Shraman Mitra
Hulu’s ‘Back In The Groove’ follows three single women in their 40s as they try to find their perfect partners from a group of 24 young eligible bachelors. While the contestants spend a month at The Groove Hotel, the women get to know the bachelors better through exciting dates and intimate conversations. However, anyone who cannot help the ladies get their groove back is eliminated until the trio finds their significant others.
Season 1 of ‘Back In The Groove’ introduced us to three inspiring single women, Steph Michaels, Brooke Mora, and SparkleHyche. Besides, we also got acquainted with interesting and memorable cast members, including Steph’s son, Steven, the Miami-based musician Akio Ross, and Leroy Mapp, who won hearts with his sense of humor. However, with the camera now turned away, fans are eager to find out where the ‘Back In The Groove’ cast is at present. Well, fret not because we come bearing answers!
Steph Michaels is Thriving Today
While Steph Michaels appeared on the show hoping to find love, she even brought her son, Steven, along, albeit undercover as one of the contestants. As the season progressed, Steph forged several connections, which ultimately came down to a choice between Leroy Mapp and Quentin Marquis Lloyd. However, even though she went against her father’s wishes and chose Leroy, Steph eventually realized she wasn’t ready for a relationship and decided to remain single.
At present, Steph shuttles between the cities of Miami and New York while making a name for herself in the film and music industry. Additionally, she has even dipped her toe into entrepreneurship and has adopted a completely vegan lifestyle. Although recent developments make us believe that Steph is single, she has built up a happy life surrounded by her loved ones, especially her father and son.
Brooke Mora is Working as a Personal Trainer
Once on the show, Brooke Mora sought to explore her options, as her previous experiences cautioned her from rushing into something headfirst. Although she ended up connecting with Cru Eaton, Matt Booher, and Gary, she eventually chose to get matching tattoos with Cru, making Gary quite the show on his own accord. Besides, she decided to listen to her heart and decided to eliminate Matt, paving the way for her and Cru to leave the hotel as a couple.
Although Brooke hasn’t revealed much about her relationship in public, the commitment they portrayed on the show and the way Brooke’s sister appreciated Cru’s feelings make us believe that they are still together. Moreover, Brooke currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and earns a living as a personal trainer and a fitness model. It is wonderful to witness her enjoying life with friends, and we wish her the very best for the years to come.
Sparkle Hyche is Enjoying Her Life Today
During the season’s first mixer, Sparkle Hyche connected on an intimate level with contestant Akio Ross. She even chose Akio for her first date, and viewers were certain that the pair were going to stand the test of time. However, once she met and got acquainted with Steven, Sparkle realized that he helped bring out the child in her that she missed dearly. With time, her bond with Steven grew stronger, and ultimately Sparkle chose to eliminate Akio in the finale.
While Sparkle and Steven were quite excited about starting a new life together, seeing as how the former is pretty close with Steven’s mother, Steph, we believe that the couple is still together. Sparkle currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and operates the popular salon, Salon 422, apart from being the CEO and creative director of SHE Brand Sparkle Hyche Enterprises. Besides, Sparkle has also written the book ‘The Art Of Selling Beauty,’ and is focused on enjoying life with her family.
Cru Eaton is Focusing on Career Today
Although Cru Eaton was excited about meeting new people and forging new connections, he fell hard for Brooke Mora during the season’s first mixer and kept pursuing her through the show. As Cru appeared to be someone who was affectionate and paid attention to details, Brooke appreciated his interest in her, and the two forged a solid bond. Unfortunately, once Brooke decided to explore her options, she began getting close to others, including Gary and Matt Booher, much to Cru’s disappointment.
However, she eventually chose to get matching tattoos with Cru and even decided to leave the hotel with him as a couple. While Cru was pretty excited to plan out the rest of his life with Brooke, it looks like he has gone back to his life in Provo, Utah, and is busy leading an active lifestyle surrounded by friends. Moreover, while Cru is very into sports and fitness, he did upload pictures with Brooke on social media, making us believe they are still together.
