It’s about damn time!
After first meeting on the beach on Bachelor in Paradise in 2019, Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes are engaged at last.
Dean shared details about the proposal with his buddy and fellow Bachelorette alum Jared Haibon on their podcast. Dean confessed that he had to buy a “new” placeholder engagement ring for Caelynn after mistakenly losing the original 4.5-carat emerald-cut diamond, as reported by People.
“It might be in the garage somewhere, but yeah, moral of the story is don’t put your engagement rings in the junk drawer,” Dean said. “So I did have to go out and buy a placeholder ring for now, but it’s not quite as nice as the first one was.”
Dean then confirmed that he still had every intention of proposing despite the hiccup. “It’ll happen by the time this podcast airs,” he said. “Maybe. Maybe the day after it airs.” What’s the holdup, Dean? Just do it already!
Jared then suggested that the the episode couldn’t air “until we know” for sure, to which Dean agreed that the episode wouldn’t air before the proposal actually happened.
The happy news comes two months after Caelynn teased the possibility of a potential engagement on Instagram in August.
“I spent the afternoon at Toyota picking up something special for Dean,” Caelynn wrote over the image of a steering wheel.
The Bachelor alum’s social media tease most likely was a clue to fans that the couple was ready to take the next step in their relationship. On his podcast in June, Dean had shared, “I made a deal with [Caelynn]. I was like, ‘I’ll buy you a ring if you buy me a truck.’” How romantic.
Caelynn seemed to confirm the connection, writing at the bottom of the photo, “If you listen to [Dean‘s podcast] you know what this is.”
In his earlier podcast, Dean had further explained the couple’s agreement. “It’s such a touchy subject,” he said. “Caelynn makes significantly more money than I do, and here I am having to spend all this money on something I don’t even want. Like, I want her to get what she wants, but she’s the one who wants to get married.”
Ouch. Way to make a girl feel special, Dean. So tacky to complain about having to lay out so much cash on “something I don’t even want.” And then to add, “She’s the one who wants to get married,” just makes you wonder if they’re making a smart decision here.
Also does Dean even have an actual job? He was billed as a recruiter for a tech company when he appeared on The Bachelorette back in 2017, but these days he just seems to travel for a living. How does that work? I’d really like to know, cause I want that job, too.
Almost a year ago, Dean revealed that his then-girlfriend believed they would be engaged by the end of 2022. He recalled a friend asking if the pair had said “I do” to each other yet after seeing their commitment rings. Dean recalled saying then, “As far as the government’s concerned, no, but as far as our hearts are concerned, yes.”
“Then Caelynn leans over and she goes, ‘We’ll be engaged by 2022, trust me’ or ‘in 2022’ or something like that,” Dean added. “I don’t know if she’s speaking for me or if she’s saying that she’s going to propose to me.”
Dean then shared that he has been “pretty clear” to Caelynn that she could be the one to pop the question.
“I was like, ‘If you really want to get married, you should be the one proposing to me,’ so I think she’s got something in the works for that, which I think is pretty cool,” Dean said at the time.
During a trip to Italy’s Lake Como in September 2021, Dean and Caelynn began considering it as a possible wedding locale.
“It definitely is a place where a wedding would be spectacular. It’s just, like, one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever visited,” Dean said on his podcast.
He continued, “You can’t help but be like, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is amazing. I want this to be the rest of my life. And since I’m here, like, I want you to be in my life for the rest of my life,’ which I always thought those things, obviously.”
Caelynn and Dean first met on the Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise in June 2019. Though Dean was at first hesitant about their summer romance, they eventually left Paradise together to travel around the country in his van.
The couple went Instagram-official with a photo of them enjoying van life post-Paradise in September 2019. “Lots of ramen, very few showers, and a whole lot of happiness,” Caelynn captioned her post. Dean added, “Sorry we had to leave #bachelorinparadise early, the vantasy suite waits for no one.”
On Valentine’s Day 2020, a fan commented, “Get married!” on Caelynn‘s post for Dean, and Caelynn created a social media frenzy by responding, “We already did.” Friend and BiP alum (also Jared Haibon’s wife) Ashley Iaconetti added to the speculation when she explained, “[Dean] keeps saying that they got married when they were in Europe and he broke his leg and I’m thinking that possibly really did happen.”
That same month, Jared said, “Every time we ask [Dean and Caelynn], he says it with a grin — he’s like, ‘We’re married.’” Apparently they were just messing with all of us, because Dean later admitted that they weren’t legally married “as far as the government’s concerned.”
At last Dean and Caelynn are officially engaged. If only Dean can find that missing ring . . .
TELL US – DO YOU THINK DEAN AND CAELYNN WILL EVER ACTUALLY TIE THE KNOT? DO YOU THINK DEAN WILL FIND THAT RING IN HIS JUNK DRAWER?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin]