05x11 - The Reunion

[bunniefuu]

-["Turn Up the Heat" playing]
-♪ Turn up the heat ♪

-♪ Turn up the heat ♪
-♪ Ooh-ooh! ♪

♪ I get it glowing, whenever I'm going ♪

-♪ Turn up the heat ♪
-♪ Ooh-ooh! ♪

-♪ Turn up the heat ♪
-♪ Ooh-ooh! ♪

Welcome to the Love is Blind
Season 5 Reunion.

-I'm Vanessa Lachey.
-And I'm Nick Lachey.

Well, this season
had more twists and turns

than anyone could have ever predicted.

Right? We have Uche and Lydia's past.

Aaliyah leaving the experiment.
Johnie and Chris ending up together.

Yeah, we had JP
talking his way into an engagement.

-And then never speaking another word.
-[laughs]

[Nick] Stacy saying no to Izzy
at the altar and then kissing him.

Milton actually being able to understand
Lydia's "yes, I do" at the altar.

It was all an incredible part
of a great season.

And tonight, we will be catching up
with all of our favorites

from across the entire season.

We can't wait to hear who dated who
after filming ended.

[Nick] Hold on a second.
You guys were making out,

and you were actually
at the same bar at the same time?

But first, we wanna say hello
to the couples

who made it all the way to the altar.

Izzy, Stacy.

Milton, Lydia.

-Hi. Hi, guys.
-[Vanessa] Hello.

Feel it? Everybody feeling good?

-We're relaxed? We're ready?
-Yeah.

-Relaxed, I'm not sure. Ready, yes.
-[laughing]

-[Izzy] I'm ready. I'm fine.
-[laughing]

You guys look fantastic. You look
like you're very much still together,

but just to confirm,
you are still married, correct?

-Yes, we are happily married.
-[Nick] Okay. All right.

-Good, good, good.
-Love that for you guys.

[Nick] Well, guys, we truly loved
watching you fall in love.

How has married life been?

I think in the past, before I met Lydia,
before I was married,

I would typically stay at work too late.

Like, now 5:30 hits, I'm like,
"Hey, I gotta get home to my wife."

-[Stacy] Aww.
-Love it.

[Stacy] She loves that.

It's just two years ago,

I could have never imagined
feeling this way,

being this way, and it's beautiful.

You're setting the bar pretty high
for the rest of us.

That's sweet.

-[Nick] That's really, really well said.
-My dad's been helping me out a bit.

[Nick] He's doing a good job. Well done.

Well, speaking of that, has your family
embraced the idea of you two together

and as a married couple?

[Milton] Lydia, you wanna answer?

-[laughing]
-Yes, of course. Um, I...

Since you're so close with my mom now.
A little too close.

-[Nick] Uh-oh.
-I'm getting pushed out.

It got to a point where,

I call Mom when I am like,
"Your son is aggravating me."

-[laughing]
-"I need someone to vent."

And she's like, "Let's go grab dinner,
sweetie. Let's go grab dinner."

His dad will be like,
snitch on his mom and be like,

"Oh, yeah, she was with Lydia."

-Yeah, they've all turned against me.
-He was like "What? What?"

They're all Team Lydia now.
I'm like, "I'm your son."

[laughing]

-[Nick] That's what you want.
-No, it's amazing.

It's the perfect thing.
So you're cool with it, I'm assuming?

Yes, yes, I love them dearly.
Like, they are the best.

[Milton] Having Lydia
as part of our family now

has made my parents so, like...

Me and my sisters joke around.

-Lydia's made my parents so... so soft.
-[laughing]

So, so different from

what we grew up with,
where sometimes we're like,

you know, my mom's like,
"Hey, just wanted to call you."

"I love you so much and, you know,
so proud of you." You're like...

"Mom, you're the one that pushes me
to do harder, to do more."

Their relationship has improved,
like, a thousand percent.

I love that.

Can I say something?

Your passion and your love of life
is so contagious that it's hard to ignore.

I can understand why you've endeared
yourself so much to his family.

-It's amazing.
-Yes, yes. I love them dearly.

Like, it's just amazing.

But has your cleaning...

-[sighs]
-[laughing]

[Vanessa] ...passed over to Milton yet?

-Milton, how are the household chores?
-Whoa, man, it's hot in here.

-[Lydia] Um...
-[Nick laughs]

-Baby, come on.
-You know.

Come on. Come on.

-I do the dishes on occasion.
-[laughing]

-He has done the dishes three times.
-What about the towels?

-Oh, my God.
-Three times.

I do always put up my towel.

-Okay, he has improved in that.
-[all laughing]

-A round of applause. He has.
-Give it up for Milton.

[Lydia] Towels up.
He always put the towels.

This is probably
a tough question to answer,

but what's the best thing
about being married?

-Oh. The cleaning.
-[laughing]

-[Lydia] Excuse me.
-Wait a minute.

It's his favorite.

It was so funny, 'cause I kept saying,
like, "I'm not gonna be..."

"I'm not babying you.
Like, I'm not gonna mother you."

"Like, you need to pick up for yourself."
And here I am.

Um, having someone
who has your back regardless of...

Oh, maybe you had a disagreement
in the morning and something happened.

And no. Like, no.

My wife comes first and having
that person that has your back

unconditionally is amazing,
and it's the best feeling ever.

And I am so blessed.

Well, I love that you're still
in this wedding bliss,

because I don't know if many people know.

-It's been a year and a half, almost.
-Yes, that long.

Everyone take a look back
at the past year of Milton and Lydia.

-[pop music playing]
-Ah, wait! [chuckles]

Milton brought me new flowers.

Oh, my God.

I'm just so happy. He is amazing.

I'm so in love with him.

We got this view.

He surpasses my expectations,

and I am just so in love.

I love you more.

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

-Look how happy he is.
-It's an Xbox S!

[laughing on screen]

[laughs] I'm still recording.

Turn it off.

Puerto Rico. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Are you excited?
-Yes.

-[Lydia's mom] I'm so happy.
-[Lydia] There she is.

♪ Happy wedding to you ♪

[laughing]

[indistinct chattering]

[laughing continues]

-[pop music playing]
-♪ Let's show, let's show the world ♪

-[cheering]
-Look at those two.

-Look at those two.
-I love it.

So you guys had
another wedding celebration.

-Yes, we did. In Puerto Rico.
-In Puerto Rico.

-We got you a little belated wedding gift.
-Thank you!

[Nick] We must have missed
our invite in the mail.

-[laughs]
-[Lydia] Oh, my God, this is gorgeous!

[Nick] Agate represents stability.

-Yes.
-[Nick] And amethyst represents peace.

Which we hope both of those things
for you two going forward.

-So a little something from us.
-This is amazing. Amazing.

-Thank you so much.
-[Nick] Absolutely.

Any plans for the immediate future
you could share with us today?

I am actually
an amazing long-term planner.

[Vanessa] Ooh! So what long-term plans
do you have for you and Lydia?

-You should look at our 401[k].
-[all laughing]

[Milton] Amazing.

-Well, speaking of financial planning...
-[all laughing]

-[Lydia] Oh!
-[all laughing]

Izzy and Stacy over here.

-[Izzy] Good to see y'all.
-What's up, guys?

-[Vanessa] Good to see you.
-Many things.

-[Vanessa] Many?
-[Stacy] Mm-hmm.

Well, there's really no doubt
the two of you had chemistry,

and I have to say,
your wedding ceremony had a first

that I don't think has ever happened
at a wedding ever

in the history of weddings.

Izzy said yes. Stacy, you said no.

But then you guys kissed.

-Let's take a look back.
-[laughing]

[Nick] We have the tape, I think.

Izzy, do you take Stacy as your wife?

Do you promise to love her,
comfort her, honor and keep her

as long as you both will live?

I do.

[minister] And, Stacy.

Do you take Izzy to be your husband?

I love you more than I can even explain.

I wanna make you happy.

I wanna give you that reassurance.

