Bachelor in Paradise alums Alli Jo Hinkes and Sam McKinney have revealed their moving plans and what 2026 has in store for them.
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When asked if they plan to move to the same state or into the same household, Alli Jo replied, "We talk about it really often," during a recent appearance on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast.
Alli Jo shared with co-hosts Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, "I still have my lease in Fort Lauderdale. See, this is why I needed the show, Bachelor in Paradise, to win the money. I could've just broken my lease!"
Alli Jo teased that 2026 has "a lot in store" for them.
"Yeah, I think whenever her lease ends, I own my house here in South Carolina, but I think the long goal is to live in Florida," Sam chimed in.
"I was just there this last weekend and I'm not going to lie, it was really tough to be in the 80-degree weather and then by the time I landed in South Carolina at 10PM, it was 25 degrees. I forgot to drip my faucet and my water froze!"
Sam therefore vented, "I was like, 'Sh-t, man! I do not want to be here anymore!'"
While the pair's ultimate goal is to end up in Florida, Sam shared, "But I think the short-term goal is that she'll probably make her way to South Carolina for a little bit."
Sam continued, "We'll live together, save some money, and then go buy a home that we can both see ourselves living in and raising a family in down in Florida."
But in the meantime, Alli Jo said she and Sam are right where they need to be in order to "make the long distance work."
Alli Jo and Sam said they "see each other every other weekend" and are "being intentional" with all of their conversations.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWIn terms of how the couple got together, Alli Jo admitted she had messaged Sam on social media prior to filming Bachelor in Paradise because someone had compared them and she thought it was funny.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Alli Jo and Sam had been hoping to meet in-person in Paradise, but they just missed each other on the beach in Costa Rica.
"I was extremely disheartened that Alli Jo wasn't there... I put all my eggs into one basket and she wasn't there," Sam admitted.
After their time in Paradise came to an end, Alli Jo said she messaged Sam again.
"When I got my phone, I was like, 'I've got to message this guy,'" Alli Jo recalled.
"And so I was like, 'Hey, heard you were hear a couple of hours ago!' I was on my way to the airport. And he was like, 'Hey, here is my number. Text me.' We started texting. I got back to Florida. He got back to South Carolina."
Alli Jo said she was "distraught" over how her time in Paradise ended and so it was nice to vent to Sam about her experience.
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Once the pair finally met up in early June, Alli Jo said she gave Sam a shot of whiskey in Florida "and the rest was history."
Sam and Alli Jo said they became an official couple the third time they hung out, when she had flown to South Carolina to meet his entire family.
When the pair went public with their romance in July, Sam posted photos with Alli Jo at a bar, and in one of the pictures, Alli Jo was rocking a hat with Sam's famous slogan "Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing" written across it.
Sam tagged Alli Jo, who commented on the post, "Didn't need a beach to find my paradise. Main thing energy baby!"
On a previous episode of "Bachelor Happy Hour," Joe admitted he never would've predicted that the feisty New Jersey girl would end up with the southern charmer.
Sam laughed and pointed out, "People don't know me as well as they think they do. And honestly, the feistiness was something that I liked."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Sam elaborated, "Honestly, I want somebody who can -- usually I stay in my place about 90 percent of the time. But if I ever decide to wander off the beaten path, I need somebody who will smack me with a stick and say, 'Hey! Straighten up a little bit!'"
Sam acknowledged how there needs to be "a balance" in a healthy relationship.
On Bachelor in Paradise's tenth season, Sam went on a date with Jess Edwards but she decided to pursue a romance with Spencer Conley instead.
And Alli Jo was interested in Dale Moss, but he chose to continue wooing Katherine "Kat" Izzo.
Both Alli Jo and Sam were probably hoping for a redemption edit on Bachelor in Paradise, but their journeys in Costa Rica were short-lived.
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Sam -- who had competed on Jenn Tran's The Bachelorette season in 2024 -- was eliminated during the first Rose Ceremony of Bachelor in Paradise's tenth season, and Alli Jo was rejected at the second Rose Ceremony.
Sam and Jenn had a hot and heavy physical connection on The Bachelorette's 21st season in 2024, and Sam professed his love very early on, which rubbed Jenn's other bachelors the wrong way.
When Jenn pressed Sam for specifics on why he loved her, Sam was "dismissive," according to Jenn, and spoke in generalities about appreciating her and wanting "a ferocious" love.
Since Sam didn't seem to understand Jenn or have much depth in their relationship, she decided that she couldn't take him seriously.
Jenn ultimately eliminated Sam before the sixth Rose Ceremony of the season, and Sam, capping off his portrayal as a villain, vented in his final words: "The energy that [Jenn] brought was very dull. It's not my fault."
Jenn later got engaged to Devin Strader on The Bachelorette's Season 21 finale, but they broke up before the After the Final Rose special aired on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
