Originally posted Thursday, March 5, 2020 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
The Netflix "Love is Blind" reunion released today revealed what has happened to the key 12 Atlantans who were featured on the show are up to.
Two couples remain married and two reconciled and are still dating.
There is no doubt although Netflix has not said that there will be a season two. Though the reunion didn’t mention it, of the 30 singles, 16 got engaged, a remarkable ratio given the “pod” set up and more than they could possibly film. They ended up focusing on six of the couples.
Here’s a quick summary of those 12:
Credit: Amber and Barnett get married. CR: Netflix
Credit: Amber and Barnett get married. CR: Netflix
Matt Barnett (who went by Barnett on the show)and Amber Pike: They remain married after more than a year. They said during the reunion that the marriage was so abrupt that they had to adjust and their relationship early going was often rocky. She considered divorce and he was stubborn. But they have worked through those issues and things are going well.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton: They are clearly a very happy couple and didn't get much time until the very end of the reunion. They seemed to have the clearest path to success and quickly overcame issues regarding the inter-racial element. "Cameron has opened my eyes to so many things," Lauren raved. "He's so loving. He's so genuine... Life is good." Cameron said with Lauren, he feels he has evolved over time and for the better. So far, they have picked up a dog or as Lauren calls it, "a fur baby."
Credit: Damian and Gi are not married but still dating. CR: Netflix
Credit: Damian and Gi are not married but still dating. CR: Netflix
Gianinna Gibelli and Damian Powers: She is heat and fire. He is a much more stable and reserved. But somehow they connected. For a time, he took issue with her passions and emotional ups and downs. When it came time to marry on the show, they decided it wasn't right to get married. But since late 2018, they reconciled and are now dating butnot living together. They are learning about each other and still building their relationship. Will it lead to marriage? Who knows?
Credit: Carlton is still single as of the "Love is Blind" reunion. CR: Netflix
Credit: Carlton is still single as of the "Love is Blind" reunion. CR: Netflix
Carlton Morton: Poor Carlton came across poorly once he realized he needed to tell Diamond (after they got engaged) he was bisexual. She didn't react well in part because he didn't tell her upfront. He got defensive and shut down and they had a nasty argument packed with insults and cursing. Later, he apologized and realized he was in the wrong. He said bisexuality shouldn't be so shameful and it doesn't mean he is more "sexual" than anybody else. During the reunion, Carlton gave Diamond back her ring but as a friendship commitment, not as marriage. She is not ready to date him again but he opened the door for the possibility and she didn't reject that. His take on himself and others: "You should let go and be yourself."
Credit: Diamond is single after "Love is Blind." CR: Netflix
Credit: Diamond is single after "Love is Blind." CR: Netflix
Diamond Jack: She was embarrassed by her outburst on the show against Carlton but had no regrets about walking away under the circumstances. She is single as well.
Credit: Mark Cuevas is single as of the reunion. CR: Netflix
Credit: Mark Cuevas is single as of the reunion. CR: Netflix
Mark Cuevas: He was in true love with Jessica but it wasn't reciprocated in full. He wished she had said she had recurring feelings about Barnett at the time. But she did express her doubts early and often to him. He eventually had no choice but to accept her rejection. "She is still a phenomenal woman," he said on the reunion show. "I'm a better man... We had big, powerful strong moments... I still respect you." He comes across as a mature person who learned a lot from the "Love is Blind" experiment even if he didn't get the girl.
Credit: Jessica Batten is single but has moved to Los Angeles. CR: Netflix
Credit: Jessica Batten is single but has moved to Los Angeles. CR: Netflix
Jessica Batten: She definitely did not come across well on the show in part because she seemed confused about what she wanted. She liked Barnett but when rejected, she quickly accepted Mark's proposal. But after seeing Mark, she kept gravitating toward Barnett, who had gotten engaged to Amber. Amber was unhappy that Jessica did not tell her at the time that she had come on to her fiance. "I was really uncomfortable and drinking too much," Jessica admitted during the reunion. She apologized to Amber, who had a hard time forgiving her for being two-faced. Jessica spent six months after the taping with her mom in Chicago and has since moved to Los Angeles.
Credit: Kelly Chase is single after breaking up with Kenny Barnes. CR: Netflix
Credit: Kelly Chase is single after breaking up with Kenny Barnes. CR: Netflix
Kelly Chase: She seemed like she had a great connection with Kenny and the fact she didn't want to have sex immediately after meeting him should have been a red flag. But "Love is Blind" gave them relatively little airtime so it wasn't until late that it became clear she wasn't "in love" with Kenny and ultimately chose to go her own way. She is still single.
Credit: Kenny Barnes has a new girlfriend. CR: Netflix
Credit: Kenny Barnes has a new girlfriend. CR: Netflix
Kenny Barnes: The poor guy was fully committed to Kelly and her rejection hit him hard. But he bounced back and has since found a new girlfriend where he took lessons from "Love is Blind" and used to his benefit.
The special hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey came out on both Netflix and in an unusual tactic YouTube too:
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