A suspicious overlap? Love Is Blind alum Natalie Lee claimed that her ex Shayne Jansen started exploring other dating show options while they were still together.
The consulting manager, 30, made the accusation while responding to a TikTok commenter who asked her whether she’ll watch Shayne, 33, on Netflix’s upcoming series Perfect Match. “He was casting for the show in Nov 2021 while we were in a relationship (obviously behind my back),” Natalie wrote earlier this month. “So HELL YES I WILL BE WATCHING lol.”
Shayne, however, disputed Natalie’s version of events, sharing screenshots of text messages via his Instagram Story that were seemingly from his ex-fiancée. In one message, Natalie allegedly encouraged Shayne to join the series, writing: “I really want you to enjoy life because this show for you is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
After Shayne posted the text messages, Natalie took to her own Instagram Story to clarify the timeline. She claimed casting agents for Perfect Match approached both her and Shayne for the new series in September 2021 without realizing that the duo were secretly dating again after splitting on Love Is Blind. According to Natalie, both she and Shayne declined the offer, but she later found out he “didn’t decline” and had started the casting process.
“While Shayne was filming the new show in Feb 2022, he texted me numerous times he wanted to leave midway through filming because he still had feelings for me after we saw each other for [the] first time since our breakup at the reunion show taping,” Natalie wrote, claiming that the texts Shayne shared were from February 2022 rather than November 2021. “Knowing there was little hope for our relationship and how excited he was to do another reality TV show, I encouraged him to continue filming and tried to pacify the online backlash for him through my interviews and on my social media.”
Natalie and the real estate agent met during season 2 of Love Is Blind, which aired in February 2022. The duo got engaged after hitting it off in the pods, but Natalie called off their engagement after an off-camera fight before their wedding. She later revealed that the couple gave their romance another shot after their canceled wedding.
“We did continue our relationship for several months and we parted ways after that,” Natalie exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2022. “But we are friends right now and I wish him all the best.”
Later that month, however, an insider told Us that the former couple’s friendship had soured. “They are not on good terms at the moment,” the source claimed at the time. “They haven’t been communicating and stopped following each other on social media.”
Perfect Match follows 23 alums from other Netflix reality shows as they try to find love while staying in a tropical villa. “As they compete to form relationships, the most compatible couples will play matchmaker, breaking up other couples and sending them on dates with brand-new singles they’ll invite to the villa,” reads an official description for the series. “Will they create better matches, or will they create chaos?”
Love Is Blind cohost Nick Lachey will also emcee Perfect Match, which premieres its first four episodes on Tuesday, February 14. In addition to Shayne, the cast includes Bartise Bowden from season 3 of Love Is Blind, Joey Sasso from season 1 of The Circle, Zay Wilson from season 1 of The Ultimatum and Chloe Veitch from season 1 of Too Hot to Handle.