And I do want you, and I wanna say yes,

but I would be doing you and I
a disservice right now

to say that I do when I feel like
there's a lot of things that we need.

And more than anything, we need time.
So for me today, I can't.

[shudders] I hope you understand that.

I understand.

And I love you.

[crowd applauding]

-Oh, man.
-I can feel it from you guys over here.

-What are you feeling right now, Stacy?
-Oh, God, a lot of emotions.

I mean, it was heartbreaking and like...

I love you, baby girl.

You all right?

[voice breaks] I wanted to give him a yes.

In my gut, I just...
I didn't feel like we were ready.

So it's, like,
when you care about someone like that,

you don't wanna hurt them.

You wanna make them happy, and I felt
the way to make him happy was to say yes.

And at the same time, like,
how do I do what's right for me?

And in that moment,
it didn't feel like it was coinciding.

Let me ask you, Izzy,
'cause finances are a big consideration

when you're taking two lives
and joining them together.

And I think you mentioned
you were waiting for the kind of a chance

for you two to be alone together
to talk about finances.

And it seemed like you were almost
waiting for a perfect moment to do it.

But I'm just curious,
why did you wait so long

to confront that issue between you two?

I mean, you had to have had some
opportunity in the time you were together

to broach that subject.

I didn't think it was gonna be that huge

because obviously,
with people in the pods before,

they knew that about me.

Why didn't you tell me about that?

Because we never had
that conversation in the pods.

Like, we talked finances in depth
and anything like that and...

We did talk about finances. I was like,
"Is there anything I need to know?"

"Do you have any debt?"
You're like, "Nope, we're good."

Like, no student loans. Nothing.

Yeah, everything was paid off.
I just had bad credit. Like, that was it.

Like, I didn't owe any money anywhere
or anything.

Do you think there was a part of you,

the pressure, that made you,

I'm just guessing,
like, embarrassed to say

because you saw a life
she was accustomed to?

Yeah. No, absolutely.

Um, I think anybody, you know, with

a bad credit score is not
something you would wanna admit, right?

Just seeing from the background,

you know, her and her family came from

and how hard they worked
and, like, now the lives they have.

I'm not used to that.

I didn't come from that, and so, like,

I'm working to get where I,
you know, wanna be.

Um, but, yeah. But I mean,
it wasn't the whole thing, you know.

I'm not gonna say, like, I kept it so long
just because I was scared.

I just also just felt like
there wasn't the right time,

but when is the right time, right?
You know?

Izzy, what happened after
your wedding day?

Did you guys date after that?

[Stacy] Mnh-mnh.

We, um...

[laughs] I...

We, um, so after that... [hesitates]

-Do you want me to...
-Yes.

Oh, I'll lead.
Okay, I can tell you're like...

[speaks gibberish]
"So many things in my head."

At first, we just agreed
to take some time for ourselves.

Like, let's not talk.

Let's not see each other, just take time
for yourself, whatever that entails,

and we'll meet up at some point to chat.

And we did. It was probably
a week or two after that.

It was a week.
And it was a really hard week for me.

Because when someone's my person
and I'm going through such a hard time,

I can understand
that I needed those couple of days.

But there's after,
like, day three or four where it's like,

"All right, I miss you. I need you.
Like, where are you?"

And I didn't know what was happening.

I didn't know
if you were still my fiancée.

I didn't know if you were my girlfriend.

I didn't even know
where anything was going.

So not knowing was really tough.

We met on that Friday,
and we went out on a date,

and we talked at her place.

And something just in my gut
just knew something was off.

And I just asked,

I was like, "Are you even feeling this?"

And she just said, like, she didn't,
and she couldn't right now.

And I was just...
I, in that moment, was shocked.

Um, and I think
why I was so hurt by everything...

I mean, I was so mad at her after that,

um, because I thought we were
really gonna try, and...

And yeah, and I was so upset,
I just walked out.

-And I didn't talk to you for a year.
-Mm-hmm.

-[Vanessa] For a year.
-[Stacy] Like, it was too much.

It was way too much.

And it's like, the cameras are gone.
Let's be real about this right now.

Like, do we need to start over,

and I feel like...
I felt like we needed to start over.

And I feel like you were just like,

"If we're starting over going backwards,
I don't wanna do it" kind of a thing.

So a year goes by,
and then you guys reach out again.

-No.
-[laughs]

-We ran into each other.
-It gets good.

-We ran into each other... oh, God.
-[Vanessa] Okay, we'll get to that.

-[laughing]
-[Vanessa] Don't. That's a juicy one.

-[Nick laughs]
-Um, so today.

Right now, are you guys together?

-[both] No.
-[Vanessa] Okay.

Izzy could have ended up
engaged to Johnie,

but the last time we saw her,
she was actually dating Chris.

So, I know we have a lot of questions
for these two,

so we're bringing out Johnie and Chris.

[pop music playing]

-Hi.
-Hi.

-[Vanessa] Welcome.
-[Chris] Hello.

What's up, y'all?

-[chattering]
-You guys look very nice.

[Milton] Welcome, guys.

All right, well, guys,

first things first, we need to establish
are you two still together?

-Uh...
-[laughing]

[Chris] With that reaction, obviously not.

-[Nick] Okay.
-Doesn't always end in a fairy tale,

and it just didn't work out
the way one would want.

Johnny.

What happened after the party in Houston?

That weekend was my birthday weekend,

um, and Chris had a wedding out of state,
so he left the state.

And I didn't see him, and then

the next week I didn't see him,

and then...

I found out the following weekend

that Chris was seeing someone else.

Um...

And yeah, I never saw him again.

You're saying he started
seeing someone else

without breaking things off with you?

Is that what you're saying?

You're nodding, Chris. Do you agree
that that's how it went down?

That is how it went down, and I didn't

handle the situation
as someone would properly.

But I did find someone
who I now live with, and I love,

and we're very happy together and...

I'm sorry if that hurts to hear,
but I... you know.

The whole experiment is to find yourself

and then find someone
who accepts you for who you are.

And that's what I found and so,

I wouldn't change that for anything.

So in that process,

did you feel
at any point you should let Johnie know

before she found out?

I guess I'm trying to put the pieces
together, 'cause that party in Houston,

you were all in for her. You had her back.

And then to leave and then just find
the person you're living with now,

it's like, where was the...

Yeah, you were vigorously
defending her at that party.

-It was kind of admirable, you know?
-[Chris] Yeah. Well...

Thank you for that.

I'm always gonna defend
the people that I love, and...

I loved you and, you know,

that doesn't change

who I love now and who I'm with now. But...

We were trying to work things through,
and it was a lot of stress for me.

-And we went opposite ways.
-[chuckles]

Well, I think you went
an opposite way, and then...

-[laughing]
-[Chris] Well, ultimately we, after I did.

-Yeah.
-[Chris] I guess.

[laughing]

[Vanessa] By the way, Chris,
you were, like, the nicest man.

I wanted to come through the screen
and hug you,

but I'm just wanting
to understand after the party.

Like Nick said,
you were vigorously defending her.

Everyone was rooting.
Like, "Oh, my gosh, he's got her back."

And you just said,
"I will always defend those I love,"

but if I may,
would you cheat on those you love?

Apparently yes.

Um... it's terrible.

I know I was wrong.

I mean, I felt... guilty and heartbroken,

and as many emotions as I could,

'cause I did fall in love with you.

And I still care for you.

It's a terrible, terrible thing to do.

And it's probably one
of my biggest regrets

is not being forthcoming with you.

I've apologized before,
and I continuously apologize.

Yeah, he's apologized.

Johnie, how did you find out
that this was even happening?

My friend saw him with the other girl.

And told me.

I think I blamed myself still a little.

It was my fault.
You don't need to... it's not you.

She really, as she just said, like...

[sniffles]

[Chris] My biggest...

one of my biggest faults
that I continuously try to work through

is telling people news
they don't wanna hear.

