Are 'Age of Attraction' Stars Theresa Demaria and John Merrill Still Together?

Spoilers for all episodes of Age of Attraction season 1 ahead. A relationship like 54-year-old stylist Theresa Demaria and 27-year-old software salesman John Merrill’s seems exactly like what Netflix had in mind when brainstorming its newest reality show, Age of Attraction.

The series, which premiered on March 11, is Netflix's latest “social-experimental dating show.” Long-time fans of hits like Love Is Blind might find the format vaguely familiar: singles date in a secluded location (this time at a secluded nature retreat in Canada instead of in the pods) until they find someone they want to couple up with, and then take on the real world to see if their connection is built to last. The key difference is that, instead of not being able to see each other, the Age of Attraction contestants can’t reveal their ages until they’re ready to “commit” to each other and leave the retreat together.

Even before coming onto the show, season 1 cast member Theresa felt confident she would find someone worth committing to. “There’s something here for me,” she tells the camera in the first episode. “I’m pretty positive.” And indeed there is: Sparks fly from the moment Theresa and John meet. However, the revelation of a 20-plus-year age gap between them throws a bucket of harsh, cold reality onto the couple as they struggle to figure out whether age really is just a number.

Below, we break down Theresa and John’s time on Age of Attraction, and whether they’re still together after the show.

What happens between Theresa and John during the 'Age of Attraction' retreat?

It’s endgame for Theresa and John from the moment the two meet during the first episode’s round of speed dating. “Theresa’s hot,” John tells the camera. “Best three-minute date I’ve ever had.” It’s only up from there. The two continue getting to know each other in the days to come, sharing their first kiss on a one-on-one wine date and sticking close to each other during group activity dates.

Without revealing their ages, they share more about themselves with the other person, as well as the camera. Theresa reveals in a confessional that she’s been married twice and has three kids—ages 29, 25, and 22—a fact she also tells John, but omits her children’s ages. “I’m petrified that he’s too young,” she tells the camera, saying that the best-case scenario would be if he were at least older than her 29-year-old son.

Their connection only grows. Theresa thinks John’s mature and “the full package,” while John says she’s “fully checking off” boxes of what he wants in a partner. “I feel at ease with her and, not to get too deep, but it’s because it’s Theresa,” John says after a group date to a winery, during which Theresa and he peel off for some alone time together. “If I could bottle it up and sell it, I would.”

Do Theresa and John make it to the Promise Room on 'Age of Attraction?'

It’s inevitable when John and Theresa end up in the Promise Room at the end of Episode 1. Despite meeting only a few days ago, Theresa says in a confessional that she feels an “ease” with John thanks to their “super strong” connection. She’s still frightened about their potential age gap, but tearfully says she feels like she can trust him and that their bond is strong enough that he won’t run away when he learns of her age.

“I came here because I thought this was a really great opportunity for me to hopefully meet somebody who was ready for a relationship,” she tells John in the Promise Room. “In the past I’ve been really hurt, and I was really touched because you right away made me feel super safe, and to me, that’s very rare.” He, in turn, expresses that he can be “trustworthy and reliable.” “I’m looking forward to whatever’s next.”

They exchange promise rings and prepare to reveal their ages to each other. The camera cuts to confessionals from the two, as John says people often think he’s older than he is, while Theresa says she hopes he’s 38 or older. “I’m 27-years-old,” John confesses to the camera in his confessional, his words punctuated by the ominous drone of the music before the camera blacks out on the episode.

“My son is older than you,” Theresa says dazedly when he tells her his age.

“Does it scare you?” he asks.

Theresa pauses. Then, “You know, honestly, the biggest thing that scares me is the outside perception of everybody in the universe,” she says, admitting she’d probably never date him if she’d known his age. “It’s just pretty amazing I connected with you.”

Do Theresa and John couple up on 'Age of Attraction?'

Though the two join the rest of the “promised” couples to live in a Vancouver apartment at the end of Episode 4 as they progress into the next phase of the experiment, Theresa still expresses reservations regarding their age gap. “Staying in the bubble would’ve been a much more comfortable situation,” she says. “But that’s not reality.”

At first, reality seems sweet. Theresa’s thoughts still circle her and John’s age gap, only to be met by John’s unwavering faith and reassurance. “Worrying about it is not going to not make it happen,” he tells her during a coffee date. In a confessional, Theresa says it’s shocking John’s so at ease, seemingly exemplifying how comfortable he is in his own skin. While she reassures that she’s happy with her decision, she says she’s still questioning things, and confesses that she wishes John had a few years on her oldest son.

During another get-together with the other couples and hosts Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, Theresa tells the other cast members that John has demonstrated that he does not act his age. She goes on to say that they’ve gotten along super well and that it feels almost “too good to be true.”

She’s proven right when, just moments later, Natalie and Nick reveal to the group that they will be meeting their friends and family in the coming days. This revelation sends Theresa into a spiral, since she has to introduce her new relationship to her adult children. “My reality is my kids,” Theresa says. She admits that she doesn’t know if she could move forward with John if her kids were to express displeasure in their relationship. “Which is heartbreaking to me because I’m already developing feelings for John,” Theresa says through tears. “So to say goodbye to that would also be really hard.”

What happens when John and Theresa meet each other's friends and families in 'Age of Attraction?'

As the meetings approach in the following episode (aptly titled “Family Matters”), John and Theresa agree not to reveal their ages to their friends and family. They rationalize this would allow their loved ones to get to know their partner the same way John and Theresa did—becoming familiar with their character before their age could sway any perceptions.

