Season one of Love Is Blind may be over, but there's still so much to unpack!
Fans who watched the tell-all reunion special on Netflix on Thursday learned a lot about what the cast has been up to in real life ever since filming wrapped in fall 2018. Nearly a year and a half later, two couples are still married, one fan-favorite team is dating and others are continuing their search for true love.
Only ET was on set for the Love Is Blind reunion special last month, where we spoke with the cast just moments after shooting wrapped in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, ET is breaking down where all the couples who got engaged in the pods stand today, including those fans didn't see on TV! Plus, the cast breaks down what's next for them post-Love Is Blind.
HAPPILY MARRIED
Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton
For Lauren, she's still completely on cloud nine with Cameron -- and their new fur baby, Sparks! She told ET that she can't believe her time on the show turned out to be so successful.
"I never would have expected that I'd be this happy. It's been an adventure. It's kind of like we dated backwards, because we got married and then we kind of started dating after the marriage," she explained. "I feel like we are learning more and more about each other each day. Our relationship is flourishing, but it hasn't been without some stumbles, trials, and tribulations. We have really had to learn about each other. I went from being a hermit to living with someone 24/7 and raising a little fur baby dog. So those were adjustments ... but it's been a wonderful adventure. Every day is something new."
Cameron shared similar sentiments, telling ET that having been married to Lauren for a year and a half now, he thinks he has "kind of absorbed some of her in a way."
"Some of her personality, and for good reason, because I love her and I admire her," he gushed. "I think your partner, when they can make you better, that's a beautiful thing."
The two also spoke about their desire to expand their family in the near future. Lauren and Cameron both want kids, but according to the scientist, he's hoping it will be "sooner rather than later."
"Maybe by this time next year. Little Valentine's babies," Lauren said, with Cameron adding, "I mean, my paternal instinct is kicking in pretty hardcore. We are really excited."
Amber Pike and Matthew Barnett
Yes, these two lovebirds are also still going strong, a year and a half after saying "I do!"
"After the wedding happened we moved into Barnett's house for a couple of months, but we didn't end up staying there," Amber shared. "We actually live in an apartment now, that's more suited to our personalities and our lifestyle right now. We have a lot of fun living there and just adventuring all the time."
Barnett chimed in, adding that their life together is a lot more relaxing without having the cameras around 24/7.
"The cameras were a little bit overwhelming at times. I was always hiding from them," he admitted. "Since then I think we just got to live our lives, got to see how we were together without all that stuff. I think we kind of bonded over the fact that we were kind of worn out by the [production process]."
IN A RELATIONSHIP
Giannina Milady Gibelli and Damian Powers
Fans were shocked when a teary-eyed Damian left Giannina at the altar, prompting her to run away from the venue, barefoot and in her wedding dress. It all went down during the shocking finale episode, but so much has happened between these two since then. In fact, they are still together today, and Giannina revealed that they actually "never stopped dating."
"The day of the wedding, after that whole big moment happened, I really just realized this is an amazing person and he was just speaking his truth," she said. "I stood up for what I believed in, he stood up for what he believed in and we decided to give it another go. We have been together ever since and it has just been this crazy, wild ride."
Damian confessed that he "honestly did not know" that he was going to say "I don't" to Giannina on their wedding day. Producers seemingly alluded that would be their fate, however, by putting a lot of emphasis on the arguments they had with each other.
"Everything that has been [shown] to the world is not everything that happened. We had a lot of beautiful behind-the-scenes moments where we enjoyed our time together," he shared. "We had fun, we stayed up laughing late at night, we watched movies, we rode scooters through Atlanta. We had our fun date moments and when we were together, we just loved it."
"I did fall in love with her, I did still love her. I did not want it to end at the wedding, but I just didn't want either of us to feel locked down or because we had to have a wedding that had to determine where we went from here," he added. "The love is still there, the emotions are still there. I still cry, I still get emotional. Overall, we make a pretty great team."
NO LONGER TOGETHER
Jessica Batten and Mark Anthony Cuevas
We think it's safe to say that anyone who watched Love Is Blind knows that there's no surprise here. Throughout the show, it was clear that Jessica still had feelings for Barnett and couldn't get over her and Mark's 10-year age difference.
