Old Lyme Native Lauren Romeo and Boyfriend Jake Compete for America’s Favorite Couple Title

OLD LYME, CT – An Old Lyme native now living in California is asking her hometown for a little support as she and her boyfriend compete in the 2026 America’s Favorite Couple contest.

Lauren Romeo, who said her family connection to Old Lyme stretches back three generations, currently ranks eighth alongside boyfriend Jake in their voting group in the nationwide charitable competition. The contest winner will receive $20,000, a feature in Variety magazine and a dinner date with actor Jeff Goldblum and his wife, Emilie.

Voting to determine the top five couples in each group closes Aug. 6. For more information and to vote, visit the couple’s contest page.

Lauren traced the roots of their romance to the day she caught Jake’s eye at the bar where he worked. An evening of flirting came to an abrupt halt when her best friend showed up, but sparks resumed when Jake realized the two weren’t a couple.

Lauren and Jake bonded over golf and shared margaritas on their first date. She hated her drink, so he swapped with her.

“We were sold,” she said.

According to Lauren, Jake took care of her when she got sick on their first camping trip in the middle of the woods. Somehow, he still managed to make her feel “like the prettiest girl in the world.”

The competition raises money for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Oceana, an ocean conservation organization. Supporters can cast a free daily vote, while donations generate additional votes for contestants.

If the couple wins, Lauren said they would use the $20,000 prize to help build their life in Encinitas, Calif., and to check off a dream from their bucket list.

“We would invest much of the prize in our future after recently moving in together, while also making one shared dream come true: taking Jake on his first trip outside North America for an African safari,” she said.

Despite relocating to the other coast, she said her love for Connecticut “has never gone anywhere.”

“My family’s roots here run so deep that my grandmother was identified as Patient No. 2 in early medical journals documenting Lyme disease,” she said. “Old Lyme shaped so much of who I am, and I still visit whenever I can.”