A 'BB17' Contestant Is Engaged!

The Big Brother news just keeps on coming — even after Season 17 came to a close! According to TMZ, professional poker player/contestant Vanessa Rousso and her longtime girlfriend Mel got engaged before the Season 17 Big Brother wrap party. Per the reports, Mel proposed to Vanessa in their hotel room before the party, so the actual moment is something personal between them — but, thankfully, for Big Brother fans everywhere, the moment Vanessa and Mel announced their engagement was captured on tape during the wrap party in West Hollywood.

As badly as I was feeling for Vanessa after she was evicted from the house after making it into the final three and kept completely quiet during the jury interrogation, it’s clear that she has bigger and better things on her mind now other than losing out on the $500,000 prize. The couple has been dating for many years, but clearly their romance has heated up — no surprise, considering their romance was reaffirmed many times by Vanessa during her time in the Big Brother house.

There were some pretty rocky moments for the houseguest when it came to Mel, after all. Vanessa often broke down into tears throughout the season about missing her girlfriend so much, and she was diligent about signaling to Mel every time she cast her vote with a kiss on her ring finger. Thankfully, it's obvious that their love survived the distance and grew even stronger while Vanessa was away. Because, as much love as there was brewing in the Big Brother house this season with showmances sprouting up between Austin and Liz and Shelli and Clay, the super sweet proposal between Vanessa and Mel proves that the best showmances are the ones that happen offscreen with those outside of the show.

After dating for years, their love isn’t based on strategy or trying to stay in a game for a few weeks longer. They’re clearly mad about each other and totally giddy to make the ultimate statement about their love and their commitment to each other. If that isn’t the kind of love that everyone dreams of, then I don’t know what is. Much better than a fly-by-night showmance, that’s for sure.

Congrats to Vanessa and Mel!

For more on Season 17 of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.

Image: CBS