Despite pursuing relationships with Sean McLaughlin and Kat Izzo to begin their respective Bachelor In Paradise journeys, a flame might have ignited between Rachel Recchia and Brayden Bowers towards the end of episode 4…

To begin Bachelor In Paradise season 9, Rachel was the very first individual to hit the beach. Quickly building a connection with Sean, things seemed to be smooth sailing between the pair (until Brayden got involved). The self-proclaimed Swiftie mentioned on numerous occasions that he came to Paradise for the stunning Jess Girod.

However, after being rejected time and time again, he settled on Rachel (despite the fact that she was not his first choice). To stir the pot, Brayden took it upon himself to tell the former Bachelorette that Sean was never really interested in her, ultimately causing a scuffle down by the seashore.

Naturally, that relationship to come to an abrupt halt. As for Brayden, he was also one first arrivals of the season, but his journey was slightly different.

Almost instantaneously forming a connection with Kat (and being deemed one of the strongest couples on the beach), things quickly took a turn when she severed their relationship to pursue Tanner Courtad instead. In true Brayden fashion, he threw a temper tantrum after not getting his way, leading to loads and loads of trouble in Paradise.

When the end of episode 4 rolled around, both Rachel and Brayden were single pringles, ultimately causing them to lock lips. Could there be a future between this unlikely duo?

Viewers sure hope so, arguing that “Brayden and Rachel are the first couple with fiery chemistry” via Reddit.

“Brayden and Rachel are actually the perfect couple on paper when you think about it. Brayden does way WAY too much and has a little TOO much personality. Rachel, on the other hand, has no personality at all, which is perfect because it balances out Brayden when he’s doing the most. It’s all about balance, and this is an excellent balance,” one Reddit user shared, garnering quite a few upvotes.

With a date on the horizon, could their connection continue to grow? Keep scrolling to see what Bachelor In Paradise has teased so far via social media…

On October 24, the hit show took to TikTok to tease the date between Rachel and Brayden that seemingly occurs during episode 5.

“Going into this date, I am feeling so excited. Connection-wise, Brayden is definitely the most fun I’ve had,” the flight instructor shared within the teaser, before revealing what the date between Rachel and Brayden would actually entail.

After a local artist introduced herself and explained that the two lovebirds would be becoming piñatas during the date, Rachel and Brayden are seen painting each others bodies with all different colors, even pouring a bowl of bright green paint onto Brayden’s head – these two aren’t afraid to get a bit messy!

“I think Brayden’s probably the only person that would be able to bring this side out of me. This is the most romantic date I’ve been on. I don’t need fireworks and a yacht,” Rachel gushed, ultimately concluding the teaser.

Could this date be the beginning of a beautiful love story between Rachel and Brayden? Only time will tell…

To see if this duo is a match made in heaven, tune into brand new episodes of Bachelor in Paradise every Thursday at 9pm ET/8pm CT on ABC, with new episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day.

With Hurricane Kat brewing up a storm, things are about to get crazy!

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