One Johnston brother has been dating his girlfriend for seven years with no ring in sight. The other is already talking about getting engaged next year. So here is the question Season 18 cannot avoid: when a Johnston brother finally walks down the aisle, will it be Jonah — or will little brother Alex lap him?
7 Little Johnstons returns Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC, and the brothers’ very different love lives are shaping up to be one of the season’s best debates.
Jonah and Ashley: Seven Years, Still No Ring
Jonah Johnston and girlfriend Ashley have been together for seven years, according to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup — yet the couple has made no progress toward marriage or moving in together, and Jonah is still living at home.
His parents have noticed: Trent and Amber have openly expressed concern that seven years have passed with no next step, according to the same report, and Season 18 puts that tension front and center.
Alex and Allie: The Little Brother With a Plan
Now look at Alex Johnston. According to TV Season & Spoilers, Alex has spoken openly about hoping to get engaged to girlfriend Allie Smith next year — and eventually working on her family’s farm. During an on-camera true-or-false session, he confirmed the plan is real: engagement, then a life built around Allie’s farm.
Allie, meanwhile, is building a resume of her own. She recently earned the American FFA Degree, a top honor in the youth agriculture organization, with the whole Johnston family publicly celebrating her. According to reports, Alex has already given Allie a promise ring. No engagement has been announced, and TLC has not confirmed any wedding plans — but the direction of travel is unmistakable.
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Here is where it gets awkward. Jonah has said his younger brother should not marry before him, according to TV Season & Spoilers. It is the kind of big-brother rule that sounds reasonable at a family dinner — until the little brother actually starts making plans.
Allie’s parents have reportedly set their own boundary, too: no moving in together before marriage. So Alex’s path runs through a ring, not around one. If he proposes next year as he hopes, the family faces a genuine dilemma: honor Jonah’s “older brother first” rule, or celebrate the couple that is actually ready?
Some fans have criticized Alex for seeming to prioritize marriage over education and career plans, according to TV Season & Spoilers. Others say a plan, a partner, and a trade is more grown-up than drifting.
The Precedent That Breaks the Rule: Liz Already Did It
There is one more problem with the “older brother first” rule: it has already been broken. Liz Johnston, the younger sister, married Brice Bolden on November 8, 2025, and the couple are now parents of two — daughter Leighton and son Coleman, born September 8, 2026.
If birth order were the law of this family, Liz would still be waiting. She is not. She got married, built a family, and became the emotional center of Season 18. So why should Alex wait for Jonah’s timeline when Liz did not?
Is Jonah’s rule about respect, or about stalling a decision he has put off for seven years? Season 18 will not settle it in one episode. But the race is officially on, and the finish line is a wedding. So pick a side: Team Jonah First, or Team Alex Laps Him? Drop your vote in the comments — and tell us whether the “older brother first” rule should even exist.
