Best doesn't necessarily mean "happily ever after." The best couples of Summer House offered different reasons to invest in them, and were not necessarily in-home hook-ups. Although Carl saw the place as his dating pool (Danielle, Lindsay, Paige, Jaclyn, Lauren), some of the best coupling--and drama--has come from housemates who brought their loves in from the outside.
Some of these outsiders were only seen via FaceTime, while others entered and acted like they belonged, like Des. As with any tight-knit group, some significant others were embraced (Stravy), while others were suspect (Des). Admittedly, some romances were more fun to follow than others.
Ashley & Brad
Although her husband wasn't a physical part of Season 1 (when the other half of the Wirkus Circus lived in the master bedroom with her twin Lauren), fans saw him via FaceTime and heard the couple's phone calls. He lived in San Diego, and when that first summer was over Ashley went to California to join him. They now have a son.
Being part of a committed, albeit long-distance, relationship gave Ashley the upper hand in the house because she wasn't distracted by romantic entanglements so she could fully involve herself in the dating life of her sister.
Carl & Paige
Although it was never a full-blown boyfriend/girlfriend thing, the sales executive and fashion influencer made quite the attractive dark-haired couple. On WWHL, Carl even admitted they had great chemistry and of all his dalliances, he regrets not making things work with Paige.
All they have is the memory of their clandestine (and off-camera), late-night make-out sessions in the pantry during Season 3. Like many attractions that heat up fast, it fizzled just as quickly and they began Season 4 just as housemates once again. They have, however, had quite a flirtatious friendship and the castmates seem to always have each other's backs. Now that Paige's broken up with boyfriend Perry, perhaps the head of sales will get a second chance.
Danielle & Robert
This is another castmate and non-castmate coupling that seems to be working. Even though Robert didn't live in the house, the executive chef did move in at the end of the summer and prepared the meal for Kyle and Amanda's practice wedding, which seemed to make Danielle very proud.
They were actually a pleasant couple to watch because they stayed above the fray, were rather an unassuming twosome, and seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company. According to IG, Danielle and her man are still together, vacationing then returning to NYC.
Luke & Ciara
Luke introduced new castmate Ciara as a "friend" when he brought her out to the house, but they had a romance in the past when the two met at a modeling assignment then hooked up, with Ciara staying with Luke and his family in his native Minnesota. He ghosted her though, the same thing he did to Hannah.
When the two women ended up as housemates and compared Luke-notes, Ciara decided to keep her former boyfriend at a distance and just be friends. Any fans hoping for a love triangle and the two women throwing down over Luke must have been disappointed.
Kyle & Amanda
Even though these two have put off their wedding several times by now (rumor has it they're now looking to set the date in Fall 2021), they are like an old married couple who not only live but work together at Loverboy.
It's nice to see them finally getting along, Amanda defending her man - especially against Hannah's accusations - and Kyle re-proposing to Amanda to prove he's still in it to win it. But without the drunken drama, cheating, and tears streaming down her face as Amanda threatens once again to break up with him for good, this couple has lost their edge.
Carl & Lauren
Carl was always in the doghouse during this relationship and given his behavior, no wonder.
Lauren liked him, for sure, so much so that she introduced him to her parents and siblings. But the leggy blonde was too intense for the "hey it's summer" salesman, who also flirted with housemate Jaclyn (the southern charmer), took another woman to a Wisconsin wedding even though he told Lauren he was bringing his mom as his date, and brought two girls to a party where Lauren was in attendance. No wonder she shoved a pie in his face.
Lindsay & Everett
Between her childhood abandonment issues and the former military man's intense, type-A personality, these two, although a handsome couple, could not go five minutes without breaking up (only to make up again). Plus every time they'd fight, he'd leave, triggering her memory of how her mom walked out on her family when she was little.
Watching them break up for good in an NYC restaurant - with Everett announcing he felt trapped, that their arguing had reached a new level that was just too much, and they simply had no fun - was almost a relief, because watching them go at it was increasingly painful.
Lindsay & Stravy
"Why does this keep happening?" Lindsay cried to Kyle in the Season 5 finale as Stravy was gathering his things to once again leave the house. He's expressed his love with flowers and candles and dinners and actually took an Uber out to the Hamptons, but no efforts seem to reach Lindsay's standards.
She had an agenda this past season which included marriage and a baby. "Tick tock," the PR exec said in her confessional. But it seems she has a dream scenario for her relationship and when Stravy--or any guy--doesn't follow the script exactly, Lindsay blows up. "I can't take any more of this," admitted Stravy to Kyle. Neither can fans.
Hannah & Luke
Hannah and Luke hooked up in Season 4, then were hot and heavy over FaceTime during lockdown. Hannah thought they were serious; but who knows what he thought. Then there was the ghosting (his specialty, it seems.) Next, he showed up at the house for a summer of quarantine with Ciara.
After some crying, accusations of being led on where the handsome model/actor looked at Hannah as though he had no idea what she was talking about, and a decision on her part to just be friends, the emotionally fragile brunette moved on.
Hannah & Des
He's funny. He's older (by 15 years and Kyle says Des looks like his dad). And he asked Hannah to get married. At one point he told her that he'd never loved anyone the way he loves her and for Hannah to let that empower her.
Upon his arrival at the house at the very end of the season, the now-engaged couple ran around having sex in various rooms (including on Kyle's bed) and smugly making it known that they lived in a world of two and too bad about who didn't like it. Not everyone thought Des had the best intentions for their roommate, so in true defensive Hannah form she responded by screaming and yelling. The couple moved in together and got engaged this past Valentine's Day.