Led To An Unexpected Outcome
It was a lucrative love story with more than one “winner.”
Love or money? It’s the question of the summer — not just in the ongoing Materialists discourse but on the beaches of Costa Rica, where Bachelor Nation singles assembled for a chance to find their forever person. Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 shook things up by introducing a cash prize, which led to an unexpected outcome during the finale on Sept. 2.
So... what happened? Here’s a recap of who went home, who got engaged, and who won money during the 2025 Bachelor in Paradise finale.
A Shocking Claim
Bailey Brown, Jeremy Simon, Kathy Swarts, and Keith Gordon went home during the season’s final rose ceremony. But it wouldn’t technically be the end of their time in Paradise. Those two pairs — plus the couples who exited before them — returned to the show to cast their vote about who should leave Costa Rica next. It was at this point that (as spoilers predicted) Sean McLaughlin and Allyshia Gupta claimed Kat Izzo had been secretly communicating with a man back at home while in Paradise.
Dale Moss and Kat’s castmates defended her from the accusation that she’d been sending “love letters.” Even so, the “Parliament of Paradise” ultimately voted for Jess Edwards and Spencer Conley to advance — alongside Alexe Godin and Andrew Spencer, who were safe after winning a physical challenge during the finale.
The Big Decision
The final challenge was straightforward. Jesse Palmer separated the couples and asked each person to choose between love and $250,000. He explained that if both halves of a couple chose money, neither would get it. If one chose the cash, he or she would get it, but the other would leave Paradise “empty-handed and broken-hearted.” And if they both chose love, well, they’d get love.
Ultimately, both couples chose the last option — electing to put their faith in their Paradise relationship over the promise of money.
One Final Twist
This has been a twisty trip to Paradise, and Jesse didn’t end the journey before one last surprise. After each couple made their choice, he presented them with a pretty sweet consolation prize: a tray with three envelopes containing checks of up to $250,000. Each couple randomly chose one — with Alexe and Andrew opening up a $125,000 check, and Jess and Spencer unveiling $190,000.
Alexe and Andrew left the show dating, but Spencer took things one step further and proposed to Jess. “From Day 1, I knew it was you,” he said before asking if Jess would make him the “happiest man on the face of the planet.” She said yes, ending this season of Paradise with at least one engaged couple.
