Vanessa and Dave From 'The Ultimatum' Are Engaged! Inside His Proposal

When Vanessa and Dave signed up for The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, they did so with the intention of testing their relationship in a way they hadn’t before. Vanessa issued the ultimatum, since she is ready for marriage and Dave still needs that final push at the start of the season. So, outside of the show, are Vanessa and Dave still together?

Of course, the fact that Dave even agreed to go on the Netflix reality show strongly indicates his willingness to make Vanessa happy. But, when the couple abruptly left the series with another couple, Micah and Chanel, fans weren't sure if their love was enough to move through the experience.

During The Choice ceremony, where The Ultimatum contestants are paired with their castmates, Vanessa is paired with another man, Nick, while Dave is paired with Chanel. As filming continued, Vanessa, Dave, Chanel, and her boyfriend, Micah, had a conversation off-camera. Soon after, the group was spotted packing their bags, and the producers eventually confirmed on a title card that the couple had gone home. Vanessa later shared that Nick's alleged substance abuse and rude behavior caused their early split.

After their exit, Vanessa and Dave attended the show's reunion, which aired on Netflix on Dec. 18. On the show, they confirmed they were still together and that they would be engaged soon. Two days later, on Dec. 20, the couple announced they were engaged. In their feature with People, who was the first to announce the news, the pair credited the growth they made off-camera, which allowed them to do the real work toward marriage.

"We've made some really big life jumps or moved on to so many chapters since The Ultimatum filming, about a little more than a year ago," Dave shared with People. "We're super happy, everything's been great."

Vanessa and Dave's engagement came several months after The Ultimatum reunion aired. The special was filmed sometime between July 2024 and October 2024. Dave shared that he proposed on November 22, 2024, while visiting her family in Georgia for Thanksgiving.

Before the trip, Dave told People he planned the event by secretly hiring musicians and a photographer and working with Vanessa's mother behind the scenes to organize the surprise engagement. He also enlisted her best friend to distract her with a lunch date while he set up the proposal. He told the outlet that the elaborate proposal was his way of proving to Vanessa that he was serious about their future union.

“I always knew I wanted to be with Vanessa, but I was there because she issued me the ultimatum,” Dave explained about his intentions. “There were clearly some things that I had to figure out, and Vanessa too, but I was issued it, so I needed to go there, figure out why I was issued the ultimatum, figure out how I could improve."

Watch The Ultimatum on Netflix.