The 'Love is Blind' Reunion Was *Wild*. Here Are Our Top 5 Takeaways
By Sahana Soni
Image: Netflix
I’ve had a couple of days to think about it and I’ve decided: the final episode of Love is Blind season 2 definitely lived up to the hype. The hit Netflix show turned up the drama all season long and the reunion episode, which aired on Friday, continued the trend. The hour-long special wrapped up key story lines, gave viewers some much-needed updates from cast members and even included a few digs—and yes, we’re talking specifically about Shake. Here’s what we learned.
Shake was on the show for all the wrong reasons. (Related: We are Deepti stans)
Image: instagram.com/thepuppydoc
Surprising absolutely no one, Shake revealed he hadn’t committed to the Love is Blind experiment. In fact, while there were like, seven minutes where we all thought he might have learned something, during the reunion he proved that he’s the same guy as he was at the beginning of the season, when he predominantly cared about looks. Also: you know he thought he was being so clever when he said he believes that “love is blurry.”
As a side note, it was kind of funny to realize that no one really likes Shake—any time he interjected himself into a conversation, the rest of the cast was quick to shut him down. And honestly, it was well-deserved. I definitely didn’t want to hear a single additional word about his lack of “animalistic attraction” for Deepti, or how he felt like he was “with a family member” when he spent time with her. Kyle saying he should have proposed to her instead of Shaina at the reunion, though? I would like to hear more about that. If they decide to give it a shot, I am definitely here for it.
Shayne and Natalie couldn’t make it work, but we definitely detected some lingering ~feelings~
Image: instagram.com/shaynejansen
Following their shocking break-up at the altar, Shayne and Natalie revealed that they still tried to make things work off-camera—to no avail. We already knew that the couple had a major (off-screen) argument the night before their wedding, which is why Natalie turned Shayne down at the altar. Post-reunion, we still don’t know exactly what the fight was about, but we know it changed everything. In fact, the fight didn’t just lead to that “I don’t” moment. Natalie also said she couldn’t get over it, which is why they’re not together now. Still, it’s obvious that there are still some underlying feelings between these two. I don’t know what the future holds for Shayne and Natalie, so I’ll happily turn this one over to all of the Instagram sleuths out there. Maybe you can figure out what may be next for this relationship.
The married couples have grown a lot since the show
The fact that our two married couples showed up in matching outfits was everything. Danielle and Nick looked amazing in royal blue, while Jarrette and Iyanna dazzled in bright red. I took this as a show of unity and I’m here for it. Aside from their outfits, it seems as though both couples have been working on not only their relationships but also themselves. Nick and Danielle said they addressed their obvious communication issues by going to couples therapy, while Jarrette and Iyanna said that they have learned to compromise with one another because although they have differences, their core values are similar, which is what makes the relationship worth fighting for. It remains to be seen whether the experiment worked for these couples in the long term, but they sure give us hope for love.
Nick and Vanessa Lachey should host more reality shows. Oh wait, they’re going to
Image: Netflix
I must admit that for most of the season, I was skeptical about Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s hosting skills. At times it felt unnecessary to have even hosts—I mean, some episodes, they talked more about themselves than any cast member! That being said, the pair shone at the reunion. Vanessa was not shy about putting Shake in his place when he referred to marriage as a transaction, while Nick even told Shake that not everything in a relationship is about sex. They also allowed people to speak their truth and kept the cast from getting too rowdy. And thank goodness, because they already have their next gig lined up: a new Netflix series called The Ultimatum (more on that in a minute).
There is always more than meets the eye
We all know that editing plays a huge role in how audiences perceive the people who appear on reality TV shows, and that the camera does not capture every single moment anyway. But what happens when the parts that get left out are actually super important to understanding what exactly happened? That’s the big question this season, because there were several instances where important events were either edited out or not captured. The three most notable examples were Danielle’s panic attack in Mexico, Shake talking behind Deepti’s back and Mallory and Sal’s arguments. Danielle took to Instagram after the show aired to clarify that she did not have a panic attack because Nick went to the couple’s party, but rather because she feared that she shared too much about her traumatic past too soon. She goes on to say that “how [she] was represented on TV is not an accurate representation of who [she is] as a person.” At the reunion, Deepti revealed that the comments audiences heard Shake make about her were “watered down” and that he was even more degrading than we witnessed. Mallory and Sal also revealed that they had issues behind the scenes that they were not willing to talk about at the reunion, but ultimately left Sal feeling “unheard” in the relationship. These omissions made it feel like a large part of the story was missing, and quite frankly left me feeling a bit confused post-reunion.
The reunion ended with a happy shot of the married couples, and an agreement between the cast members that they while they didn’t all find love through the experiment, they have become forever friends. Shake even put his ego aside and agreed that this was not the right show for him, which was probably the best we could ask for. Then, audiences got a sneak peek of The Ultimatum, Netflix’s new dating show which will follow couples where one person is ready to get married and the other is not. The couples will swap partners for three weeks to see if marriage is right for them. At the end, they’ll choose whether they want to then leave with their original partner or their new one—not problematic at all, right?
… We obviously can’t wait to watch.