Christi and Chad Baker, a couple living in Lewis County, have made it to the quarterfinals of the 2026 America’s Favorite Couple competition, a nationwide public-vote competition celebrating real couples and their stories.
The winners of 2026 America’s Favorite Couple competition will receive a prize package that includes $20,000, a professionally produced Variety magazine advertorial and photoshoot, and a Hollywood dinner experience with celebrity couples Jeff and Emilie Goldblum; Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen; and Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis.
If the Bakers win, they would put every penny of their $20,000 toward the down payment on their dream RV, according to their page on the America’s Favorite Couple website.
“More than anything, we want the freedom to chase sunsets, explore new places and make unforgettable memories together,” their page stated. “It's not just about traveling. It's about building a life filled with adventure, laughter and experiences we'll treasure forever. An RV would give us the freedom we've both dreamed of.”
Christi moved to Chehalis from San Diego, California, in 2016, and Chad was born and raised in Lewis County. The couple met as employees at a local Applebee’s in Chehalis in February of 2018.
“From the very beginning, there was something about meeting each other that felt different,” the couple said in an email to The Chronicle. “It honestly felt less like meeting someone for the first time and more like remembering someone we had somehow known all along. There was an immediate sense of familiarity, comfort and connection that neither of us could really explain. It felt like coming home.”
Residents can vote for free once a day. More votes are available to purchase, with profits supporting Oceana, an organization dedicated to ocean conservation, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which works to fight hunger and food insecurity.
Voting for the quarterfinals ends Aug. 27.
“If there’s one thing we’d want people to take away from our story, it’s this: please don’t give up on love. Don’t let a few heartbreaks, bad experiences or the state of the world convince you that the kind of love you hope for isn’t out there,” Christi and Chad said. “Sometimes the person who feels like home is still waiting for you — and sometimes you find them working beside you at your local Applebee’s in a little corner of Lewis County. We’re incredibly proud to represent our little corner of Washington in this competition, and we’d be honored to have our community cheering us on as we continue through the quarterfinals and hopefully beyond!”
For more information and to vote for the Bakers to advance in the competition, visit https://tinyurl.com/mryhvmdv.
