The ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 7 Reunion Proves We Were Right About 1 Thing

On Wednesday night, Netflix premiered the Season 7 reunion special for its popular reality series “Love Is Blind.” For viewers like us who have tapped in every week to keep up with the drama, this episode has been much anticipated since so many of the details of the season didn’t seem to make it to our TV screens.
Nick and Vanessa Lachey returned as hosts of the special, and the cast — including Leo and Brittany, who didn’t end up making it to the post-proposal trip — showed up to give us updates and unpack some of what unfolded on the show.
“Love Is Blind” alums, including Season 1’s Jessica, Season 4’s Zack and Bliss, and Marshall, and Season 6’s A.D., were also there to share the latest news in their lives. (To the Lacheys’ delight, Zack and Bliss welcomed the first “Love Is Blind” baby earlier this year.)
HuffPost reporters and editors discussed the reunion and how it measured up to what was too often a messy and oddly produced season. Stay tuned for updates.
I really hate that we didn’t get to see more of what actually was going on with Tim and Alex. They are a mystery to me. Alex revealed more details about what happened during their big argument and said that she basically thought she was protecting him by not allowing him to get so loud that the producers would hear and start filming their argument. They also clarified that there was no physical assault that happened. As they were having their back-and-forth on stage at the reunion, I quickly realized that I’m not on either person’s side and that I probably never had a real reason to root for them to work. I’m not even sure why they had a connection and if there ever was a real connection that was established outside of the pods. I forget if it was Nick or Vanessa Lachey who suggested that they have a private conversation about their issues, but I immediately said to myself, what’s the point? They clearly can’t stand each other and can’t communicate well, so let’s just be happy that they never said “I do” and move on. — Erin
This is why some kind of camera should’ve been rolling during that argument on the Cabo trip because we’ll never know the full truth of what happened. Alex has her story and Tim has his, and neither one budged on their takeaways. If that was truly the unraveling point for them, they should’ve never met each other’s families because that just made a messy situation even messier.
Out of all the couples who split before their wedding days, I wanted to hear from Alex and Tim the most because so much context was left off-camera during their most heated moments. I hate that Vanessa cut their back-and-forth so abruptly and told them they should talk privately, because this is what the reunions are for: to hash out disagreements and get more clarity. Tim and Alex obviously do have a lot more to discuss, but Nick and Vanessa could’ve walked them through those moments better so it didn’t lead to such a huge blow-up where they didn’t get to say their full piece. I’m disappointed they left off on such a sour note, but if anything, we saw that that relationship clearly was doomed to fail. — Njera
Yes, Erin! There’s no kumbaya moment happening here. Their communication has been off since Cabo, and I’m not surprised that they argued like that during the reunion. I really think a trauma bond brought them together in the pods because I can’t see them ever truly relating on a platonic, let alone romantic, basis. — Taryn
Seeing Leo and Brittany screen reminded me that we really shoulda had one of the producers sit in the hot seat at this reunion. I have so many questions about how and why they edited the season like this. Even Vanessa’s questioning to Leo and Brittany seemed more like it should’ve been aimed at a producer than actually at them. I want to know what was the tell-tale sign that they didn’t need to go on to Cabo? Other than that cringey moment when Leo and Brittany first met, what set the producer off that this couple was the “weakest link.” I kind of admire that Leo and Brittany have become great friends. And Leo apologizing to both Hannah and Brittany was a nice gesture, even though I had kinda forgotten about that terrible convo he had with Hannah at the pods right as they were breaking up. — Erin
I had a feeling these two had become close friends after their split just by the way they were doing “Love Is Blind” promos together. I still kind of wish they went on the couples’ trip with everyone else so we could at least see why their connection fizzled out. I agree, a producer should’ve explained exactly why they weren’t filmed after the pods, but, hey, at least they came out of this experiment with a friendship.
I was also shocked that Leo offered up apologies to Brittany and Hannah so easily. Guess he came ready to do damage control after that aggressive conversation with Hannah and flip-flopping between her and Brittany in the pods. — Njera
I was just happy to learn that nothing nefarious happened between these two, honestly. I really don’t need answers as to why they weren’t chosen for Cabo. That feels like it happened a million years ago in reality TV time. But I’m glad they became friends and appear to have a healthy dynamic, which may have never happened if the cameras were rolling. — Elyse
I am not surprised that Hannah and Marissa are such close friends; it kind of makes sense to me. They both have intense personalities, so I’m sure they bonded hard with their mutual feelings of getting jilted — though I think Marissa’s grievances toward Ramses are much more valid than Hannah’s toward Nick. I’m sure these two set fire to relics of their LIB relationships together, maybe cast a hex or two, then went out to brunch and got sloppy on mimosas.
I’m glad Hannah and Marissa riled up the cast enough to basically force Nick to confess that he thought Hannah was a “grenade” upon seeing her for the first time (which, I’m guessing since I’m an elder millennial who doesn’t know WTF that means, is a term akin to being busted?)
But I also think way too much time was spent on forcing this confession out of Nick. To me, it doesn’t really matter if Nick found Hannah physically attractive or not, her delusion, cruelty and refusal to admit when she’s wrong were enough to turn anyone off.
I’m not totally buying the spin that she was insecure because Nick didn’t find her pretty enough. Hannah’s own brother called her out on having a negative personality. — Elyse
The Hannah-Marissa tag team got a little out of hand in my opinion. That back-and-forth lasted way longer than it should’ve because I thought Nick and Hannah were going to squash everything and move on once Hannah acknowledged how rude she was to Nick all season. They both could’ve taken accountability for their actions — Nick’s 90-day goal to be “the most famous person on ‘Love Is Blind’” was weird, so glad he owned that — but it felt like this situation escalated because Hannah and Marissa wanted to make sure Nick came out of this looking like a villain, too.