-[Johnie sobs]
-[Chris] And it sounds good.

Like, I don't wanna say bad things
to somebody, but it doesn't work.

-It's not a good trait to have.
-[Johnie] Yeah.

And I continuously,
to this day, try to work through that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think he didn't wanna hurt me,
so he thought he was...

I don't know.
Maybe gonna ease his way out. [laughs]

There was no plan.
It was just I love this girl.

And, you know.

Yeah. [sniffles]

Why were you blaming yourself, Johnie?

Because I wish I had
seen the process through.

I didn't have to end things
with Chris in the pods.

I could have just

finished the process and kept dating
both men, but I do know

I take accountability
for not putting him first originally.

Um, I do know he was really hurt
by the whole experiment.

And yeah, I think we both have found
our people now and are happy.

So you are now seeing someone, Johnie?

Yeah. We've been dating
for about a year now.

I didn't realize
that there was so much tension

in the pods between Stacy and Johnie

until I saw your interactions
at the party.

What happened between the two of you?

What was that all about that night?

I kept to myself during the experiment,

and I felt like
that was what was best for me,

and I'm very close with most of the girls.

So they were telling me
what she was saying about me.

And in my head, I didn't care.

I'm like, "I'm never
gonna see this girl again."

"I don't care what she thinks about me.
I don't need to address it."

And unfortunately,

we had to be in positions
where we're all together again,

and then it's just like the chiming in
and the looks that...

I'm a Coke bottle. You wanna shake it.
Like, let's pop the top.

Like, if you wanna go there,
I feel like you brought that upon yourself

by gossiping about me.

[Vanessa] What did she gossip about?
What was she saying?

What did the girls say she was saying?

If he chooses her,
he's gonna have bigger problems than that,

um, but I was a safe choice,
which is very interesting. Um...

That I couldn't make him happy
and it didn't bother me.

But I mean, the people that she thought
were her friends were my friends

and letting me know what's going on.
So, my thing is, like,

I have nothing to say to you

unless you come at me,

and I'm gonna let you know how I feel.
And I did. And that's what it was.

I don't think
we're each other's cup of tea.

And that's fine.

We're stuck in an environment
where we have to be around each other.

So emotions are high,
and that was what happened.

Sorry, I just heard you guys
chatting over there.

Is there something you wanna share, Chris?

No.

-Just catching up.
-[Vanessa] While Stacy was talking.

-Just old friends. [laughs]
-Catching up. [laughs]

[Nick] And, Johnie,
was that your recollection too?

-Everything she's saying?
-[Vanessa] I'm sorry.

While she was talking to Johnie,

they're having... I'm just trying
to understand this dynamic.

[Johnie] Um, I mean, I don't...

some of the things
she said I agree with, I guess.

Um, she wasn't forthcoming
in the lounge area.

And I was sharing a lot with her
without knowing

that her and Izzy
had such a strong connection.

-So I felt deceived in those moments.
-Mm. That's not true.

Um, I do think some of the comments I made

were kind of petty
once Izzy ended things with me.

But my point was
I didn't think they were compatible.

Um, I could have said that definitely
in a more calm and logical way.

Um, that said, I don't think I was
antagonizing anyone at the barbecue.

I don't think I was coming for her.

She kept asking me
what was wrong with my face.

You came and sat right next to me,
and you're like,

"They're telling lies,"
and I didn't open my mouth at all.

You came straight up
into our conversation,

inserted yourself in the conversation,

sat down, you're like,
"Don't believe what they're saying."

When I hadn't said a single thing,
and then you said, "You're deceitful."

Why are you coming to talk
to my boyfriend and tell him not...

[Izzy] She wasn't talking to him.
Me and Chris were having a conversation.

And your dude asked me a question,
which I didn't even answer.

[Johnie] I was sitting outside,
and Maris goes,

"Look at your boyfriend right now,"
and I look inside

and I see Izzy on one side
and Stacy on the other.

And I just had a disagreement with Izzy,
and I'm like, "This doesn't look good."

I'm gonna go be there for my man,
and I don't think me walking up

and trying to be there
for the guy I'm dating has any issue.

And y'all were saying things about me.

[Izzy] Stacy wasn't saying anything
about you to Chris.

That was a conversation
between Chris and I.

-[Johnie] Until Stacy inserted herself.
-Stacy was just standing there.

I was going to sit by my fiancé
'cause I was trying to get away from you.

Okay, we have different perspectives
on the situation.

I mean,
you were physically outside where I was.

I wanted to get out of that environment
and be by my fiancé.

He was with your boyfriend
and talking to him. You came in...

I came to be by my boyfriend. So what?

[Stacy] That is what happened.
We can go round and round.

[Vanessa] We can go round and round,
but what we do have is tape.

So let's take a look at this clip.

I hope you guys work out.

Honestly, I'm calling her out on her sh*t
because you remind me of me.

We have good hearts.

People could take advantage of us
very easily.

[Stacy] Like who?

-Johnie.
-[Stacy] Oh, God.

No. [laughs]

That's why I called her out on her sh*t,
because it's just like,

you were a good friend to me.
She's telling us all the same sh*t.

I promise you, I never...

But to me, if I was trying to say like...

I'm sorry. I didn't know
I was walking into this.

-I thought I was getting out of the drama.
-It's...

Stacy can give you
the girls' perspective side.

For me, like, if I was trying to get
with you, I would go to Izzy.

Is this good?
'Cause I just see, like, hands waving.

We're just trying to understand...
you know what I'm saying?

No, they're trying to convince you
of a story that probably didn't happen.

-I don't know why y'all are...
-[Stacy] He asked. So ask him.

We were there in the pods
to know that you're full of sh*t.

So it coincides with the real world
that you're still full of sh*t.

Y'all's stories are conflicting.

Yeah, it's surprising to get
a hold of your real personality.

I have always been the same person.

And I shed tears for you knowing that
you were gonna get rejected.

-Okay.
-[Stacy] I had empathy for you.

And that's why I'm so fired up
is because you're a sh*t person.

And I feel bad for shedding
a damn tear for you.

-[Johnie] That's not true.
-One, she's not a shitty person.

The proof's in the pudding.
No one has ill intentions.

It's just calling sh*t for sh*t.

-We're just calling you out.
-"I'm a straight sh**t."

"That's all I stand for."

I got your back any time.
This is not between us. We're good.

-I'm looking out for you. You're amazing.
-We're good. All four of us are not good.

That sums it up.

I wanna apologize to you,
because my delivery was horrible.

That is not me.

That was way out of character.
I was an assh*le.

And I apologize for that, but I do
not apologize for saying the truth.

My delivery just could've been
a lot better, and I'm so sorry for that.

Okay, um, I mean, I just...

If that was your truth, that was fine.

I will say Izzy has apologized in person.

-Um, a year ago.
-[Izzy] Yeah.

He knew the way
that he acted that night was not the best.

Um, so I do commend you for apologizing.

Um, other people have not apologized.

[Nick] You mentioned the very strong
attraction that you and Izzy had.

And I think everyone kind of
wants to know, did the two of you

ever reconnect after all of this?

Yeah, a week or less
after me and Stacy didn't work out,

we ended up being at the same bar.

A bunch of the cast was out,
and so I saw her,

and we sat there and talked for,
like, an hour and tried to see if we can...

If there was anything there to
kind of give it a sh*t, but I think, um,

I obviously was just in no position
to be dating, wasn't over Stacy,

and it was too soon for her
for how I had treated her then.

And obviously, we saw
we were just not each other's person.

And we stayed friends after that.
We were cordial.

Yeah. So you said you guys tried
to see if there was anything still left.

-That was just we hung out at the bar.
-[Izzy] Very short-lived.

Like, we ran into each other at the bar.

He came out to a bar, like, once.
We tried to kind of hang out,

and it was pretty clear,
it was still the same pattern...

[Vanessa] I don't know if people
nowadays say we tried to hang out.

Did you guys kiss?

