Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes have sadly called it quits. The two first met in April while filming season 17 of The Bachelorette, and they were engaged by the end of filming in May. However, the romance was short-lived, as the pair announced that they had gone their separate ways on Oct. 25. In just six months, though, Katie and Blake went through a lot. Here’s everything to know about their relationship:
Blake Moynes On Season 16 Of ‘The Bachelorette’
Before finding love with Katie, Blake was actually a contestant on season 16 of The Bachelorette. He started out the season meeting Clare Crawley, but their relationship was short-lived after Clare left the show to get engaged to another contestant, Dale Moss. Then, Tayshia Adams was brought in as the Bachelorette, and she and Blake formed a connection. Blake made it all the way to week 9, but was eliminated ahead of hometown dates.
Katie Thurston On Season 25 Of ‘The Bachelor’
Before becoming the Bachelorette, Katie was a contestant on season 25 of The Bachelor, where she dated Matt James. From the get-go, Katie stood out as a contestant due to the fact that she brought a vibrator with her to meet Matt for the first time. Katie was not afraid to keep it real on the show, and she made a point to call out anyone who she felt wasn’t there for the right reasons. Although Matt appreciated Katie’s honestly and realness, the connection between them simply wasn’t strong enough. Matt eliminated Katie during week 6.
Blake Arrives On ‘The Bachelorette’ Season 17
After season 25 of The Bachelor, it was revealed that there would be TWO seasons of The Bachelorette in 2021. Katie led the way for season 17, which filmed in April and May and aired over the summer. Then, Michelle Young, Matt’s runner-up, was the lead for season 18, which filmed in August and September and began airing in October. Katie’s season began just like any other season of The Bachelorette, with a handful of suitors hoping to find love with her. However, she was thrown for a major loop during week 4 when Blake unexpectedly arrived at the resort.
Blake had actually direct messaged Katie on Instagram after he saw her on Matt’s season. “It was a simple reach out,” he explained. “It was like, ‘I f***ing love that you [came on with a vibrator]. That was f***ing awesome, like, good for you.'” However, he admitted that Katie was “cold” in her responses back. “She was nice, but she didn’t open up the dialogue in any way,” Blake revealed. “It was shut down right then and there.” When Blake found out that Katie was going to be the Bachelorette, though, he took matters into his own hands and showed up to meet her in person.
Tayshia was actually co-hosting Katie’s season of The Bachelorette with Kaitlyn Bristowe, and she put in a good word for Blake with Katie. At first, Katie was hesitant — after all, she already spent four weeks getting to know so many other great guys. However, she decided to late Blake come on the show and give him a chance.
Katie & Blake’s First One-On-On Date
Despite Katie’s hesitations about whether or not she should bring Blake on the show, she wasted no time asking him on a one-on-one date. In fact, she took him on the very next one-on-one following his arrival, which didn’t thrill the other men in the house. Katie and Blake got to enjoy a private Laine Hardy concert, and she started falling for him very quickly.
Katie & Blake’s Hometown Date
As the season continued, Blake and Katie’s connection continued to build, and he made it all the way to the top 4, which was hometown dates. Due to the coronavirus, Blake couldn’t actually take Katie to his hometown in Canada, but he brought Canada to the resort to give her an idea of what his real life is like. They had a blast together, and Blake realized that he was falling in love with Katie.
However, she still had two other guys left (Michael Allio eliminated himself from the show ahead of hometowns). From the very first episode, Katie had an intense connection with Greg Grippo, who she gave her first impression rose and first one-on-one date to. As the show wound down, though, Greg began to have fears about where the relationship stood as he watched Katie with the other men. In hopes of solidifying his spot in Katie’s heart, Greg told her he was in love with her, but when she didn’t say anything back, his doubts kicked in even further.
Katie and Greg wound up getting in a huge fight over the situation, as he felt that she wasn’t giving him enough to convince him that she wanted to be with him. She tried to make him understand that she had to go through this journey as it was expected of her, and that meant she would be dating other men. In the end, Greg wound up leaving the show, leaving Katie in tears.
Blake Proposes To Katie
Katie was able to pull herself together after the breakup with Greg. She realized that she wanted to be with Blake, and she dumped the other remaining man, Justin Glaze, before their final date. That left Blake as the last man standing, and Katie told him she was in love with him. At the final rose ceremony, Blake got down on one knee and proposed to Katie, and she happily accepted. They left the show as an engaged couple in the middle of May.
Blake & Katie’s 1st Public Appearance
After the finale aired, Blake and Katie made their first public appearance on After the Final Rose, which aired on Aug. 9, 2021. At that point, Katie and Blake had been engaged for about two months, and were finally able to share their love with the world. They confirmed that they were still together. Blake also made it clear that he didn’t feel like a “second choice” for Katie after Greg’s departure.
At the time, Blake and Katie was so excited about their future. “Every day, our love continues to grow stronger and stronger,” Katie gushed. “We’re not even the same couple you guys just saw [get engaged]. We’re so much more already and we’re really excited to start our lives together.”
Blake & Katie Go Public
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Finally, Katie and Blake were able to be fully public with their love. The finale also happened to be Blake’s birthday, and Katie celebrated with her first public post about the pair’s relationship. In her caption, she gushed over her love for Blake, and revealed how excited she was to stop living in their “bubble” of privacy. “What a wild couple of months it has been,” Katie wrote. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I’m so ready to leave these bubbles and start living our life! I couldn’t ask for a better partner. You are kind, patient, understanding and your advocacy for the planet and animals is remarkable. I’m so lucky to call you my fiance.”
Unfortunately, even after they were able to tell the world they were in love, things weren’t so easy for Blake and Katie. Because of quarantine restrictions still in place amidst the coronavirus, it was quite difficult for Katie and Blake to travel back and forth between Canada and the United States to be together. Then, in the fall, he headed to Africa for his job in wildlife management. Blake generally spends about half the year in Africa for his job, which was a concern that his sister brought up with Katie when they met on The Bachelorette. At the time, Katie insisted that they’d do whatever it takes to make it work.
Blake & Katie’s Split
As Blake and Katie continued to spend time apart, they faced criticism from fans for not commenting on each other’s social media posts. Katie insisted that this didn’t mean anything and asked fans to stop looking so into what they saw on Instagram. With Blake in Africa, Katie surrounded herself with friends back in the States. She shared several videos of herself partying with pals, including one of her exes from The Bachelorette, John Hersey, who she remained close with.
In mid-October, Katie confirmed that she was heading to Canada to see Blake. However, the next time we heard from them, it was to reveal that they had broken up. It’s unclear whether Katie ever even made it to Canada or exactly when the breakup happened. The two announced the news with the same statement on Instagram. “It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,” they wrote. “We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently. We ask for kindness and privacy as we both navigate this transition. Both of us will forever want the best for one another and ask you please support us in our decision.”.