Love Is Blind’s Most Dramatic Moments Through the Years: Love Triangles, Messy Breakups and More

Credit: Netflix

Love Is Blind’s Most Dramatic Moments Through the Years: Love Triangles, Messy Breakups and More

So messy! While the premise of Netflix’s Love Is Blind is to help singles find their perfect match, the experiment hasn’t come without drama.

During season 2 of the dating show, which premiered in February 2022, multiple love triangles blossomed. In one corner, Shayne Jansen connected with both Natalie Lee and Shaina Hurley, and in another, Jarrette Jones was smitten by Iyanna McNeely and Mallory Zapata. In both instances, the men were subsequently torn while trying to decide which woman to propose to.

“Earlier this week, I was going back and forth between Mallory and Iyanna, but over the past couple days, I’ve gained clarity,” the healthcare consultant said during a confessional interview in the third episode. “I can definitely see myself proposing and having a life with Iyanna, but I want to propose to Mallory and it’s gonna feel crazy, you know. I’m gonna feel a whirlwind of emotions.”

After Mallory turned Jarrette down, he eventually proposed to Iyanna while Mallory explored her connection with Salvador “Sal” Perez.

“I was a roller-coaster of emotions [at the wedding]. I was just feeling everything, and I really was trying to wrap my head around everything that we had been through together,” Sal exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 2 finale, recalling his decision to call off his engagement to Mallory. “I was really just kind of summarizing it in my head and I knew that, at that moment of my wedding, I just wanted to make that choice with her. I wanted to see how I felt in that moment with her. It was a crazy day.”

Shaina, for her part, accepted a proposal from Kyle Abrams despite her strong feelings for Shayne. The hairstylist even informed Shayne — who was set to pop the question to Natalie — of her interest while Kyle’s mother’s ring sat on her finger.

“It took me a while to open up in the pods. It took me longer than I thought,” Shaina told Us of her Love Is Blind experience. “I think everything happens for a reason. It was organic [with Shayne], I guess, you could say. There’s some regrets. I just wish I was a little bit more forthright from the beginning [and] kind of prepared myself more, but can you prepare yourself? Besides that, no, it was an amazing experience.”

Shaina eventually broke up with Kyle during the group’s trip to Mexico, citing different religious beliefs as the major issue. However, she later admitted that she was still interested in Shayne, allegedly telling Natalie she had a "friend" to introduce her to in case she and Shayne split.

“I have nothing to lose here. I have nothing but — I care for you,” Shaina told Shayne in the sixth episode. “You were, like, my number one. … I feel like I’m being portrayed as a villain in your guys’ relationship, your guys’ f—king fake-ass relationship. It is such a joke.”

While season 2 of the reality show packed a dramatic punch, its precursor, which dropped on the streaming platform in February 2020, saw its fair share of love triangles and heated breakups.

“I do not,” Damian Powers explained to ex-fiancée Giannina Gibelli on their wedding day in the first season finale. “I stayed consistent all the way through this and you have not.”

The Atlanta-based business owner was shocked to hear Damian’s decision, and she ran out of the venue, notably falling in the mud and ripping her dress.

“There was so much that happened,” Giannina told Entertainment Weekly in March 2020. “At the end of the day, the relationship is between you and this person. Who better to understand that than you two? … I love Damian, I know his heart, I know everything about him. I really wanted us to heal together because we had gone through such a big, scary thing and it just didn’t feel right not being together in that moment whether we were going to end it together or not. It was something I wanted to go through with him and just see, ‘Are we OK? Are our hearts OK?’”

Scroll down to relive more of Love Is Blind’s most dramatic moments:

Credit: Netflix

Love Is Blind’s Most Dramatic Moments Through the Years: Love Triangles, Messy Breakups and More

So messy! While the premise of Netflix’s Love Is Blind is to help singles find their perfect match, the experiment hasn’t come without drama.

During season 2 of the dating show, which premiered in February 2022, multiple love triangles blossomed. In one corner, Shayne Jansen connected with both Natalie Lee and Shaina Hurley, and in another, Jarrette Jones was smitten by Iyanna McNeely and Mallory Zapata. In both instances, the men were subsequently torn while trying to decide which woman to propose to.

