Natalie Lee learned that reality TV stars aren’t her type after dating one following her split from Shayne Jansen.
When asked whether she has dated another reality star on the Monday, July 17, episode of her Deepti Vempati’s “Out of the Pods” podcast, Natalie responded, “I have. I can’t say his name out of respect for him, but I have privately dated another reality TV star. And it was interesting. I don’t know what to say, like, I did it.”
Having starred on season 2 of Netflix’s Love Is Blind, Natalie said there’s a “safeness” when dating other reality stars because they can bond over shared experiences. “When we were off of Love Is Blind and when the show was also coming out, we were under so much stress,” she noted. “It’s a lot when people are talking about you online and you start feeling self-conscious a little bit. And so, to have a partner who could relate to that is really, really nice and just understanding the complexities of being on a TV show.”
However, the experience of dating a reality star — as well as someone else who is “popular on TikTok”— isn’t something Natalie is sure she’d do again. “My ideal type is someone who is more quiet, more private, even though I may not be,” the Netflix star explained. “But that’s who I’m attracted to and you can’t really find that in this social media world.”
Though she did not identify her mystery reality romance, Natalie previously sparked dating rumors with Bachelor Nation’s Blake Moynes in July 2022 after the two went on a trip to the Caribbean. A source later clarified to Us that two were just friends and were on the island for a conservation project.
Natalie first made headlines when she and Shayne, 34, got engaged on season 2 of Love Is Blind — which premiered in February 2022. Though Natalie left Shayne at the altar during the season finale, the pair rekindled their relationship after the show before calling it quits for good not long after.
“Shayne and I are friends. We did give it another shot after our wedding,” Natalie exclusively told Us in March 2022. “So we did continue our relationship for several months and we parted ways after that. But we are friends right now and I wish him all the best.”
Later that month, however, a source revealed that Natalie and Shayne were “not on good terms” and that “they haven’t been communicating and stopped following each other on social media.”
After Shayne claimed the two “reconnected four times after the show” on a March 2022 episode of “The Viall Files” podcast, Natalie clarified via lengthy Instagram Story posts that she and Shayne only dated “twice.” She wrote: “Recently we met up to discuss the possibility of reconciliation but ultimately agreed not to date until he changed some of his behaviors. A few days later, I fully closed the door for any type of reconciliation after discovering some lies he told me.”
Earlier this year, Natalie accused her ex of auditioning for Netflix’s Perfect Match while they were still dating. The back and forth continued when Shayne shared text screenshots of her allegedly encouraging him to go on the reality dating series, one of which read: “I really want you to enjoy life because this show for you is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Natalie clarified via Instagram that both she and Shayne were approached about joining the series in September 2021 but turned it down since they were secretly dating. She later found out that Shayne “didn’t decline” the offer and began the casting process. Natalie also claimed that the texts her estranged ex shared were from February 2022 and not November 2021.
“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 via Instagram. “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.”