-[chuckles, exhales] Yes, we did.
-[Chris coughs]

We did. That's all it was.
We never hooked up or anything.

-You did what?
-We kissed.

-But we never hooked up.
-[Vanessa] Wait.

What is hooking up these days?
Like, full sex?

Like, let's f*cking go. [laughs]

[Johnie] Oh, my God. What is that?

No, we never...
we never had any sexual relations.

-[Nick] So you guys made out then?
-I never had sexual relations.

-[Izzy] It was at the bar.
-At the bar. That was a cast get-together.

It was just, like, after a while,
like, we all kind of hung out.

If they were out, I would be like,

"Dude, I'll go swing by,
say hi to the guys and the girls."

[Vanessa] What guys and girls were there?

Y'all two were there.
Yeah, Lydia and Milton were there.

[Vanessa] Was Chris there?
'Cause he's smirking over here.

Yeah, he came up... never mind. [laughing]

-I, uh...
-[Nick] You were there?

Hold on a second.
You guys were making out,

and you were actually
at the same bar at the same time?

Yeah, with her girlfriends.

-Yeah, I was there with...
-You guys. I'm so sorry.

[laughing]

I genuinely feel like I'm prodding
like a nosy friend, but I hate...

Getting blown out of proportion.

After that time, like, Chris had already...
they were already done.

Um, obviously, her and I weren't.

So that was already, like, done.
This was after her and Chris already...

So you weren't making out at the bar.
You guys left. Or were you at the bar?

-I... uh.
-[laughing]

We made out in his Jeep.
We never hooked up.

-Yeah.
-[Johnie] That's the end of it.

-Hooking up nowadays means sex.
-[laughs]

Stacy, did you know about
any of this happening? You did. Okay.

How did you find out?

-Houston. It's not that big.
-Um... no.

Houston's, like, a huge city, but somehow,
it seems very, very small right now.

[Lydia] I disagree.

-How'd you find out?
-[Stacy] I have good friends.

That tell me things.
And at that point, he's single.

He can do whatever he wants to do.

I was surprised because
of what he had told me about her,

and it didn't seem like
you spoke fairly highly of her.

So that's on you,
and I think a reflection of you.

It's like, do whatever you need to do,

but it was shocking. I wasn't shocked
that he was making out with anybody.

Actually, I mean, I heard about stuff
before that with other people, so...

-Before that, but after your breakup?
-[Stacy] Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

-Izzy, I'm curious, not to call you out.
-Call me out. Let's go. I'm here for it.

At the party,
you defended your actions that night

by calling Chris a great friend.
And you had his back and all this stuff,

and then seems like
very shortly thereafter,

you're making out
with his very recent ex-girlfriend.

So I'm curious how you
defend that, reconcile that, explain that.

[Izzy] I mean, Chris and Johnie's business
was Chris and Johnie's.

I don't know if you
were upset with me for that.

-No.
-[Izzy] I didn't think you were.

But if I did, I'm sorry.

I mean, it is painful seeing that,

but like I said before,
the emotions are so high,

and you're falling for these people.

[Lydia exhales]

And it's like you go back to real life,

and everyone's like,
"Oh, good to see you."

It's been a week and a half,
and you feel like you've just lived

three lifetimes like, but

it's their life,
and they had a connection from what I saw.

They had a real connection and so why not...

If we're not together
and they're not together, then why not?

[Vanessa] Yeah.

So, Izzy, you told us that
after the wedding,

you guys, you know, took a week,

got back together
and then you walked away.

-And you didn't talk for a year.
-[Stacy] Mm-hmm.

After that year,
how did you guys reconnect?

[chuckles] So Houston bars,
gotta love 'em for hooking up.

-[laughing]
-I gotta visit these Houston bars, man.

-Uh, maybe you don't.
-Well, maybe it's not a good idea.

All right. [laughs]

So it's crazy, I think it was like,
what, Mother's Day weekend.

Your mom was in town.

-My sister just graduated.
-Oh, yeah, that's right.

Grad school. Of course they're like,
"Let's go to a bar."

Which I don't usually do.

We hang out on opposite sides of town.

Yeah, so we walk in, and my family
loves him, and he loves my family.

So I'm just standing there, and I see
my mom, like, throw her hands up.

She's like, "Izzy!"

-We haven't spoken. I'm like, "Oh, no."
-[chuckles]

-[Izzy laughs] That was crazy.
-Like, scared. Like, what is this?

So then my sister goes over,
and then he came straight up to me

and gave me the biggest hug,
which was a huge relief,

just because when you go through
something like this together,

you do have a bond,
and when that's gone, you feel very alone.

There's a lot of things come up
that you think about that person,

and you wanna talk to him about it,
and you can't.

So that night we kind of,
like, cleared everything up.

We had enough time to really process,
like, how we felt about things,

how things went.

And I think we both just felt like
we want the best for each other,

and that was, like,
palpable that we just felt this like...

-There's no hate. There's only love and...
-[Izzy] Mm-hmm. Yeah.

-We needed that. Like, after a year.
-Yeah.

And I would say it was on me more so.
I was just honestly still just so hurt.

Um, my dad had ended up passing away
probably about a month after the wedding,

and she texted me. Um...

-[Vanessa] I'm sorry to hear that.
-That's okay.

But, like, I just didn't respond.

I don't know what to say.
I still was so upset at her.

I'm just, like,
I'm not gonna say anything.

And it was the best feeling
to see her again.

Uh, obviously I got over it and...

[clicks tongue] Um, yeah,
we just, like, hung out a couple times,

and we just answered
all the questions we had.

Yeah, and I think that's why now
we have such a great friendship.

Like, I asked her for advice.

Uh, she's seen, you know, girls that I've,
like, tried dating and stuff like that,

which we have a story for y'all
on that one. It's really good.

-Do tell.
-Yeah, please.

-Should I tell it? I'll tell it.
-[groans]

-[laughing]
-Izzy, I feel like you're the storyteller.

-[Vanessa] You wanna tell the story.
-He really does.

[Izzy] So I'm out, right, with, um...

I'm kind of, like, seeing this girl.
Just a cooking class.

What is it, a store?

It's like a store, and they had, like,
a little cooking room in the back.

I walk in. I'm with the girl,
and I just hear Stacy's laugh.

Like, I can hear her laugh
from a mile away, and I know it's her.

So I hear her. I walk in.
I hear her laugh. I was like, "No way."

-[all laughing]
-[Izzy] No way.

[Stacy] Oh, no.

So I go in and turn around the corner.

-And it's her with her date.
-[laughing]

And I'm like, "Holy sh*t."
So I have to tell my date.

Like, "Hey, my ex is here."

-My ex-fiancée.
-Ex-fiancée.

I didn't say that. I didn't say that,
but it was the same thing.

Like, you hear his voice from the pods...

-Again, Houston is not that big.
-[Stacy] Yeah.

-[Nick] Who knew Houston was so small?
-[Stacy] Small.

So then we're stuck
in a two-hour cooking class together,

and they have us in a foursome.

-When we walk in...
-You four?

Walk in, go find your name tags.

-We're cooking paella together.
-At the table.

[Stacy] There was not enough wine
in the world.

-They put the four of you together?
-[Stacy] No.

-No.
-Because it's all random.

Then the chef was like, "Do you all
want a group photo?" I'm like, "No."

Did your date know who Izzy was?

I told him real quick before going in,
'cause it was his birthday.

I, like, surprised him with a cooking
class that he always wanted to take.

I'm like, "Real quick. My ex is here."

"If you're uncomfortable,
I have no problem leaving right now."

He's like, "If you're cool, I'm cool."

[Vanessa] So is this a guy you're
serious about or a one-off date?

I mean, it's a birthday cooking class.
That sounds a little serious.

-No comment.
-[laughs] Attagirl.

[Nick] I think that's our answer.

No comment. No comment. No.

Um, it was an experience
that I'll never forget. [laughs]

Okay. So, you guys met up a year later.
You see this girl.