“Earlier this week, I was going back and forth between Mallory and Iyanna, but over the past couple days, I’ve gained clarity,” the healthcare consultant said during a confessional interview in the third episode. “I can definitely see myself proposing and having a life with Iyanna, but I want to propose to Mallory and it’s gonna feel crazy, you know. I’m gonna feel a whirlwind of emotions.”

After Mallory turned Jarrette down, he eventually proposed to Iyanna while Mallory explored her connection with Salvador “Sal” Perez.

“I was a roller-coaster of emotions [at the wedding]. I was just feeling everything, and I really was trying to wrap my head around everything that we had been through together,” Sal exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 2 finale, recalling his decision to call off his engagement to Mallory. “I was really just kind of summarizing it in my head and I knew that, at that moment of my wedding, I just wanted to make that choice with her. I wanted to see how I felt in that moment with her. It was a crazy day.”

Shaina, for her part, accepted a proposal from Kyle Abrams despite her strong feelings for Shayne. The hairstylist even informed Shayne — who was set to pop the question to Natalie — of her interest while Kyle’s mother’s ring sat on her finger.

“It took me a while to open up in the pods. It took me longer than I thought,” Shaina told Us of her Love Is Blind experience. “I think everything happens for a reason. It was organic [with Shayne], I guess, you could say. There’s some regrets. I just wish I was a little bit more forthright from the beginning [and] kind of prepared myself more, but can you prepare yourself? Besides that, no, it was an amazing experience.”

Shaina eventually broke up with Kyle during the group’s trip to Mexico, citing different religious beliefs as the major issue. However, she later admitted that she was still interested in Shayne, allegedly telling Natalie she had a "friend" to introduce her to in case she and Shayne split.

“I have nothing to lose here. I have nothing but — I care for you,” Shaina told Shayne in the sixth episode. “You were, like, my number one. … I feel like I’m being portrayed as a villain in your guys’ relationship, your guys’ f—king fake-ass relationship. It is such a joke.”

While season 2 of the reality show packed a dramatic punch, its precursor, which dropped on the streaming platform in February 2020, saw its fair share of love triangles and heated breakups.

“I do not,” Damian Powers explained to ex-fiancée Giannina Gibelli on their wedding day in the first season finale. “I stayed consistent all the way through this and you have not.”

The Atlanta-based business owner was shocked to hear Damian’s decision, and she ran out of the venue, notably falling in the mud and ripping her dress.

“There was so much that happened,” Giannina told Entertainment Weekly in March 2020. “At the end of the day, the relationship is between you and this person. Who better to understand that than you two? … I love Damian, I know his heart, I know everything about him. I really wanted us to heal together because we had gone through such a big, scary thing and it just didn’t feel right not being together in that moment whether we were going to end it together or not. It was something I wanted to go through with him and just see, ‘Are we OK? Are our hearts OK?’”

Scroll down to relive more of Love Is Blind’s most dramatic moments:

Credit: Netflix

Jessica’s Love Triangle With Barnett and Amber

During season 1, Matt Barnett was caught between Jessica Batten and now-wife Amber Pike. While he eventually chose Amber, Jessica couldn’t ignore her own feelings despite getting engaged to now-ex Mark Cuevas. Amber later accused Jessica of flirting with her man during the reunion special.

Credit: Netflix

A Ring Toss

Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack found love in the pods on season 1 before he got down on one knee sight-unseen. However, drama escalated during their Mexico vacation after he came out to her as bisexual. Hurt by the secrecy, Diamond called off their engagement and chucked her ring into the hotel pool.

Credit: Netflix

Runaway Bride

After Damian said “no” on their wedding day, Giannina ran out of the chapel and subsequently fell into a giant puddle of mud. After going back inside to confront her ex, she ripped off a piece of her wedding gown to hand to him, which mirrored the bowtie he gave her during his proposal.

Credit: Netflix

Too Hot Drama

While Damian and Giannina eventually reconciled after the season 1 finale, their romance took a turn in August 2020 after Damian was spotted with Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago. He even brought the Canadian model as his date to the Love Is Blind: After the Altar special, which aired in July 2021. As a result, Damian and Giannina got into a heated argument at the party before calling it quits for good.

Credit: Netflix

Going Their Separate Ways

Shaina accepted a proposal from Kyle despite her concerns over their contrasting religions. (Shaina is a devout Christian while Kyle is an atheist.)

