Brice Bolden is the only outsider who ever crossed the finish line. He married Liz Johnston on November 8, 2025, and by September 8, 2026, he was a father of two — while everyone else on this list is still circling the driveway, waiting for an invitation inside.
Season 18 premieres Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC, and the trailer makes one thing clear: the circle is open. So we ranked the five outsiders by a single question — how close are they, right now, to actually being family? A wedding counts more than a crush. A ring counts more than a rumor.
How This Ranking Works: One Question, Five Outsiders
The score is closeness, not likability. Marriage beats a promise ring, a promise ring beats seven patient years, and seven patient years beat a flame carried across an ocean. The question is only how far the door has opened.
#5: Lucca Rannigan — The First Love Who Moved On
Lucca Rannigan was Emma Johnston’s first public connection, and for a while he looked like the future. Years ago he told her “I love you” on camera — then they were too young. He has a girlfriend now, and Emma has said publicly that she does not have a boyfriend. Lucca ranks last because the door closed a long time ago.
#4: Joose Jeskanen — 4,000 Miles and One Long Flame
Joose Jeskanen lived with the Johnstons as a Finnish exchange student in 2021, and according to reports, he never quite stopped carrying a flame for Emma. Emma turned 21 on July 1, and the trailer hands her the line fans keep replaying: asked if she wants a boyfriend, she answers “Yes.” According to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup on October 31, Ashley and Allie are teaming up to play matchmaker for Emma, seemingly with Joose in mind. The catch is geography — roughly 4,000 miles of it. Joose ranks fourth because a flame is not a plan.
#3: Ashley — Seven Years In, Still Outside the Door
Seven years. That is how long Ashley has been with Jonah Johnston, and she is still waiting outside the door. Jonah is 25, still living at home, and according to The Ashley’s October 31 report, Trent and Amber have openly worried that the couple has made no progress toward marriage or moving in together. The same standoff sits at the center of the ultimatum Trent and Amber gave him. Seven years of loyalty should count for everything — yet on paper, Ashley has less to show than a promise ring.
YOU MAY LIKEEverything We Know About 7 Little Johnstons Season 18 — Wedding Bells, New Homes, and One Big Question Mark#2: Allie Smith — A Promise Ring and a Farm Plan
Allie Smith did something this fall none of the others managed: she earned a headline with nothing to do with a Johnston boy. On October 24, 2026, she received Allie’s American FFA Degree, a top honor in the youth agriculture organization. Alex gave her a promise ring, and according to TV Season & Spoilers, he hopes to get engaged next year and eventually work on her family’s farm. Her parents, according to reports, still rule out moving in before marriage. Allie ranks second because she is the only outsider with both a ring and a plan — just one proposal away from the top.
#1: Brice Bolden — The Only One Who Crossed the Line
There was never any real suspense about No. 1. Brice married Liz on November 8, 2025, welcomed daughter Leighton on November 3, 2023, and son Coleman on September 8, 2026 — making Trent and Amber grandparents twice over. Season 18 follows Liz’s second pregnancy on screen, with Liz facing a C-section under general anesthesia, a fear she voices on camera. Brice is not circling the family anymore. He is the family — the proof that an outsider can cross the line.
So: Brice in, Allie one proposal away, Ashley waiting on seven years, Joose hoping across an ocean, Lucca already gone. But if Ashley and Allie really do set Emma up with Joose, does the Finn jump straight past Ashley — or does seven years of loyalty still outrank a crush from 2021? Team Joose, or Team Ashley First?
More 7 Little Johnstons drama
7 Little JohnstonsShould Allie and Ashley Play Matchmaker for Emma — or Let Her Pick Her Own First Boyfriend?
7 Little JohnstonsJonah Johnston’s Timeline: From NICU Baby to 25 — and the Ring That Still Isn’t There
7 Little JohnstonsThe Empty Chair at Liz and Brice’s Wedding Still Explains the Johnstons, One Year Later