John’s mom, Brenda, and his older sister, Sara, both seem trepidatious. Brenda says she wishes she knew more about their age difference, while Sara states she could tell Theresa was older than John. Sara specifically notes John told them about Theresa’s children, expressing apprehension that Theresa herself wasn’t the one to tell them. Sara later shares this concern with John when the two meet for breakfast. John then reveals Theresa’s age to his sister, as well as how her kids are “much closer to his age than hers”—specifically that one of her sons is two years older.

“I feel like you’re still young. And I feel like you still have a lot of opportunities that you need to experience in life,” Sara says. “I want you to seriously think about what your life would look like with her as opposed to someone who is maybe not married or hasn’t been married before or someone who doesn’t have children.”

At the apartment, John tells Theresa about the conversation with his sister. “I don’t want to get blindsided,” he tells her. “I just need to know from you, is it worth it for me to continue to invest in this? Do you think we can navigate that backlash together?”

She admits to John that it’s hard to be in the real world and that she wishes they didn’t have to deal with the “complication” of their age gap. “But it’s a complication on your side,” he implores her. “I’m only stressed about it because you’re stressed about it.”

Two days before the commitment ceremony, they meet Theresa’s children—Richard, Lauren, and Michael. Theresa and John tell the trio how they met, what attracted them to each other, and why Theresa wanted to go to the experiment in the first place, before John leaves to give Theresa some alone time with her children. In a confessional, he says he feels like the meeting went “great,” but that he saw Theresa beat around the bush. “I wish she was a little more confident and proud,” he says. “I didn’t love that lack of enthusiasm.”

Alone with their mother, Theresa’s daughter, Lauren, notes that Theresa looks really happy and that she’s excited for her. When Lauren asks Theresa if she and John would get married, Theresa says she can’t answer that, but that she doesn't “want anybody to be uncomfortable with any situation that I’m in, so I want you guys to at all times feel like you can be upfront with me.” However, Theresa still won’t tell her children John’s age. When Lauren says she just wants to make sure Theresa’s thinking realistically, Theresa confirms it’s a “huge thought.”

In a confessional with the three children, Theresa’s youngest, Michael, says it’s weird not knowing John’s age and hypothesizes he’s about 35. “If John were younger than about 30, it would definitely be more of a surprise to me and definitely more of a weirder thing just because we’re closer to age than she is,” Michael says.

At the end of the family meetings, the whole cast gathers together for dinner with Natalie and Nick to debrief on the last few days. When Theresa tells the group that she and John didn’t disclose each other’s ages to their friends and family, citing the “gigantic double standard" for older women dating younger men, fellow cast member Leah makes a face from across the table. At host Natalie’s prompting, Leah says she didn’t realize not disclosing age gaps was a choice and that the whole point of the journey is to let their family know how old their partner is. “So why hide it?” she asks.

Theresa remains adamant that she’s not hiding anything, but trying to be “strategic” in letting her kids get to know John as she did. Things start to escalate when Leah asks if Theresa’s ashamed of her relationship with John—but the hosts cut the conversation off to reveal that this is the last time all the couples will see each other until the commitment ceremony. “It’s just not fair,” a tearful Theresa whispers.

Did Theresa and John from 'Age of Attraction' decide to stay together at the Commitment Ceremony?

Before separating to spend their last day in Vancouver alone, John gives Theresa a final show of support, via a floral arrangement. Though Theresa shares how much she enjoyed living together, she admits that the time alone will probably be good for them, as she needs a moment "to get more centered." In a confessional, John drops the L-word, saying that she gives him a sense of home, but he also acknowledges that she could get "way too in her head" and break things off. But it does sound like Theresa is letting the doubts get to her, as she admits, "I don't know if I have the strength to see this through."

Heading into their Commitment Ceremony, John is confident as ever in his love for Theresa. He tells her that he feels "lucky" to support her as a partner, and she says that he has made her feel better than she's ever felt. John also assures her, "We'll get there with the age thing," he tells her, adding that she needs to put trust in him that he'll continue to show up for her every day. Still, Theresa admits that she's been tempted to walk away before their relationship got "too difficult and too real." She tells John, "If I let myself be totally vulnerable with you and the world, it's the hugest risk I will ever have taken."

As John seems blindsided—her speech sounds a bit like a breakup—Theresa pulls out a letter that her children wrote to John, which she hasn't read yet. To her surprise, her kids wrote that they don't care about the age gap, and they'll support the relationship because John clearly makes Theresa happy. After getting that boost of confidence, Theresa tells him, "I don’t want to walk away. ..I will be able at some point to maybe scream it from the mountaintop. But right now I'm just going to promise you and commit to you to continue to build our relationship into something real."

Are Theresa and John still together after 'Age of Attraction?'

In the tradition of Netflix reality shows, both John and Theresa have been tight-lipped about what came of their relationship after filming Age of Attraction. However, things are looking good for the couple; they both follow each other on Instagram and have been sharing tons of cute behind-the-scenes pics from the reality show. (Also, who else has been tuned in to Theresa's storytimes about being co-workers with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy?)

According to Theresa, the official word on her and John's romance will be revealed very soon! In a TikTok posted on the same day as the March 25 finale, the stylist shared a time-lapse of her getting ready ahead of an Age of Attraction reunion taping. According to Cosmopolitan, the reunion is set to stream on April 1, a week after the finale, on "The Viall Files" podcast.