"It's been a struggle to watch it back because I saw that I was really working through some things that I needed to deal with," Jessica admitted. "As hard as it was though, it was kind of therapeutic on the other side to know that I was able to work through some of those things. That wasn't the initial objective of coming onto the show, but I think I'm better for it."
"I was able to grow a ton. There was one experience of living it, and there's the secondary experience of watching it back," she continued. "After the show wrapped, I had a really tough time. I had to take some time for myself and get through therapy and stuff like that. I went home, moved back to Chicago, just to be closer to family. Now I'm out in Los Angeles and I feel I'm having a fresh start. I feel really good about where I'm at and finally starting to open myself up again. But I wouldn't be able to do that without the lessons I learned here and from Mark."
Mark added that after production wrapped, he felt that both he and Jessica needed time to "figure things out."
"She needed her time and I needed my time and we're both the type of people that need to figure it out in our own way," he explained. "We both hadn't really reached out but I knew eventually we'd see each other again and it would be fine."
"I know that this whole journey was a lot. It's one thing to be there for each other but it's another to be like, 'OK, we need our own separate space to go and be our own people and figure this out on our own,'" he continued. "We all came out on the other end learning way more."
Kelly Chase and Kenny Barnes
We have to admit, we totally did not see Kelly leaving Kenny at the altar during the finale! But it happened, and both have moved on. Kenny told ET that he and Kelly had "very seldom" been in touch since the show wrapped production. "I actually reached out probably four months ago," he said. "I personally did not date for the seven to eight months afterward, but a lot of life changes happened between then. That's just kind of how it went."
"It's kind of a reassuring thing, but I think we're all in such a much better spot personally," he added. "Whether you are with a couple or not, it's just been a great experience."
Kelly agreed, telling ET that she's proud of herself, and everyone who took part in the experiment. "I feel like there was so much communicating that needed to happen at the reunion and that was expressed by everyone," she exclaimed. "It cleared the air and it was just a beautiful reunion."
The health and empowerment coach also revealed that she went on a couple of dates approximately six months after her and Kenny's wedding. She's currently single, but "looking to date," while Kenny revealed during the reunion that he's in a relationship.
Diamond Jack and Carlton Morton
As seen during the reunion special, Carlton attempted to make amends with Diamond after reliving their blowout fight that took place poolside in Mexico. While it seems the two still don't completely see eye-to-eye on how they treated one another outside of the pods, it appears they're at least trying to be civil.
"I have not seen him since Mexico, but nothing has changed. No, I am just kidding," Diamond shared. "But seeing Carlton, I am so happy to see him and happy that he is here and we were able to mend our friendship as well as relationship."
"I love that he apologized to me and like I said too, I apologize and I want to apologize again," she continued. "I never wanted anybody to attack him or for him to feel like I'm attacking him. Looking back, there are certain ways to say things and put in a certain way and certain perspective, so I feel like I could have possibly led on a little argument just how I approached it. So I do want to apologize for that."
Carlton replied to Diamond during our interview, saying, " I accept your apology." He also shared that he is "trying to take her on a date."
"The answer is no right now, but I think that things take time. And if she never decides to go on a date with me, I can say I was engaged to someone that was amazing at one point in my life. So that's enough for me," he said. "I still believe in [the experiment] and I feel like I won't give up on love due to a failed attempt. I have learned so much from it and it's only going to help me navigate my next situation better."
Diamond added, "I do believe love is blind and I do have hope for everyone. Although our experience did not work out, I do know that it can help somebody else. As you see, we have two beautiful couples that are still together. They just give me hope for my future relationship, to find my king."
RELATIONSHIPS YOU DIDN'T SEE ON TV
Series creator Chris Coelen told ET that eight couples actually got engaged through the experiment, but they only had the resources to follow six of them as they left the pods and headed to Mexico. "We literally just didn't feel like we had the bandwidth to be able to do justice to all of the stories," he explained. "It was overwhelming in terms of the way that it worked so well for people."
ET also spoke with the two other men who got engaged in the pods. During separate interviews, they shared their stories and revealed whether they're still with the women they bonded with on the show.
Lexie Skipper and Westley Baer
Despite the brief air time he received, fans may remember Westley from episode one, when he opened up about his height insecurity. "I'm short, and there are women out there that won't date guys that are shorter," he said.
