The Bachelorette has a newly engaged couple in Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko. Charity said “a million times yes” when Dotun got down on one knee in Fiji during the Monday, August 21, finale on ABC. Unlike other Bachelorette couples, they told TV Insider they have no intentions of having a long engagement.
“We don’t want a super long [engagement] at all,” Charity says. “We know how that goes, but we’re both obviously our very own individuals with similar goals and the same mindset, so we don’t want a super long engagement. We came in wanting marriage, and that’s exactly what we found: a love that is going to be lasting. So yeah, we will have that locked in soon, that’s all I’ll say.”
Now that they’re out of what they call “relationship jail” (the three months after Bachelorette filming ends when they have to hide their engagement), the couple has several trips planned. More than anything, they’re going to soak in every good feeling that comes with going public with their love. Charity’s upcoming appearance on Dancing With the Stars Season 32 this fall will definitely be taking up a lot of their free time, however.
“We’re just going to just enjoy this new stage of life that we’re entering and continuing to build our relationship,” says Dotun. “We do have some trips planned. Obviously, Greece is going to be coming up soon, but she’s also got Dancing with the Stars, so that’s going to be a whole thing in itself of us transitioning into that. But we’re going to do it together, and we’re just excited to do it together and live life together. Marriage and all that stuff will come down the line. We don’t want to wait too long, but it’ll be there. And we’re both excited, so stay tuned.”
ABC/Christopher Willard
Their time in “relationship jail” was filled with a lot of FaceTime calls and weekends together (naturally, they couldn’t live together during these three months, as it could spoil the finale).
“It’s been just so cool to continue to get to know her” since filming ended, Dotun shares. “We have been in this relationship jail for the last three months. That’s only really been in the physical sense. Mentally, emotionally, you continue to grow and love each other, and so now we’re ready to take that next step and apply all these things into the ‘real world.’ So yeah, just looking forward to a life with this person, 100 percent.”
“Obviously, we have moments where we are together and we have utilized our time so intentionally,” adds Charity. “We’ve laid the foundation on the show, but following that comes so much more work. It just doesn’t stop there. And so it’s safe to say we are just, again, continuing [getting to know each other] and just even more in love than where you guys see us leave off in Fiji. So yeah, [we’ve been] hiding intimate weekends together, but it’s fun and exciting.”
Those weekends together are filled with “a lot of running around the house, just being silly, playing games,” Dotun shares. “And the times that we do get to see each other, [we’re] having deep conversations, but also just watching Bridgerton and having light moments, too. All the little things we’ve been able to do, it’s just been so cool to grow our relationship in that way.” (They prefer Bridgerton Season 1 over Season 2 for one reason and one reason only: Regé-Jean Page. “You know why,” Charity jokes.)
Charity shares the moment she knew she was choosing Dotun. “It was following our Last Chance Date. He recaps our journey. I mean, the locket, the face is inside, truly,” she swoons. “But I remember leaving his date and I was like, you know what? I think I did know. But obviously, me and Joey’s connection at that point was very, very strong, and I very much was there, too. But yeah, the Last Chance Date, I definitely was like, OK, this is my decision, and this is what feels right and feels best for me. That’s when I locked in for sure and was like, yeah, he’s it.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Fiji put everything into perspective for Dotun as well. “Fiji was honestly a perfect place for me to really wrap my head around what the engagement was going to be like,” he explains. “I already went into it feeling like I was pretty sure that I wanted her to be my person, but Fiji was just a beautiful place for me to really just meditate on my feelings and what an engagement would mean. And I came to the very easy conclusion that this is what I wanted during those two weeks. And it all kind of fell into place on that last day where I was in tears. I really wanted it. And yeah, I got what I wanted out of it, and I’m so happy about that.”
Charity was nominated by a friend to appear on Zach Shallcross’s season of The Bachelor. Dotun also didn’t apply for the show himself. It’s a story that Charity says is “far more ridiculous in the most beautiful way” than her own.
“I wasn’t nominated nor did I apply,” he reveals. “It was two weeks before filming started, and one of my roommates was in a text thread with an old friend. That old friend, I guess, had been nominated. He dropped out for personal reasons. Producers said, ‘if you know anyone to fill your spot, let me know,’ and gave him a list of criteria. Roommate thought of me, and I thought it was a joke, but within an hour of him texting me, I got a call from the casting agent. And then two weeks later, I was in L.A. filming The Bachelorette. So, it’s not ever anything I had intended to do. I’d never even really liked reality TV, if I’m being honest. But obviously, this has changed my perspective, and I’m just so grateful. I couldn’t have really imagined a better way to fall in love, truly.”
Finding the love of your life is a pretty fantastic outcome for something you decided to do on a whim, but Dotun admits he was “so doubtful” about being able to find love on the show at first. “But once we lean into the experience and she allowed me to open up, I knew that this was actually a really good way for me to actually fall in love. And it worked out, like I said, better than I could have ever imagined.”
Runner-up Joey Graziadei will be the next Bachelor, as revealed in Monday’s finale. Charity thinks “Joey is going to crush it,” but if he weren’t an option for the starring role, she would root for John Buresh to get the job.
“I’ve been rallying for him, him or Tanner,” she says with a smile. “But I think John B. definitely has a very just fun, vibrant personality, and I think that would just be so fun to watch. He’s just a remarkable person. I also have just so much respect for him.”
The Bachelorette, Season 20, Streaming Now, Hulu