Skip to main content

Out of the three showmances that came out of Big Brother 20, former football player Fessy Shafaat and college student Haleigh Broucher are the first to call it quits. The couple began dating after their season aired and decided to part ways almost two years later.

Haleigh Broucher and Faysal Shafaat await the 4th live eviction on 'Big Brother'
Haleigh Broucher and Faysal Shafaat await the 4th live eviction on ‘Big Brother’ | Sonja Flemming

Fessy Shafaat and Haleigh Broucher met on ‘Big Brother 20’

In June 2018, then 27-year-old Orlando-based substitute teacher Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat and then 21-year-old college student from Texas, Haleigh Broucher, met on the 20th season of Big Brother.

The two were members of the doomed FOUTTE alliance formed in the first week, and the former football player developed an attraction for Broucher. However, the college student denied his advances for most of the season before the two eventually became a showmance.

They were then betrayed in the ninth week when Angela Rummons nominated them both for eviction. Shafaat was evicted in a 4-1 vote and lost the re-entry challenge, becoming the third member of the jury.

The college student survived another nomination before she became a casualty of the Double Eviction, placing seventh. She was also in the running for America’s Favorite Houseguest but lost to Crispen.

Fessy Shafaat and Haleigh Broucher continued dating after ‘Big Brother 20’

A month after the show ended, the showmance announced they were still together by posting pictures of each other on Instagram. The college student also created a YouTube channel that frequently featured her boyfriend as she taught her viewers how to dutch braid using his hair.

Additionally, they made a question and answer video about their relationship, including how they manage dating long distance, and vlogged their time skydiving and visiting Universal Studios.

The couple spent their first Thanksgiving together in November 2018, and they vacationed in Hawaii and Canada a few months later. They saw each other again in May 2019 and had fun at Discovery Cove and Magical Midway in Orlando.

Then, the two visited other Big Brother 20 showmance, Tyler Crispen and Angela Rummons, in Los Angeles, California. In September 2019, Shafaat surprised his girlfriend with a trip to Rome as a gift for graduating from college.

After the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic stopped the two from seeing each other, the college graduate continually supported her boyfriend as he’s currently competing on The Challenge.

However, in July 2020, Broucher announced she and the former tight end parted ways.

Fessy Shafaat and Haleigh Broucher split ways

The 23-year-old posted a screenshot of an iPhone note to her Instagram Story and Twitter that informed her followers that she and Shafaat “made the decision to split ways and focus on ourselves.”

She explained they tried to stay together but ultimately couldn’t make it work due to “our lives moving in different directions, the distance, the different backgrounds, and the constant pressures online.”

In an October 2018 YouTube video, the two talked about the difficulties of dating long distance. Shafaat explained that communication is critical, and Broucher admitted it’s difficult for her to leave her studies and family for weeks at a time.

The former tight end has yet to comment on the breakup publicly.

Best in Entertainment