Steven is a Music Producer Now
Steven appeared on the show burdened with a massive secret, as no one knew his identity as Steph Michael’s son. However, once Steph revealed the secret, most cast members, except Leroy Mapp, took it in a sporting manner and were pretty okay with the twist. Yet, even before people got to know of Steven’s identity, the 22-year-old caught Sparkle’s eye, and she decided to go on a date with him. Their date turned out to be fantastic, and once Sparkle realized how Steven brought out the child inside her, she began prioritizing him over others and eventually chose to exit the hotel with him as a couple.
Although Steven and Sparkle prefer to keep their relationship under wraps and rarely interact on social media, the latter is quite close to Steph Michaels, which, coupled with Steven’s commitment on the show, makes us believe they are still together. However, from the looks of it, Steven still resides in Miami, Florida, and earns a living as a music producer.
Leroy Mapp is Leading a Happy Life Today
From the very beginning, Leroy Mapp only had eyes from Steph Michaels, and fans believed he was falling in love with her. He even connected with Steph on an intimate level during the first mixer, and she chose Leroy as her first date. Although Steph loved how Leroy made her laugh and enjoy life, she was doubtful about his level of maturity. These doubts were strengthened when he seemed extremely angry once Steph revealed Steven as her son. Hence, the singer from Miami began looking elsewhere and got quite close to Quentin Marquis Lloyd. But with time, Steph realized she couldn’t stay without Leroy.
The two did get back together, only to break up in the season finale since the Miami native believed she wasn’t ready for a relationship. Currently, Leroy resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has built up a happy life surrounded by his loved ones. Although he appeared quite unsure about his professional goals while on the show, Leroy does enjoy an active lifestyle and is into sports, exercise, and outdoor living. Besides, he also serves as the founder of the social welfare company GP Worldwide, which has been featured in Philadelphia Magazine and NBC NEWS.
Akio Ross is Thriving Today
On the show, Akio Ross seemed quite excited to forge new connections and was immediately attracted to Sparkle Hyche. Sparkle, too, seemed to reciprocate Akio’s feelings and chose him as her first date. Although the pair seemed quite comfortable and happy with each other, Sparkle decided to explore her options and went out on a date with Steven. Once with Steven, Sparkle got a taste of the child inside her, which made her gravitate towards the 22-year-old, much to Akio’s disappointment.
Although Akio tried his best to win the beauty entrepreneur over again, she eventually chose Steven in the penultimate episode, forcing Akio to exit the show alone. Currently, Akio, 29, resides in Miami, Florida, and is making quite a name for himself in Soca music. He is popularly known by his stage name, The Fatha, and released his first song in 2017. Additionally, he serves as the president and CEO of his own company, Carib-Unity LLC, through which he organizes events and live performances.
Quentin Marquis Lloyd is Also a Professional Stylist Now
Interestingly, from the beginning, Steph forged a deep connection with Leroy Mapp and was interested in taking their relationship forward. However, since she was faced with several options at The Groove Hotel, she decided to play the field and eventually got acquainted with Quentin Marquis. Although Quentin did not have the same sense of humor as Leroy, he made Steph feel safe and accepted. She loved his affectionate ways and realized he was mature enough to be with her.
However, even though Steph’s father preferred Quentin over Leroy, the Miami-based singer eventually listened to her heart and chose Leroy in the penultimate episode, leading to Quentin’s elimination. Currently, he resides in Atlanta and works as a social media influencer. While he mainly produces video content on fashion, Quentin also works as a professional stylist and has been making a name for himself in the filming industry. Unfortunately, the Atlanta resident prefers to keep his relationship status under wraps, although the lack of a romantic partner in his posts indicates that he is single.
Read More: Is Back In The Groove Scripted or Real?