“We don’t really talk. We don’t communicate,” Kyle exclusively told Us in February 2022. “There’s nothing left. I mean, we’re not friends or anything. She doesn’t come out much. That ship has sailed. ... I thought I was giving in a lot. Those are things that [with] normal dating, I would’ve written her off right away. The first time I gave in. So I thought maybe she would — she should — too. I thought it was a mutual thing, but I guess not. I didn’t wanna quit. I wanted to give everything I had."

Credit: Netflix

A Second Choice?

Jarrette was torn between Iyanna and Mallory during his time in the season 2 pods. After being turned down by Mallory, he later proposed to the program coordinator. Before tying the knot, Iyanna questioned whether she was Jarrette’s top pick throughout the experiment.

Credit: Love Is Blind S2. Shaina Hurley in Love Is Blind S2. Cr. Ser Baffo/Netflix (3)

Stirring the Pot

While Shaina continually let Shayne know how she felt about him before his engagement to Natalie, the real estate agent remained committed to his then-partner.

“To put some other rumors to rest, Shaina and I are cordial and have hung out in group gatherings with the cast (with Natalie), but we have never had nor will ever have a romantic relationship,” Shayne opened up about where the pair stood via Instagram in February 2022 after fans watched his engagement end. “I wish her all the best.”

Credit: Love Is Blind S2. Shaina Hurley in Love Is Blind S2. Cr. Ser Baffo/Netflix (2)

Social Media Tension

“Just me enjoying the train wreck😜,” Kyle shared a teaser from the season 2 reunion via Instagram in February 2022 alongside a still in which Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee and Shayne appeared to get heated.

Shake, who was briefly engaged to Deepti Vempati on the show, slammed his costar via an Instagram comment:  “Translation: you’re a little bihh. … Imma warn you. I KEEPS IT REAL AT THIS REUNION.”

The veterinarian also alleged that Kyle was a “serial cheater” via Instagram Story, writing, “Hope your 6 pack makes up for your lack of loyalty.” (Kyle did not respond when Us reached out for comment.)

Credit: Netflix

Jeremy Hartwell’s Lawsuit

The season 2 alum filed a lawsuit in July 2022, accusing Netflix and the producers of underpaying cast members and depriving them of “food, water and sleep.”

Hartwell alleged in court docs obtained by Us at the time that the show’s conditions “contributed to inhumane working conditions and altered mental state for the cast” through a “combination of sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food and an excess of alcohol all either required, enabled or encouraged” by production.

Netflix did not immediately comment on the allegations.

Credit: Ser Baffo/Netflix (3)

A Tale of Two Proposals

During season 3, Nancy Rodriguez was torn between her connections with both Bartise Bowden and Andrew Liu. After struggling to make up her mind throughout the experiment, the speech pathologist ultimately chose Bartise despite concerns over their five-year age gap.

Before Nancy made her choice, however, Andrew attempted to pop the question before she rejected his advances. 

Credit: Ser Baffo/Netflix (3)

Finding the Perfect Match?

Cole Barnett (no relation to season 1’s Matt Barnett) was also caught in a love triangle during season 3. The Texas native was torn between ballet dancer Colleen Reed and flight attendant Zanab Jaffrey.

Cole ultimately dumped Colleen for failing to have deep conversations in the pod, before remarking in a confessional that they’d have “amazing sex and hot babies” but be financially “poor.” 

While Cole seemed happy to propose to Zanab and meet her in person, things shifted during their Malibu vacation. Cole told his fellow Love Is Blind men that he wasn’t attracted to her “passive-aggressive” nature when it came to nitpicking their joint living arrangements.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix (2)

What a ‘Smoke Show’

Bartise was equally torn between Nancy and Raven Ross in the pods. After ultimately deciding to propose to Nancy while the Pilates instructor moved on with Sikiru “SK” Alagbada, feelings were questioned on the group’s California vacation.

“I loved seeing Raven for the first time, she’s a f—king smoke show,” the businessman admitted to Nancy, recalling their formerly intense pod connection. “She’s hot as s—t.”

Credit: COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Trading Places?

After meeting in person, season 3’s Cole told ex Colleen that he found her very attractive and that she’s the type of girl he’d pursue in “the real world.” After confessing his conversation to fiancée Zanab, the flight attendant was insecure that her man found someone else more attractive.