She's glowing.
You both said it felt like home.

[Nick] A warm blanket, I think you said.

[Vanessa] Did that warm blanket
include some tongue?

[laughing]

[exhales] Yes, we did share a kiss.

Um, but we... we both knew,

um, it was just best to not,
I don't know, hurt each other again.

-Or confuse each other again.
-Yeah.

And I think we appreciated
more just having each other

back in each other's lives
and our friendship. We're bros, right?

"We're bros"?

Totally. Totally bros.

-It's my girl. I care about her.
-[laughs] I give him dating advice.

Nothing's changed other than,
like, you know, we're...

We've obviously moved on, but I adore her.

I always will.
There's always that special spot.

-So...
-[Nick] So, Izzy, are you...

We've established
that Stacy's dating someone.

-His name is "no comment."
-No comment.

There's a "no comment,"
but I'll deduct my own reasoning there.

Are you dating anybody?

What's the status of your lost
and found basket? Is it full?

-[laughs]
-The girl from the cooking class.

I've been seeing her.

Um, we're not official yet,
but it's getting to that point.

She's an amazing girl.

She's actually meeting me here
after the reunion.

So I'll be taking a vacation with her
and, you know, getting out of Houston

and just exploring that more.

So yeah, working on it,
but it's going well.

[Vanessa] Okay, a lot is happening.

Heads are spinning. I don't think
we're gonna stop any time soon.

We're gonna keep it going. So we are
going to bring out another guest.

-Lydia, you had a best friend in the pods.
-Yes.

Aaliyah. So everyone please,
let's welcome her now.

-If she doesn't show up again...
-[laughing]

-[Izzy] Hello.
-[Aaliyah] Hello, everybody.

-Hello.
-Hi.

-[Nick] You look nice.
-[Aaliyah] Thank you.

-So do you all.
-[Nick] Thank you.

-[Vanessa] You look gorgeous.
-Thank you.

Let us take a look back at the friendship
that you, Aaliyah, had with Lydia.

I love you.
I'm sorry that you feel this way.

-[Lydia] I love you too.
-[Aaliyah] I'm sorry.

I know this is really tough.

-Who was it?
-[Lydia] Izzy. Izzy.

[Aaliyah] I'm sorry.

You are deserving of somebody
who is totally sure of what they want

and what they have.

If he's not seeing that, he's not for you.

-[sobbing]
-[Lydia] No, no, no. Tranquilo.

Shh. Who was it?

[Aaliyah] Uche.

He thinks that I'm gonna cheat on him.

-[Lydia] Why?
-I've cheated before.

Is this the guy
that you really wanna marry?

A guy who's gonna judge you this easily?

And I don't wanna say this, but you're so
like me that I could see this happening.

And I know this
because I see myself in you.

Believe me.

-His past doesn't define who you are.
-Yeah. Yeah.

You know this m*therf*cker,
we're gonna fight.

[laughs]

I'm in love.

He's so perfect for me.

He told me
he couldn't see a future without me.

-Wow, he said that?
-Mm-hmm.

Um...

What's up?

[Aaliyah] He told me.

-[Lydia] You know? You know?
-Mm-hmm.

I cried.

-[sighs]
-[Lydia] I was scared.

'Cause I didn't know
how you were gonna react.

Yeah.

I'm pretty sure you're gonna get along.

-He is kind of like a workaholic.
-Yeah, I could tell.

He is OCD. Oh, his house is dope.

-Yeah.
-[laughs]

Did I tell you, like,
my favorite whiskey is because of Uche?

Wild Turkey Honey. It's his favorite.

Oh, my God.

By the way, I wanna be honest with you.

Last time we saw each other
was back in January this year.

-Mm-hmm.
-And we slept together.

Looking back,
it's really hard and hurtful, 'cause...

From the bottom of my heart,
I wanted her to have her happy ending.

It's unfortunate that that didn't happen.

Um, I didn't read the room correctly,
as you may see.

However,

I had the best intentions,
and I was trying to just be honest.

Do you feel like, Lydia,
you finally had this... like an instapot?

Like, the pressure released, and you knew
that she knew and you felt free...

That's the best way to describe it.
I just felt an energy release.

I was like... [exhales]

I can say everything now.
Like, I'm allowed to.

And as a friend,
that's how I am with my best friends.

It was a tough time.

And I did the best that I could
with the information that I had

and the relationship and the connection
that I had with Aaliyah.

I did care for her.

I still care for her.

Um, I loved her.

I was in a really, really tough position.

And the whole situation with Uche

is not something that was

easy to deal with.

I felt like I came here

to have the genuine Love is Blind
experience, and I didn't get that.

Um, I set my boundaries with Lydia
when we had the discussion on the couch,

and she didn't respect my boundaries.

And I didn't feel like

they were gonna continue
to be respected throughout.

And that's not the type of situation
that anybody should have to endure

or deal with going into an engagement.

That should be a happy moment.
That should be a sacred moment.

And I didn't get that respect
that I was requesting multiple times.

So, Lydia, obviously this is an experiment
where people get to know each other

with no preconceived notions.

The producers have said
their immediate thought

was to send you and Uche home

after they found out
that you knew each other.

However, you and Uche
both separately told them

that you had no interest
in dating one another,

and you all agreed to continue
in the experiment

as long as you didn't reveal
your past to the other participants.

Now the feeling

was that revealing that information
could ruin the experiment for one another

and for the other participants.

Obviously, once it became clear
that you had developed

real feelings for someone else,

the producers and you agreed
that you were free

to share that information at any time

with anyone you wanted.

So, Lydia, my question for you
is now looking back,

do you think that the producers
made the right choice

in allowing you to continue

in the experiment?

-I mean, I'm a little biased, because...
-[laughing]

Like, I got married. I found my person.

I think everybody handled it
the best way that they could.

Um, it was unfair.

It was unfair to Aaliyah.
It was unfair to Uche.

It was unfair to Milton,
and it was unfair to me.

And I think that the public is a little

too quick to judge

in a situation that you don't get
a training manual, how to...

how to deal with that.

[Nick] Hmm.

Aaliyah, do you think that the producers
should have allowed them

to stay in the experiment?

[Aaliyah] Yes, they should have
allowed them to stay.

I just think that they should have
allowed them to, um,

share that information with us.

Like, wouldn't that have compromised
the experiment

had you known earlier on?

[Aaliyah] No, I don't.

I think I would have kind of
separated myself from Lydia,

especially knowing, like,
that the past was so recent.

Um, I would have given her the space
to process her emotions

regarding that realization.

'Cause, I mean,
if what they're saying is, um,

is true, 'cause I have my...

my beliefs on a few things
regarding this situation.

But if what she
and Uche are saying is true,

um, they were just as shocked
as I was when the news came about.

What about you guys?
Do you think that Uche and Lydia,

that the producers made the right choice
letting them stay in the experiment?

Throwing it out there since this has
never happened before on Love is Blind.

I think so.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

As long as they kept their word,
like, yeah, why not?

Like, obviously, they didn't work out.
They were both looking for love.

I'm a sucker for love, so I'm like,
"Y'all stay. Like, please, come on."

[Stacy] I think
it sucks to hear for Aaliyah

'cause it was kind of at your expense.

I don't wanna sound, like,
insincere to your experience.

I agree that they should have been in.
I said that.

If you put yourself in their shoes
and had a connection with someone,

you would wanna, like, see that through.

-When you say you have your own beliefs.
-Yeah.

What do you mean by that?

There were things
that were said to make me feel

as though Lydia did come here for Uche.

Um, and I would like for you
to kind of speak on that, Lydia.

You told multiple women

that you were hoping to run into somebody
from your past.

Um, can I finish?
Can I finish my statement?

You said you were hoping
to run into somebody from your past.

We had a conversation, one-on-one,

outside of filming, where you told me

that you and Uche
discussed coming on this show.

