LEAGUE CITY — A local couple who found love during an unexpected chapter of their lives is now sharing their story on a national stage after advancing to the finals of America’s Favorite Couple.

Wendy and Bruce Chandler are among the finalists remaining in the nationwide competition, which began its final round Friday.

For Wendy, learning they had advanced came with some suspense as their ranking went back and forth with another couple. Bruce, meanwhile, had fallen asleep after attending an Astros game.

“Getting into the finals was pretty scary because we kept going back and forth with this other couple,” Wendy said. “I had a girlfriend spending the night with me because she was from out of town and needed a place to stay. And I was so thankful she was here because I got to have someone by my side to witness that we actually landed at number one. And it was so exciting.”

“That’s what I got to wake up to,” Bruce joked.

Their relationship started well before America began voting on their story.

Wendy and Bruce already knew each other as friends and acquaintances, but their relationship began to change during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Bruce hosted a podcast that Wendy started watching.

“I had a podcast back in the day, and she just happened to be watching the show,” Bruce said. “It was during COVID times, and she had nothing better to do but watch me be silly on my podcast.”

Wendy said the two didn’t know each other particularly well before then, but they began seeing each other differently. After she commented on his podcast, Bruce eventually called her.

Music became another connection between the two.

“We both like singer-songwriters,” Bruce said. “The first time she got in my vehicle, I’m putting on my music, and she’s singing the songs. And I’m like, ‘How do you know my music? That’s my music.’”

Asked when he knew Wendy was the one, Bruce said it’s something he continues discovering.

“I guess I kind of keep finding that every day,” he said.

The couple eventually married in 2023.

Now, as their relationship receives attention through the national competition, Wendy said the response they’ve received from people in the Clear Lake and League City communities has surprised them.

“People, even strangers, have supported us,” Wendy said. “This community has rallied around us like no other and made us feel so loved and warm.”

Wendy said the support has been particularly meaningful because giving back has long been important to the couple.

“We have done a lot of giving back to our community over the years,” she said. “So I feel like it’s kind of like a little support back. It’s so nice.”

America’s Favorite Couple is operated by Colossal as a fundraising competition on behalf of Action Initiative Team. The competition benefits Oceana and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Wendy, who works as a school psychologist, said the charitable component was part of what attracted them to the competition.

“Everything in our lives is about giving back,” Wendy said. “I work with kids and families, and giving back, that’s just in my nature.”

According to the competition’s official rules, the winner is determined through public voting. Voters can cast a free vote, while additional votes can be obtained through donations. Funds raised through donation votes go to Action Initiative Team, which provides grants to Oceana and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank after applicable competition fees and costs.

The winning couple will receive a prize package valued at up to $50,000, including a $20,000 honorarium, an advertorial spread in Variety and a trip to Los Angeles that includes a dinner with celebrity couples Jeff and Emilie Goldblum, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, and Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis.

The final round is scheduled to conclude Sept. 10.

For Bruce, there’s at least one lesson from making the finals: don’t sleep through the ending.

“I’ll try and stay awake for that one,” he joked.

For those interested in voting for this couple, visit America’s Favorite Couple.