Love Is Blind’s Monica Denies Stephen’s Claim They’re Pals After Split

Though the now-famed art dealer decided to pop the question to the Keeping Well author following his love triangle with Hannah Jiles, the pair ultimately decided after their short engagement, they were better off as friends.

“The chemistry just wasn't there,” Brittany previously told People in a joint interview with Leo. “We had a talk in the beginning about how this could work and then time went on during the trip and the chemistry just wasn't there and we mutually felt that. We're very good communicators, so it was not a big ordeal. It was a very clean, respectful realization.”

Monica and Stephen’s relationship came to a screeching halt when she uncovered “really kinky” sext messages sent between her fiancé and another woman, causing the pair to break up shortly after they arrived home from Mexico. As for Stephen, he apologized in the moment during episode eight, but he also shared a message on social media once the episode aired.

"I hope I didn't ruin anyone's day by existing," he wrote on Instagram Stories Oct. 8, "and if I did, I'm sorry you had to wake up this morning. I wish you didn't have to either. But I'll love you all the same."  

Once Hannah and Nick embarked on life outside the pods, the two had their fair share of ups and downs—and disagreements—to say the least. (Let’s not forget: “I think you get treated as an equal when you star contributing like an equal.”)

And it all came to a head when Hannah decided they wouldn’t make down the aisle. As for Nick, he called their breakup “one of the worst feelings of my life.”

Since then, Hannah has admitted the show forced her to do some self-introspection.

“I’ve learned a lot, I’ve learned there’s things I need to work on,” she said during an October episode of The Viall Files podcast. “For example, I am a very direct person. I know that but I think my delivery is rough. And I’ve learned that delivery is everything.”

A match made in science-based heaven (i.e. those serendipitous tattoos), Taylor and Garrett clicked from the very beginning and just seemed destined to say, “I do.” Though they did hit a rough patch once Taylor found out he responded to an ex’s DM (according to Garrett, he confirmed he was engaged and shut it down), the rest is Love Is Blind history.

The pair were still married at the Love Is Blind reunion in October 20224.

Yes, you read that right: Though Marissa and Ramses rose to become one of this season’s frontrunners of the couples who would make it, the latter ultimately called off their wedding after having second thoughts.

“We have a great future ahead of us, I want to marry you,” Marissa tells her fiancé after a sit-down to which he responds, “I understand falling love is a risk, I understand that.”

However, he noted their differences—which have included his stance on the military—may not be enough for them to work through. “After being married and seeing other marriages and hearing from other married people,” he added. “I just don’t think love alone is enough…I think there needs to be other things that are also working.”

As for Marissa, though she tried to navigate past their perspectives, once she confirmed it was over, she broke down into tears. “I don’t think you should’ve come to this experience,” she tells him. “How could I feel so sure? And you’re not? It sucks, I want you to choose me,” adding of their split, “This is the worst day of my life.”

Tyler and Ashley quickly became a fan-favorite couple after viewers watched their relatively easy-going romance unfold. However, the couple hit a bump in the road once Tyler later shared that he had three children, which Ashley referred to as his "sperm donor babies." (However, there’s online discourse over the extent of his involvement, which he has not addressed publicly).

Alas, Ashley and Tyler were able to move past this fact and went on to not only reconnect—but in fact, become husband and wife.

“We started this journey two months ago and this changed our entire lives,” Tyler says while sitting alongside Ashley after their wedding. “Now, we get to spend the rest of our lives together.”

As for Ashley, she also couldn’t be happier. “I’m looking forward to daily, simple things with you,” she tells him, to which Tyler responds, “Just little things that make her happy, daily, weekly, monthly, then that builds up and before we know it…”

Ashley then guesses, “Kids?” to which he agrees and she confirms, “Yeah I’m fine with that.”

Their marriage was still going strong at the reunion episode in October 2024.

Alex and Tim seemed to smooth over their major disagreement in Mexico over by the time they got back home to Washington, D.C. and seemed to be better than ever. In fact, Tim had an emotional meeting with Alex’s dad that seemed to cement their future.