And I just feel like it's better to just
kind of be real about what happened

and how you both got here.

I just want you to touch on
those comments that were made.

Like, where did that come from?

Where was that instinct feeling
that you were telling us all that?

You thought somebody was gonna be here.

If you guys never talked about it,

because he has mentioned that,
and you've mentioned that,

but the contexts have been different,
and I just want answers,

and I think everybody wants
to understand this a little bit better.

I mean, again, I loved and care for you,

and I say that
from the bottom of my heart.

I, in terms of Uche and I,

we had a conversation

of two seconds in November of 2021.

And, "Oh, yeah, I saw the casting."

"Oh, yeah, I did too." And that was it.

I had... and I'm gonna say it really clear

for the public, for everybody.

I had no confirmation
that Uche was gonna be there.

My instinct that day that was like,
"sh*t, this doesn't feel right."

No, it was not hope. [scoffs]

No. If I had that power,

he would have not been there.

A hundred percent.

I really do think it was really
unfortunate for you, Aaliyah.

I don't, um,

I don't think you necessarily got
what you were looking for.

And I don't think a lot of people did
from this experience.

-[sighs]
-[Milton] The only marriage, me and Lydia.

Um, but one thing I will say,
I will talk about my wife's character,

because I guarantee you
it's much better than mine.

Um... my wife is a fantastic woman.

Um, she motivates me
to be better every day.

And I think the accusations,

whatever anybody says,
I don't truthfully know Aaliyah,

but I would say, I do know Uche,

and I do know
how he presented himself to me.

We were never friends.
We were never peers.

Um, he was

interestingly obsessed
with my relationship with Lydia.

And I didn't know why.

If Izzy asked me
who I was talking to and I said,

"I wanna keep my cards
close to my chest," he respected that.

-[Aaliyah] Right.
-[Milton] Chris respected.

Uche didn't. He pried.

-And I knew then, something's strange.
-[Aaliyah] Right.

Something's weird.
He doesn't respect I'm saying "back off."

I placated with him.

You know, they were not my friends.

You know, whatever.
Like, sure, I'll take a sh*t with you,

but we're not friends.

I know his character. He gave me so much
unwarranted information about Lydia.

-Um, at that...
-Just a minute, give me... [indistinct]

At the party, he had told me...

He'd want to pull up screenshots.
He'd want to show me everything.

At the end of the day,
I told him my relationship that I built

with my fiancée at the time is independent
of anything you have going on.

I truthfully don't give a sh*t because
that's how strong my bond is with Lydia.

[Aaliyah] Right.

[Milton] Regardless,
no one can deter that.

There are always gonna be
detractors in this world

that don't wanna see you succeed.

They don't want you happy.

I think this whole experiment is
to understand how to navigate past that.

-And if it's f*cking real, you can do it.
-[Aaliyah] Mm-hmm. Right.

And I applaud you for setting
your boundaries with Uche.

I thought that was pretty amazing.

I was, like,
very literally clapping at the TV

when I saw that scene,
so good for you, Milton. [chuckles]

-Go, Milton, go.
-[Vanessa] Y'all, Milton is so wise.

-He's so wise.
-You're such a handsome grown boy.

I'm so proud of you, dude.
You're so different from pods to now.

Like, I am honestly so proud of you.

Well, you know why?
I think it's because when I first went in,

all the guys that took bets,
"Oh, this guy's 24."

-"He's not gonna get sh*t."
-[all laughing]

-We were boys. We f*cked around.
-[Izzy] Look at you now

And it kind of stuck in my head,
and I was like,

"Okay, they're not gonna know
the real me."

"They're gonna know
the party boy, the fun guy,

the guy that makes jokes."
And that's the thing with Lydia.

She saw through that sh*t real quick,

and she was just like,
"No, Milton, be real."

"You're putting on a mask. Take it off."

As time progressed with Izzy,
with Chris, you know, with JP,

all the guys that

continued to know me longer,
they got to really understand, like, "Oh."

"He's not just
the comedic relief dumbass."

Like, he actually,
you know, thinks deeply,

and he actually
really cares about what he's doing.

-[Vanessa] Yeah.
-I don't know if that always portrayed.

[Vanessa] No, no, you know what?
In the end, Milton, it did.

And what I will say, Aaliyah, is look,

I think that it all unfolded
the way that it was supposed to.

And he makes a very valid point
about he kind of was going through

the same thing in different ways
on his end,

but found a person that he was able
to elevate his relationship with.

-Right, and that's great.
-Maybe you and Uche weren't.

[Nick] Well, again,
it's never happened on this show before,

and certainly not the way
the experiment is designed to work.

And I'm sorry that you feel like
you didn't get what you came for.

I mean, I'm really happy.

I'm in a beautiful,
loving relationship now.

-With somebody who treats me like a queen.
-Good for you.

[Aaliyah] And I feel that day in
and day out, and I'm happy.

So I think that things happened
the way they were supposed to for me.

-[Vanessa] Yeah.
-And have led me to an amazing man now.

[Vanessa] So where'd you guys meet?

-We met on an R&B cruise.
-[Vanessa] Oh!

[Aaliyah] I went on this cruise
by myself just to kind of enjoy the scene

and, um, my now partner was there
by himself,

and it was just a very organic meeting,

and he was very chivalrous,

and he has been consistent
with that since day one.

-I'm really in a great place, at peace.
-[Nick] Good for you.

We are not fully done
talking about Uche just yet.

We are gonna switch gears.

We're gonna take a look at the last time
that we saw each of you with Uche.

[groans, laughs]

I do regret leaving you like that.

I do love you.

When I found out
that you had left, I broke.

I thought that we were on the same page.

The emotions and the doubts,

they started when I found out about Lydia.

We talked about it.

You told me that you left because,

you know, you got into a fight with Lydia.

But the real reason
is you didn't have confidence in me,

and you didn't have confidence
in our relationship.

I think it's over between us.

Whenever we started talking again,

I started getting messages

from girls that I follow
on Instagram saying that

you have been watching their stories.

[hesitates]

And then you drove by my house one day.

-You took a picture of my house.
-No.

And you sent it to me.

-[Lydia] Listen.
-You said, "I see you."

-I have nothing else to say.
-I have one last thing to say to you.

-No. After this?
-I have one last thing.

-I am super disappointed with you, Uche.
-I have one last thing, one last thing.

I was super disappointed with you.
I thought you were a great guy.

-I ain't gonna deal with this sh*t.
-[Uche] I just showed you.

-[Miriam] He's a freaking coward.
-He wants to portray me as crazy.

He was a liar.

He slept with someone
while he was dating me.

You and her have
very different perceptions.

You guys are both grown.

Regardless if, like,
you and her see eye-to eye.

Like, we're all
on different dimensional planes.

It is what it is.

There was a part at the barbecue that,

Milton, you actually showed your phone

to Lydia during
the conversation with Uche.

What was on the phone?

So going into that situation at the party,

we understood there may be parties
that we don't all, like, get along with.

And I gave Lydia
kind of, like, a safe word.

Like, "Hey, if this gets too much,
like, we can dip out. We can leave."

-[Vanessa gasps]
-And it's just an oil barrel emoji.

-[Vanessa] You guys...
-And I showed her the oil barrel.

And she's like...

You are so wise beyond your years.

Why the oil barrel? I can't even say it.

-Oil barrel.
-Oil and gas, same industry.

I don't know. It's just like... it was...
like, how often do you use that emoji?

Like, if you sent that to somebody,
they would be like...

[Vanessa] You showed it to her,

because you could tell
at that point in the conversation...

[Milton] She was uncomfortable.

She didn't wanna continue
that conversation.

-[Lydia] Mm-hmm.
-And, like, hey, like...

Are you hitting your point
to where "f*ck it, it's not worth it"?

-She's like, "Yeah."
-Oil barrel.

-How romantic.
-We need a safe word emoji, babe.

Oh, I have a safe word.

[all laughing]

Aaliyah, did the two of you continue
to see one another at all?

