Leslie Fhima, a 66-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Gary Levingston, a 66-year-old from Palm Desert, California, were two of 30-plus contestants on Bachelor in Paradise Season 10, which—for the first time in the franchise’s history—included alums from both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, as well as The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. Leslie was the runner-up of The Golden Bachelor Season 1 with Gerry Turner, while Gary was a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 with Joan Vassos.
Leslie and Gary coupled up in Episode 6 after Gary gave his rose to Leslie following their one-on-one date two episodes prior. Episode 6 also marked the start of a new format for Bachelor in Paradise when host Jesse Spencer revealed that no new arrivals would be joining the show and that the remaining couples would compete in compatibility challenges for the power to decide who’s eliminated and a chance to win $500,000.
Leslie and Gary were the first couple eliminated after Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 changed to its new format, but are they still together post-show?
Leslie and Gary are not still together after their elimination on Bachelor in Paradise Season 10, according to Reality Steve. Reality Steve reported in June 2025 that none of the Golden couples from Bachelor in Paradise Season 10 got engaged, and he wasn’t sure any of them were “even still dating.”
Leslie also confirmed that she and Gary were not still together during the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast after her and Gary’s elimination on Bachelor in Paradise Season 10. During the interview, Leslie confessed that she was “brokenhearted” to leave Bachelor in Paradise so soon, but confirmed that she and Gary remain good friends. At the time of writing, they both follow each other on Instagram.
“We talk all the time. We were at the premiere together watching the show in LA. Gary is, I can honestly say right now, one of my best friends. I’ll call him if I have a problem. He kind of talks me off the ledge a little bit, and we are always there for each other. We have each other’s back,” she said.
As for the reason their relationship ended, Leslie hinted that distance—Leslie is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, while Gary is from Palm Desert, California—played a part. “I don’t know, because we haven’t spent time together and we live in two separate cities. I don’t know what it could be. All I know is that for me, a big thing with any relationship, a romantic one for sure, is I want to be friends first, because I want to be with my best friend growing older, and so that is a huge thing for me,” Leslie said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I know that we have special places in our hearts for each other. And that’s all I can say right now.”
Leslie also called Gary out for his reckless gamble during the compatibility challenge in Episode 6, which determined whether they would be safe from elimination or not. “I think he just — I don’t know. He beat himself up enough after that. I think I said ‘I told you so’ once, but I certainly wasn’t going to do it more than that, because I could see he was visibly shaken and upset, and I’m sure he was thinking, ‘Why did I do that? Why did I do that?’” Leslie said. “I have a family member that went through treatment for gambling addiction, and if [Gary’s] not a good gambler, that’s OK with me. It could be worse.”
Despite everything that happened, Leslie confirmed that she didn’t have any regrets about her Bachelor in Paradise experience. “We left the show together. I did leave broken hearted. I didn’t embarrass my children or my grandchildren. I didn’t do any body shots, and so I feel like I left the show in a good space for me,” she said.
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