Westley connected with a girl named Lexie, telling ET that she was "very caring," and that he "could tell she was a trustworthy person."
"Our love language is words of affirmation and we both enjoy just spending time with our significant other -- it doesn't have to be anything fancy. We both love wine and traveling," he shared. "I knew she had the qualities to be a great mother as well. I think, for me, what was different about her from the other women in the pods was the feeling I got inside when I heard her voice. I loved her voice, her laugh and the excitement she brought to the dates. There was never a dull moment."
"I knew she was the one," he continued. "We talked for over an hour before I popped the question. Just about life, love, happiness, family and more. Then it finally came the time for me to ask. It's a day I will always remember as she said 'yes!'"
After Westley and Lexie got engaged and met for the first time face-to-face, they were then told that they wouldn't be going to Mexico with the other six couples the show chose to follow. It was up to them to decide whether they wanted to keep their relationship afloat.
"After the engagement, we spent the next few days together before Lexie had to travel for a wedding. It was our decision; [producers] never really reached out to check on us," he revealed. "It felt weird because one of the last things they told me was they didn't want to mess our relationship up. So that's another reason they had to let us go. I would have thought they would check on us but it did not happen."
Westley said that he and Lexie ended up breaking off their engagement shortly before Christmas 2018. He added that it was a mutual decision and that the two are still "good friends."
"Both of us had quit our jobs after the show and decided to spend time focusing on our careers and what was next. Shortly after the breakup, I did something crazy and sold everything I owned and moved to Asia for five months," he revealed. "By the time I got back, she had an amazing opportunity to move to New York for her company in which she did for roughly six months. We still made sure to stay in touch."
"We communicate all the time, especially now with the show recently coming out," he added. "We aren't dating but we stay in touch to see how each other is doing."
Westley told ET that he's currently single, but would 100 percent go through the Love Is Blind experiment again. He is completely open to coming back for a second season if Netflix were to ask him.
"Even though our story wasn't shown, I know how much this show is going to change lives," he shared. "Being vulnerable was a game-changer for me and I'm grateful to have had this opportunity to be on Love Is Blind."
Rory Newbrough and Danielle Drouin
Like Westley, Rory -- who fans kind of got to know as the in-house therapist -- also proposed to a special woman he bonded with in the pods: a brunette named Danielle. Following the engagement, the two packed their bags and took a trip to Miami, Florida, as a way to get to know each other better in the real world.
"We immediately took our own vacation because when we left the experiment, we saw a lot of feelings that had been brought out and walls that had been broken down. So we wanted to process that properly," Rory explained to ET. "We went to Miami and we spent some time together. We were there for, like, four or five days."
"Danielle and I were together after leaving Love Is Blind for about a week and a half or two weeks. As we started coming back and rejoining the world, I think it just started to dawn on us that it wasn't what we thought it was," he said of their bond. "We're actually great friends now, so it was very amicable, but we weren't entirely sure if that connection that was so strong [in the pods] was platonic or not."
Rory continued on, telling ET that he thinks the connection for Danielle was probably "very platonic," as she ended up "having feelings for another guy on the show."
That guy was Matt Thomas, who Rory described as his "best friend" in the experiment.
"Matt and I connected on everything and had very similar mindsets. I didn't realize until maybe the day before the proposal that he was into Danielle as well," Rory recalled. "Danielle and I had always been vibing, we had always been talking about how we were our No. 1 pick every day. Everyone was talking about how we were going to be together and then on the very last day, I found out that Matt had the same experience with her. So, it was a shocking moment. I was like, 'My best friend on the show has the same feelings.'"
"On the proposal day, he chose not to propose and I proposed," he added. "It was shocking. Then, Danielle ended up dating [Matt] for a little bit post-show as well. There was a little bit of a love triangle going on there."
Rory confirmed that he's currently single and that Matt and Danielle are no longer together. Despite everything he's gone through since filming wrapped in November 2018, Rory said he has no regrets about his time on the show.
"I've been asked a lot if I was upset that my story wasn't in the final edit and actually I wasn't. I kind of knew when I left the facility that it was out of my hands," he admitted. "The experience at Love Is Blind was really profound. It ended up changing my life completely. I ended up leaving my job and kinda spending a lot of time thinking about what went on."
Hear more in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