We actually did date after filming.

-We tried to.
-[Vanessa] And then it ended.

It ended,
yeah, for many reasons. [chuckles]

Um, I don't think I was his type.

Um, ultimately, he had kind of mentioned

to a few people that were part of the cast

that I wasn't, um, the type of woman
that he normally found attractive.

And, um, just based off
of everything that I had experienced,

I just didn't feel like I wanted
to chase a relationship with anyone.

Like, I know my worth as a woman.

-I know I'm beautiful.
-[Vanessa] Mm-hmm.

And I'm proud
of who I am and how I carry myself.

And his tone with me
was just still so very mean

and kind of condescending.

I think he pretty much shocked everybody.

Um, I was very shocked to see
some of the scenes

that were shown
as far as the barbecue. Um...

That's not even the person
that I felt like I talked to in the pods.

[Vanessa] What about the person you dated
after the season wrapped?

Do you feel like you got pod Uche
or barbecue Uche?

-Mm, barbecue Uche.
-[Lydia] Mm-hmm.

-[Vanessa] When you were dating?
-[Aaliyah] Yes.

Uche was invited to the reunion today,
and he chose not to be a part of this.

So I'm just curious,

when was the last time
that any of you spoke to Uche?

Is anyone still involved
with Uche at this point?

-Not a fan.
-[Milton] He occasionally still texts.

He'll reach out.

No response. I won't respond to him.

-[Nick] Yeah.
-There's no purpose, no point.

[Izzy] I'm not really
too much of a fan of Uche.

I thought all of us guys at the pods,

we were super respectful
of our, you know, time there.

Um, but yeah, to some of the girls,
he would just, you know,

talk bad about me, which I was shocked,
'cause I thought we were cool.

Obviously, I don't really give a sh*t,
and I don't really know the guy.

Um, but it's just like,
"What did I do to you?"

-So it's not surprising he's not here.
-[Vanessa] Yeah.

He did text me
the day that the show aired.

He texted me and said,

"Hey, I'm gonna watch later tonight."

"If there's anything that you want
to discuss that you hear, I'm available."

He sent me that exact same text.

-Oh. [chuckles]
-[Vanessa] The man is efficient.

-Oh, boy.
-[Lydia laughs]

[Vanessa] What did he send to you, Milton?

[Milton] Um, the day I got married, he...

It was, you know, it's my wedding day.
I'd just gotten married.

Like, having a text from Izzy,
like, "Bro, how'd it go?"

Makes sense. We talked every day.

Him, zero communication.
He texts me. He said, "Hey, man."

"Heard you got married.
Wanna talk about it?"

-[Izzy] That's creepy.
-Why's everyone need to talk about it?

[Milton] No, not really.
Again, I just didn't respond.

[Vanessa] Good man.

[Nick] And I wanna echo
what they said earlier about you.

I was just so taken aback
by the way you handled that situation.

I had so much respect for you,
and the man that you are...

Nick and I called each other. We're like,
"We're on different planes, baby."

[all laughing]

[Vanessa] "I'm over here. You're here."

It was like, "I'm not even gonna
give you my emotional self on this."

"I'm just gonna..." It was handled so well,
and I had so much respect for the way you...

Thank you.

Should we all close the Uche book now?

[Aaliyah] Please.

-Boom.
-[laughing]

[Vanessa] Aaliyah's like,
"I closed that book."

-A long time ago. [laughs]
-Good for you. Good for you.

Well, there was one more couple
who got engaged in the pods,

but didn't make it past the getaways.

It was in Mexico
that Taylor began to see JP's red,

white and blue flags.

Right now, let's welcome JP and Taylor.

[Johnie chuckles]

-Hey, buddy.
-Hi. Hey!

-Hey.
-[Izzy] Hey-hey.

-Oh, baby. Meow.
-Wow, you look... hey-hey.

[Vanessa] Wow.

-Hey, Taylor.
-Hi.

[Vanessa] Golden goddess over here.

-[Stacy] Beautiful.
-[Milton] The socks. There they are.

Yeah, buddy.

-[Vanessa] And of course, JP, on brand.
-[all laughing]

[Vanessa] Let me see the socks on.

-[Nick] The full sock. There you go.
-[Milton] Captain America himself.

-[all laughing]
-[Vanessa] Captain America, okay.

We're gonna take a quick look back
at your journey,

Taylor and JP, together.
Everyone have a look.

[JP, voice breaks] Love is something
I've been searching for.

Taylor McKinsey-Roo, will you marry me?

I will! [laughs]

Oh, my God.

[gasps] Sugar butt!

Hi.

[JP] How you doing?

[Taylor] Fiancé.

Fiancé. [laughs]

-[exhales]
-[chuckles]

I don't know
what we're supposed to do now.

[Taylor] Act normal.

Going out from talking at a wall

and then talking in person is,
like, completely different.

Do you agree?

Harder?

In more ways than one?

Do you think that you could sleep with me
for the rest of your life?

[laughing] I don't know.

So the way I looked
made you communicate differently?

I like you better without makeup.

You didn't know what I looked like before.

-But now I do.
-I'm gonna do what I wanna do.

Then wear makeup.
Do whatever the f*ck you want.

-I don't care.
-So done with it.

The way I felt about you in the pods,

I could've spent
the rest of my life with you,

and here it's just completely different.

You're not the person I fell in love with.

I'm done.

So, JP, Taylor,

obviously you lived it,
but now you've had a chance to see it.

What was it like,
watching the show back for you two?

It was not fun. I'll tell you that.

It was, uh, hard going through it,
and it was even harder to watch.

[Vanessa] What was hard for you, JP?

Uh...

Just knowing that I probably
should have done more and then

I didn't know, like,

that I was gonna be, like, so nervous

when, like, cameras are, like,
right on your face 'cause, like,

when you're in the lounge and stuff,

they're, like, kind of off to the side,
so you don't really see 'em.

When you get to Mexico,
there's two cameras in the room.

And there's a bunch of people,
and you're just like,

"What are we supposed to do?" [chuckles]

Are you saying you feel like
you couldn't be yourself?

You would've acted differently
had the cameras not been...

Yeah, I just feel like I was

thrown back into my shell,
and I just didn't know what to do.

I was just... nervous and freaking out.

When the cameras weren't there?

I mean, it was still weird,
'cause like, what are we supposed to do?

We're just supposed to sit here?

We could have talked, communicated.

Yeah, but it was long days, and...
you didn't wanna be there anyway, so...

I didn't wanna be there?

-[JP] You tried to leave every single day.
-You did not wanna be there.

You wouldn't communicate with me.
You wouldn't talk to me.

-[JP] Okay.
-You just admitted you didn't try.

That was very clear.
Watching back, that was very clear.

-You did not try.
-[JP] Okay.

Are you buying his explanation
that it had to do with the cameras,

or you think it was something
deeper than that?

A lot deeper than that.

Sure, I was nervous too
with the cameras on. I'm sure we all were.

-[both] Mm-hmm
-[Taylor] But that's not an excuse.

I had a ring on my finger. We were
supposed to get married in three weeks,

and you're gonna let
the cameras ruin that?

Or my makeup or whatever else it was?

-[JP] Yeah.
-Not okay and it was hard watching back.

A lot of tears.

What was hard for you, Taylor?

'Cause I feel like I did try.

I, like, was basically
pulling things out of him in Mexico.

And it was still not enough.

That's not the way to get me to open up
is to keep hounding me,

saying, "Hey, this is awkward.
This is awkward. Do better."

-It's not the way to get me to open up.
-The conversation was the same.

I was trying
to, like, figure out what the problem was.

Well, apparently, it was my makeup
that threw him for a loop.

But you said you didn't believe
that it was just that. That it was more.

I don't think that he was attracted to me
from the second we met each other.

Um, he gave me zero validation.

When I asked about our future,
as we saw, he didn't answer.

Um, and on top of that, you belittled me
and made me feel less than I am.