Colleen, for her part, recalled the conversation to fiancé Matt Bolton, noting that while she told Cole she found him cute, she was focused on her engagement. Matt was upset about the big reveal — finding solace in Zanab as they commiserated over similar situations. Cole was ultimately unhappy that his fiancée was “Team Matt” instead of “Team Cole,” and proposed that maybe they should “swap fiancées” as a result.

Credit: PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX

Ready to Leave

After learning that Colleen was physically attracted to Cole, Matt was upset by his love’s supposed betrayal. Immediately after the ballet dancer addressed the conversation, Matt stormed off and proclaimed that he was done with their relationship. The pair eventually patched things up the next day.

As the couple’s romance progressed, they hit a snag after Matt got upset with Colleen partying at a Dallas club at 2 a.m. —instead of hanging at home with him. A fuming Matt confided in Bartise that he was “done” and started packing his suitcases.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix (2)

Cole Barnett Rating Zanab and Colleen

While Cole proposed to Zanab Jaffrey during the third season, he later admitted that he thought fellow contestant Colleen Reed, who he also connected with in the pods, was more attractive. The real estate agent rated the flight attendant — then his fiancée — as a “9 out of 10,” but he thought the ballet dancer was a “10 out of 10.”

“Everything that just feels out of character for me and that I’m like, ‘I didn’t feel that way. I don’t know why it came across that way.’ I mean, the rating women thing was really ridiculous to watch,” Cole told Us in November 2022 after Zanab turned him down at the altar. “I thought that was very disgusting to even be rating people. Like, that’s just ridiculous.”

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Blindsided at the Altar

Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez had a “roller-coaster” of a relationship after the senior analyst said “I don’t” during the season 3 finale.

“I think that the way he left me at the altar, being blindsided — I needed time to myself to really heal from a broken heart,” the real estate investor told Us in November 2022. “Do I have respect for him? Do I talk to him if he walks in the room? Yeah, sure. … We've kept it very surface-level, but it's black and white. He said, ‘Yeah, I'm sorry.’ He said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And so for me, leaving my shattered heart, like, at the [altar] — there was no coming back from that.”

Credit: Ser Baffo/Netflix (2)

Not So Cute

After Zaneb broke up with Cole on their wedding day, she revealed that his alleged body-shaming remarks contributed to her decision to say “no.”

“The pushing food away from me, the asking me if I’m going to eat that, trying to get me to order a salad, the daily comments about my face and my body were not used,” she claimed during the season 3 reunion, noting it was Cole’s “saving grace” that a bunch of footage was not shown. “And that’s great because it really did protect you and you are now denying it and calling me a liar in front of all these people.”

In one case, the flight attendant alleged that her now-ex questioned her decision to eat two clementines. While Cole has denied her claims, Alexa Alfia, Colleen Reed and Raven Ross have taken her side.

“There are two sides to the story and I still stand by what I said. The clementine story is irrelevant,” Alexa wrote via Instagram Story in November 2022, noting she will not apologize for sticking up for her friend during the reunion.

Credit: Netflix (3)

Interconnected Love Triangles in Season 4

Season 4, which premiered in March 2023, featured a trio of tangled love triangles. While Kwame Appiah was torn between Micah Lussier and Chelsea Griffin, Micah was involved in another three-sided situation. The marketing manager was also interested in Paul Peden, who hit it off with Amber Wilder in the pods.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Zack and Irina's Failed Engagement

Throughout the season 4 pods, Zack Goytowski was torn between his feelings for Irina Solomonova and Bliss Poureetezadi and ultimately broke up with Bliss to propose to Irina.

However, after meeting in person, the Russia native noticed a disconnect between the lawyer's pod voice and his actual “dorky” presence. Irina, who did not wear her engagement ring on the proper finger, even revealed that she wanted to wait to kiss and have sex. They eventually broke off their engagement before returning from their cast getaway to Mexico.

“I wouldn't say it was any kind of anything really, really specific. I think maybe after I saw Paul [Peden] — because I had an easy energy feeling with Paul — that I was like, ‘Wow, I really wanna have what I have with Paul,’” Irina confessed to Us Weekly in March 2023 of trusting her gut to break off her engagement. “I just felt, like, even [if Paul is just] a friend, I'm trying so hard with Zack and I don't have that [same feeling] and I wanna have that in my future and with my future spouse.”