However, after Alex met with Tim’s family, they got into yet another argument and Tim ended their engagement by telling Alex that he didn’t ever want to see her again. Since then, both have spoken out to defend themselves after the breakup, with Alex noting that their split was not “a mutual decision.”

After one or two (or a few) fights throughout the season, Chelsea and Jimmy appeared to finally put their disagreements behind them during an amusement park date set right before their wedding.

However, Jimmy made it clear that he was ready for their rollercoaster ride to end, breaking off his engagement to a teary-eyed Chelsea—who was stunned at his decision.

"I love you to death and I want a relationship with you,” Jimmy told Chelsea on their date, “and it want it work so bad—but I don’t want to go to the altar. I can’t.”

As he explained, “We’re condensing it down to one argument, but it’s been like five or six really big issues that really hit home and hurt my feelings.” (One being that Chelsea revealed Jimmy’s secret about his past relationship with his female friend.)

And after yet another back-and-forth between the two over their respective ties with exes, Chelsea left for good in tears: “I was so hopeful for us.”

The pair were both single during the March 2024 reunion.

While Clay expressed his hesitation to getting married due to his own outlook on his father’s infidelity, AD reassured him that they would prevail as a couple and all seemed to be well between the two. 

But once faced with the task of saying I do to forever at the altar, Clay said I don’t instead, telling AD that it wouldn’t be “responsible” of him to get married knowing he wasn’t ready.

Cue the shock.

“I’m going to put the work in for you,” he told AD, “and we’ll go through this together. I don’t care what nobody says; I know fully I’m not ready for marriage and you deserve the best. And if I’m not ready to give you 100 percent, I won’t go there with you when I’m not ready…I can’t say yes right now.”

It was a revelation that made AD declare through tears that the relationship was a waste of her “f--king time.”

As for Clay, he also revealed that financial—and emotional—ties played a big part in him walking away. “I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Am I a husband?’” he admitted, “and the answer was no. Am I deeply in love? The answer was no.’”

During the reunion, Clay expressed that he made a mistake and wanted to date AD, but she played coy on if she'd ever consider getting back together.

AD confessed that she did go on a couple dates with costar Matthew Duliba after filming wrapped, but they are not together.

The only season six couple who did say yes to forever? Amy and Johnny, who not only celebrated their new beginning with a gorgeous ceremony, but also seamlessly merged their families into one, with Amy’s dad sweetly telling Johnny’s sister that he feels like he has “multiple daughters” now.

As for Johnny, he too declared at his reception that his father-in-law was his “new dad.”

They were still married during the reunion episode.

Though their romance started off strong, Brittany and Kenneth’s relationship fizzled out once they returned to the real world.

As Brittany told Life & Style, “I think that it really took a different turn when we got back to Charlotte and got back home. And I think that our in the pods we were very, very passionate and very intense. And then coming back home, that intensity kind of died down a bit.”

The former fiancés remain friends, with Brittany saying at the reunion, "Although we are no longer in a relationship together, the bond that we have is going to last for an eternity."

Laura and Jeramey’s engagement came to a fiery end once Laura learned her fiancé had reconnected with another pod mate, Sarah Ann Bick, during a night out. After their tense confrontation, Laura told Jeramey to kick rocks.

But instead of that, he went off to ride jet skis with Sarah Ann. 

During the reunion in March 2024, Jeramey revealed he has been dating Sarah Ann off-and-on for a year—ever since filming the show—but they've since broken up.

Laura is dating someone else, who she did not identify at the reunion.

While the season five couple seemed to have worked their way through various issues—including Izzy’s early connection with Johnie Maraist and Stacy’s high expectations about her lifestyle and plateware (no paper plates, please!)—Stacy cited Izzy's dishonesty about his credit history as a major reason she chose not to get married.

Despite not saying “I do” at the altar, however, Stacy still wanted to remain in a relationship with the devastated Izzy.

"We’re at different spots,” he told her. "It really breaks my heart."

As for Stacy, she was thankful to Izzy for opening her up "emotionally," but she didn't feel 100 percent about their future. "Fairly certain isn't good enough for me to say yes for the rest of my life," she explained.