I'm sorry for that,

and I did not intend
for that to come out that way.

And it came out wrong,
and I do feel bad for that.

So I apologize.

I... genuinely wanted to just

let you know that I thought
you looked beautiful without makeup.

And that's the only thing I was trying
to say, and it came out wrong,

and I'm sorry, and... yeah.

I forgive you.

-Thank you.
-[Taylor] We're human.

We make mistakes.

But learn from it.

Don't do that to another girl.

Uh, for you, Taylor,
you mentioned when you first saw him,

you were also very transparent, like,
"Look, he's got a gap in his teeth."

"I wouldn't normally go for that,
but I fell in love with this guy."

So do you think that as you got to Mexico,

his physical started
to kind of wear on you,

or that had nothing to do with it?

Nothing to do with it.

Like I said, past me,
being so self-critical,

I was also critical of other people,
so sure, I would have judged him

for some small flaw,
but that's why I came on the show

was to fall in love
with somebody emotionally.

And that's what I did,
but it just wasn't enough.

Well, JP, I don't wanna speak for you,
but I think you said

that what you were trying to say was,

"I think you're beautiful without makeup."

-Yeah, it just came out wrong.
-[Nick] You said it in a way that was not...

not the smoothest.

Do you think that you were
not physically attracted to Taylor?

Definitely the first time I saw her,

it was a little shocking
and off-putting, but...

[Vanessa] Why is that?

[JP] I just think it's kind of fake, and

not something that I generally like to...

-I don't know.
-[Vanessa] Does she...

-[Nick] Speaking of the makeup again?
-Yeah.

[Vanessa] Is she someone that you would
go hit on in a bar?

Uh, generally, I don't.

And any women,
I have my friends do that. [chuckles]

Like, they'll be the icebreaker
and then I'll get to talking after that,

but I'm not an icebreaker person,
so I don't...

[Vanessa] Does she look like
anyone you've ever dated?

Uh, maybe, yeah.

[Vanessa] Taylor, when you met him,

did you feel attracted to him
when you first saw him?

Yeah.

[Vanessa] What was your feeling
when you had that big red carpet reveal?

-Thank God he's tall. [laughs]
-[laughing]

-Is he tall?
-[Taylor] I was excited, nervous.

[all laughing]

-Well, he's not Milton tall.
-Nobody's Milton tall.

In his world, everybody's short,
but it's a different world.

[Taylor] Uh, I was excited.

And ready to, like, start the future.

Is this the first time that you two
have seen each other since that split?

-[JP] Yep.
-[Vanessa] Yeah.

-[Taylor] Yeah?
-[Vanessa] How you feeling?

[laughs, sniffles] Mm.

[clicks tongue] I'm okay.

-[Vanessa] Okay.
-[Taylor] Um...

But like you said, I guess things
could have been handled differently.

If you would have told me, "Hey,
stop hounding me about the same thing,"

I probably would have, and I probably
would have gone about it a different way.

But I kept bringing it up
because it wasn't being fixed.

-[Aaliyah] Mm-hmm.
-I'm sorry I didn't.

I wasn't able to communicate that to you.

Are you two seeing anyone now?
Have you guys moved on?

-Are you in relationships?
-I've been dating a girl for about a year.

-[Vanessa] What about you, Taylor?
-I am seeing somebody.

Not dating, just seeing somebody. [laughs]

-Not official yet. Taking it slow.
-[Vanessa] Got it.

-Okay.
-[Taylor] Yeah.

And, JP, do you find that you're able to
communicate with your current girlfriend?

Yes.

I think that I learned a lot from it.

I'm sure he did too, and that's
what you do with failed relationships.

You learn from it
and take it into your next relationship.

And you do things differently.
So congratulations, I'm happy for you.

-Thank you.
-[Taylor] Yeah.

[Vanessa] Here's a little advice.

You guys were not here,
but don't go to the bars in Houston.

[laughing]

[Vanessa laughs]
Y'all will run into each other.

[Milton] Don't understand what's going on.

[Vanessa] It's time to have a little fun.

-Ooh!
-Everybody bring out your boards.

Now, we're gonna ask the group
some questions.

You'll write down your answers
on your board,

keeping them hidden before revealing them
one at a time to the entire group.

You guys ready?

-Yes. Hey!
-[Nick] Let's play!

Who would you have most likely hit on
in the real world?

Who would you have most likely hit on
in the real world? Start with Taylor.

-Chris.
-[Vanessa] Chris?

Yay!

[laughs]

[Vanessa and Nick] No one.

Sorry, guys.

[Izzy] Stacy.

-[laughing]
-Izzy.

Milton.

-[laughing]
-Chris.

Two.

-Chris.
-[Izzy] Dawg.

-Milton. So tall.
-Oh, boy.

-I'm gonna go with no one.
-[Nick] Okay. All right.

[Johnie] Oh, man.

-What does Miriam do for work?
-[all laughing]

What if we don't know? [laughs]

-I got you, Miriam. I know your job.
-[Taylor] I don't know.

-[laughing] Sells stuff. I don't know.
-[Stacy] Sells stuff.

-[Taylor] She sells something.
-Scientist.

-[laughs]
-Skin care, question mark.

[chuckles] Scientist and entrepreneur.

I put chemist.

-Everything?
-[all laughing]

Chemist and sells lotion.

I put "Houstatlantavegas."

-[laughing]
-What? What does that say?

-"Houstatlantavegas."
-[Vanessa] Hashtag.

-I put science or something with skincare.
-[Vanessa] Okay.

You got that one.

Clear the boards.

What song sums up your experience
this season on Love is Blind?

-[muttering]
-[chuckling]

If anyone needs the 98 Degrees
discography, let me know.

Unfortunately, I think
that came out before I was born.

-Oh!
-[laughing]

Uh, "the Sound of Silence."

[laughing]

"Quit Playing with My Heart,"
Backstreet Boys.

-[laughing]
-"Quit Playing Games with My Heart."

-It's been a minute.
-[Nick] All right.

I said "The 1" by Taylor Swift.

-But we had two, right?
-[laughing]

"Two Is Better Than One," Taylor Swift.

-"99 Problems."
-[cheering]

[Aaliyah] Oh, my God.

-That's good.
-[Taylor] That is good.

-"Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé.
-[Nick] Oh!

[Vanessa] Oh! That's good. I like this.

-"My Love Don't Cost a Thing." J.Lo.
-[all laughing]

-"Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry.
-[all laughing]

This is a good one.

-"Thank U, Next."
-Hey!

[Taylor] "Silent Night."

-[laughing]
-[Stacy] The Christmas song?

[Nick] I like that both
had a sense of humor about it.

-Oh, I get it.
-Guys, good job.

-Did I win?
-Appreciate you guys all playing.

And for anyone wanting to know
what it's like to be

one of our singles on Love is Blind,
just download the Love is Blind game

on the Netflix mobile app
and join in the fun.

Thank you guys so much for being here,

for opening up, for letting
us catch up with you. We just...

Nick and I truly appreciate it.
And I know the viewers at home do as well.

Yeah, this has certainly been
a season to remember.

What a journey you guys have all been on,

and we really appreciate
you sharing it all with us.

Uh, and to Lydia and Milton,

here's to proving
that love truly wins in the end.

-Congrats again, guys.
-[Vanessa] Congratulations.

Here's to finding love
and celebrating love.

-Take care, everyone. [kisses]
-Bye.

[Taylor] Yes!

-[chattering]
-[dance music playing]

♪ Better be mine, be mine tonight... ♪

Oh, you're so amazing.

[chattering]

♪ Will you be mine? ♪

♪ 'Cause it feels so nice
To know you're by my side... ♪

[Milton] Haven't seen you in forever.

-You have such good taste.
-[Taylor laughs] I love it.

Thank you. You look so nice.

-I love this color.
-[Vanessa] Thank you.

-[Izzy] Thank you.
-Congrats, my man.