Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland have been married for over 15 years, and their marriage remains strong.
However, their journey has been anything but easy, with lots of hurdles, from a tumultuous relationship to Melissa appearing on The Bachelor and getting dumped on TV. But through all the challenges, the couple managed to find love.
Below is a detailed timeline of Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland’s relationship, from their initial meeting through their breakups, reunions, marriage, and various milestones they have achieved in their marriage.
2006: Meeting at a mutual friend’s party
Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland met at a mutual friend’s party sometime in 2006 when she was working as a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. After meeting, the couple dated on and off for about two years.
In an interview with AOL, Melissa reveals that she knew she knew that Tye was “the one” when she met him:
“I would have married Tye three years ago when we met,” she said. “I remember meeting him, thinking, this is it. This is the one.”
Unfortunately for her, her feelings at the time were one-sided.
In her book, My Reality, Melissa offers more details about her and Tye’s relationship, revealing that she fell in love with him within six months of their meeting. However, Tye was apparently “not ready for her” at the time.
“And not only was he NOT in love with me, he didn’t even know if he wanted a girlfriend. And, while I knew he really liked me, he was just fine fitting me into his busy schedule of working, working out, and hanging out.”
2008: Melissa Rycroft appears on The Bachelor
Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland’s on-and-off relationship lasted until 2008, when the couple called it quits after Rycroft was cast as a contestant on season 13 of The Bachelor.
Initially, she had joined the show, not looking for love, but a change. However, in her book, she revealed that she soon started to fall in love with Jason Mesnick, the bachelor of season 13.
Melissa ended up winning the show and becoming engaged to Jason.
January 2009: Reconnecting after Melissa leaves The Bachelor
When Melissa was filming for The Bachelor, she had been cut off from communication with everyone, including Tye Strickland.
After she was done filming, she returned home, and this time, Tye tried winning her back. Unfortunately, he was unaware that she was engaged to Jason Mensick, as she was prohibited from disclosing the details to anyone before the show’s air date.
After talking, the two agreed to stay as friends. Meanwhile, Melissa and Jason’s relationship began to deteriorate, culminating in him breaking up with her on camera while they were filming The Bachelor After the Final Rose.
After returning home, Melissa and Tye reconnected, and a few weeks later, they started dating. In her book, she revealed that they got back together under the stipulation that it would be for good.
“But you need to know that this time, if we get together, we’re together. We’re making it work. We’re in a real relationship, and we’re in it for the long haul.”
June 2009: Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland get engaged
A few months after they got together again, Tye proposed to Melissa in private. Rycroft, who had since joined Dancing With The Stars after leaving The Bachelor, announced their engagement on Good Morning America.
“Sometimes, the stars align, and the clouds part, and everything works out the way it should.” Melissa Rycroft stated.
December 2009: The couple gets married in Mexico
About six months after getting engaged, Melissa and Tye tied the knot. The couple got married on the beach of Isla Mujeres, a small island near Cancun, Mexico.
Melissa and Tye exchanged nuptials in a low-key wedding, which was reportedly attended by less than 100 people – family and close friends of the couple.
It was a fairytale wedding for The Bachelor star, as she walked down the aisle barefoot in a strapless Alfred Angelo gown.
February 2011: Welcoming their daughter, Ava Grace
On February 16, 2011, Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland welcomed their child, Ava Grace Strickland. While speaking to PEOPLE, she revealed how the couple was over the moon with the new development in their life.
“Our lives have changed so much in the last two years, and today we’ve been blessed with the best change ever, our beautiful baby girl.”
In 2012, the duo and their daughter starred in Melissa & Tye, a reality TV show that documented the couple’s lives as they navigated new parenthood while tackling a long-distance relationship after Melissa moved to Los Angeles for her entertainment career.
In LA, Rycroft competed in the All-Stars edition (Season 15) of Dancing with the Stars, where she emerged as the winner alongside her partner, Tony Dovolani.
April 2014: Welcoming their son, Becket Thomas
In April 2024, the couple welcomed their second child, son Becket Thomas, who was born on Easter Sunday.
“This little guy has been teasing us about his arrival for the last month, so it is only fitting that he surprised us with his arrival on Easter Sunday. He’s perfect and beautiful,” Rycroft told E! News in a statement.
A few months after giving birth to her son, Rycroft told PEOPLE that it was emotionally challenging to balance attention between her two kids.
“It’s hard juggling and trying to give both of them all of the attention that they want and all of the attention that they need.”
However, she revealed that she lucked out in the daddy department with her husband, Tye Strickland, being a big help with the kids.
May 2016: Welcoming their third child
In May 2016, Melissa and Tye welcomed their third child, son Cayson Jack, bringing their family to five.
In another interview with PEOPLE, she revealed that having three kids was constant chaos, but the family had adapted quickly, with the parents making an effort to keep things normal for the older kids.
December 2024: Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary
In December 2024, the couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary, with Rycroft posting a throwback photo of their wedding on Instagram, captioned “❤️ 15 ❤️”.
She also shared another picture of her and Tye in a loving embrace, writing, “We’re not old enough to have been married 15 years and have three children….”
2025: Melissa Rycroft’s legal troubles
Melissa and Tye’s marriage appears to be happy, with the couple frequently sharing photos of themselves and their children having fun on vacations or at other family events.
However, in September 2025, the Dancing with the Stars winner landed in legal trouble after she was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after she crashed her car into a tree.
She spoke out about her arrest for the first time in October 2025, while responding to a fan who had shared a loving message in response to one of her Instagram posts.
“Thank you. Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward….but thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity….”