Izzy is now dating surgical assistant Shelby Webb.

Season five's sole success story came from arguably its most unlikely pairing. 

After getting off to a rocky start after it was revealed Lydia was in a relationship with Milton's pod-friend Uche Okoroha before the show began, the geology-loving pair were the only ones to make it through the experiment still in a relationship. 

"Getting married is a dream come true," Lydia said. "I feel so, so happy. I got everything I need right here. It feels like home, it feels safe."

Ever the analytical engineer, Milton said, "All of the data points led me to: this is the right decision."

Opposites seemed to attract all season for this pair...until they got to the altar. Sensing Paul's hesitation, Micah asked him to give his answer first and it was a pass on marriage for Paul. 

"I literally feel like a disaster," Micah said. "If Paul would have wanted to marry me, I 100 percent would have said 'I do.'"

At the reunion, Paul apologized for his comment in a confessional about not being able to see Micah as a mother. 

"I think I phrased that really unfairly toward her," Paul explained. "I think the better way to phrase that would be that I can't see us as parents."

While the duo briefly reconciled after filming, they ultimately weren't able to make their relationship work, with Paul explaining they broke up for good when he visited Micah in Arizona.

In After the Altar, Paul revealed he was dating a new woman who enjoyed traveling and his cooking skills. He eventually went Instagram official with eyelash beautician Geneva Dunham.

Despite Kwame's mother refusing to attend the wedding and his arguably inappropriate conversations with Micah, whom he also connected with in the pods, Kwame and Chelsea were one of the three couples to exchange vows at the end of season four. 

During the reunion, Chelsea revealed she has since met her husband's mom and Kwame offered an apology to his wife and her family for his behavior, saying his talks with Micah were "not the best representation."

The couple is living in Seattle with their beloved dog Rocky.

Sure, they say love is blind, but occasionally it needs a little bit of time—or proposing to another woman—to realize you made the wrong choice. Which is what happened when Zack initially got engaged to Irina Solomonova, only for the couple to break up during their trip to Mexico.

After asking Bliss for a second chance, the pair defied the odds (and Bliss' dad's wishes) and both said "I do" at the altar. (And, no, they did not sit it out, enjoying that all important first turn around the dance floor to Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," the song that bonded them in the pods.)

After the finale aired, Zack shared a photo of the couple on Instagram with the caption "Eternal Bliss."

The couple shared in November 2023 that they are expecting their first baby.

Come on, not since season one's Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed has an LIB pairing seemed so meant to be!

The oldest couple in the experiment—Tiffany was 36 and Brett was 37—exchanged vows, even though Brett had a sartorial emergency when his pants did not fit properly on their wedding day. (Shout out to seamstress Lucia, you're a real one!)

Since filming wrapped, Tiffany and Brett moved to Portland and are still perfect! Phew!

After SK said "I don't" at their wedding, he and Raven seemingly parted ways.

However, when the cameras stopped rolling, the former flames reunited, revealing they were dating again during the season three reunion special. 

But a month later, the couple announced that "we have decided to go our separate ways" amid allegations that SK had been unfaithful. In a joint statement shared on social media in November, SK and Raven said, "Due to on-going legal proceedings surrounding these allegations, we cannot provide additional details and ask that you please respect our privacy during this hard time. Thank you for following our love story and believing in us."

Fans watched with dismay as Jackie chose to give Josh Demas, the other man she connected with in the pods, a second chance, meeting up with him before ending her engagement to Marshall.

However, during the reunion, Jackie set the record straight on the timeline of events. "I broke up with Marshall before I met Josh at the coffee shop," she said. "It looks like I'm a cheater. I am not a cheater."

Jackie then addressed the end of her relationship with Marshall, saying she "can take accountability" for her words and actions. "We just weren't meant to be."

As for her romance with Josh? They were still dating and living together in After the Altar, but Jackie announced during a September 2023 Instagram Live that they had broken up.

As for Marshall, he told E! that he briefly connected with fellow contestant Kacia Clark after the show. "We tried," Marshall explained, "But I wanted to just distance myself from all of that from that experience."

In After the Altar, Marshall revealed he's been dating girlfriend Dr. Chay Barnes for one year and wants to spend forever with her. They got engaged in December 2023.

Nancy and Bartise had one of Love Is Blind's more explosive weddings, but not because of the bride or groom.

While Nancy was ready to get married in the season three finale episode, Bartise revealed he was not so confident in their relationship. The update did not sit well with Nancy's family, who unapologetically sounded off on Bartise.

Despite the drama, Bartise and Nancy have maintained an on-again, off-again friendship. "We've gone from being friends to being acquaintances," he told E!, "to being completely no communication back to friends."

And in April 2023, Bartisse, who appeared on Perfect Match, announced the arrival of his son, Hayden, though he hasn't publicly shared the identity of the little one's mom. 

Several months later, he debuted his new romance with Cait Vanderberry on Instagram.

Nancy has also entered a new relationship, but has yet to publicly reveal her boyfriend's identity. 

During the season finale, viewers watched as Alexa and Brennon got married in front of their loved ones.

In heartwarming vows, Alexa gushed, "You make me laugh, you make me think and, more than anything else, you make me happy."

The lovers announced in January 2024 that they are expecting their first baby and welcomed daughter Vienna Ziva Lemieux in July.

Well, we can't say we're surprised by this breakup.

The two never seemed to be on the same page during their courtship, resulting in several skirmishes. Though Zanab and Cole made it to the wedding altar, Zanab declared, "You have disrespected me. You have insulted me. You have critiqued me. And for what it is worth, you have single-handedly shattered my self-confidence."

Cole later reflected on their tumultuous relationship.

"We were going through all these bumps, but we were working through things and finding smoother waters," he told E! News. "And so I was hoping that we would at least be able to continue after the wedding if we didn't get married on that day."

Colleen and Matt successfully exchanged vows in the season three finale.

Despite the highs and lows they faced during their courtship, the pair felt confident in their relationship and happily said "I do."

On why she ultimately chose to go through with the wedding, Colleen told E! News, "As soon as I saw him cry and snort, I was like, 'That's my man.' So I knew that I was going to say yes as soon as I saw him."

And for those wondering, Colleen confirmed, "A year-and-a-half later, we're very, very happy."

During the season finale, Sal wasn't able to say, "I do."

In an E! News interview, he revealed that he was single after filming.

"Dating in the future now?" he said. "I don't even know the approach. I think the best approach is stay off the dating apps." 

As we know, Deepti and Shake's time on the show did not end with a happily ever after. 

While Deepti revealed to E! News that she is now single, her brother and Shake have been feuding on Instagram."'Shake', bruh, you're a loser," Deepti's brother Sunny and his partner Hina Merchant Vempati wrote in a joint Instagram. "You minimized my sister's life by making some awful and cringeworthy comments about her."

They continued, urging Shake to "stay the f--k away" from their sister.

Looks like Shake will be heading to his Nobu reservation alone! 

Though Natalie and Shayne's time on the show didn't end with the exchanging of vows, Natalie told E! the "love stories" we saw on the show were "completely genuine."

"It's not reality TV," Natalie shared. "It's our real lives, real feelings, and our real relationships."

Which is why Natalie was so hurt when Shayne allegedly agreed to star on the spinoff series Perfect Match while they were attempting to make their relationship work post-failed nuptials. 

"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," she revealed on Instagram, adding  that she "encouraged him to continue filming."

And when production for Perfect Match had wrapped, Natalie said she met up with Shayne but "ultimately told him we shouldn't reconcile." 

Shayne, meanwhile, briefly dated Too Hot to Handle alum Chloe Veitch after they connected on Perfect Match. 

While the pair confirmed their friendship had blossomed into a romance in the After the Altar spinoff, which debuted in September 2022, Kyle announced just days later that they had split in the time since the special was filmed.

And in April, Kyle proposed to his girlfriend Tania Leanos, whom he did not meet in a pod.