Hannah had a right to call Nick out for dissing her looks behind her back, but I didn’t get why Marissa had to insert herself into that conversation. I also wish this issue was brought up at some point during the season because maybe then people wouldn’t have been so hard on Hannah. This feels like another case of bad editing causing a misleading narrative, which caused them to spend way too much time ganging up on Nick. I was so over that scene by the end of it. — Njera
Though I do think Nick needed to be held accountable for whatever he said off-camera, this wasn’t it. I was right along with Garrett in feeling that it was immature and went on for entirely too long. Nick didn’t think Hannah was attractive. OK, so what? That doesn’t erase the fact that these two didn’t need to be in a relationship with each other and that Hannah was — and still is — cruel to him. Maybe we didn’t see all the messed-up shit Nick did to Hannah, but that’s not the reason for Hannah’s insecurities and bullying. This was a moment where the Lacheys needed to step in and ask the pointed questions to get to a resolve and bring order back to the conversation. — Taryn
Sorry, but I thought Garrett’s hair looked like a toupee, and I did not like it. I also thought all the conversation about his newfound fashion sense because of Taylor was cringey. I didn’t like her gladiator dress either, and I thought he looked like a magician from the 1970s. But maybe I’m the one who doesn’t have any fashion sense. — Cambria
I love his li’l transformation. It’s giving Disney prince for me. I do see your point about the hair being a little much, but I think it’s working for him way better than his style in the pods. I thought Taylor looked great; she might’ve been best dressed for me actually. The tight ponytail, the gold bodice. Work it, girl! — Erin
Cambria! “He looked like a magician from the 1970s” made me spit out my coffee! That’s so spot on! I liked Garrett’s longer hair, especially when they showed other photos of him from the past year, but the rest of the look, especially the shirt that was unbuttoned a little too much, was an ick for me. Something about the “glow-up” weirded me out a bit, and I can’t put my finger on why, other than it felt slightly inauthentic. The Garrett I got to know was a nerd who liked to stab fish, and that’s the Garrett I wanted at the reunion, I guess. — Elyse
I am so glad Ramses cut those rat tails off! But it didn’t change the fact that when I hear him speak in circles about why he broke things off with Marissa, all I hear is what the Peanuts heard whenever a teacher was talking to them. Every word out of Ramses’ mouth is pure “wah wah wah” to my ears. I get it. You couldn’t match her energy, that’s a fair enough reason to call off a relationship, IMO. I called out Marissa’s Tigger-esque high energy on day one. I wouldn’t be able to handle it either. But, dude, enough. We get it. Stop rambling and get off my screen. — Elyse
LMAO, it was the fact that Ramses had three different hairstyles on his head that was my first red flag for him: curls, a fade AND two locs that look like rat tails? I’m still glad Marissa’s mom called him out for that style. I’m digging the new ‘do! But, yes, I agree, Elyse. He’s valid in why he cut it off with her, but it still seems so crazy that he waited so long to do it. Also, I feel like we didn’t get to see as much of her big energy outside of the pods, which must have just been another one of the editing fails that we’ve complained about this season. Oh, well, Nick Lachey said it best when he told her she should find someone who will love all of her. I thought those comments he made were really, really kind. — Erin
Snooze. LOL. I didn’t really need an update from Monica and Stephen. And I’m glad they didn’t spend a ton of time here. Monica said her piece about not being respected (to a ton of cheers in the audience), and Stephen took full accountability for his actions. Next! — Erin
They kept it short and sweet with addressing their issues, and I’m glad because these two never should’ve gotten engaged in the first place. The whole DM situation during the sleep test sounded even stranger after Stephen explained what happened, but he owned it as expected, so there wasn’t much else to interrogate there. Glad Monica knew to leave that relationship behind. — Njera
I was just mad they didn’t ask her how much he had to Venmo her. lol. — Taryn
I really needed a mic on Marissa’s mom, Vanessa, throughout the reunion. She was giving valuable commentary over on that couch, sitting next to Hannah’s best friend, Katie. At one point, after Hannah addresses Katie’s question about whether there was actually trust between them, Vanessa says, “She let you feel like shit for a whole year.” I had to rewind it back to catch it, but that is valuable commentary. Katie just shrugs it off, but I kinda would watch Vanessa’s mom break down all the mess of this season with her commentary. — Erin
I want Marissa’s mom to host the next reunion. She asks the tough questions and says what we’re all thinking but have too much tact to say. That’s what this reunion is always missing: the cutthroat questions and observations. As much as I clutched my pearls at her commentary during the season, her brutal honesty is refreshing on a set full of bullshit and butterflies. — Taryn
Marissa’s mom — in all her Hot Topic glory — would make a great host. She could threaten people with scissors so we could all finally get the truth! — Elyse
I think we’ve all expressed this at some point, but I don’t care to ever see these people on my TV screen again. Apparently, Tyler and Ashley had a longer conversation about Tyler having three kids with his friend. Tyler revealing that information to Ashley didn’t get captured on TV because Tyler didn’t want to put the family through the mess of being addressed on reality TV. Ashley even brought up the fact that he lied about interacting with the kids – but he really did not want to tell everything about his family situation. Well, their plan didn’t work, obviously, because social media sleuths uncovered it over the course of the show. Here’s my thing: If you go on reality television, you kinda gotta expect that people are going to be all in your business. To hide a huge part of your life seems like a fool’s errand, and if the casting folks knew that Tyler was going to try to hide all this, then he shouldn’t have been cast. Now Tyler and Ashley seem to be giving off this mind-your-business attitude that really has soured me on them. I’m glad they found each other and found love, but now they need to leave us alone and live a quiet and happy life off-screen. — Erin
I can’t say I’m shocked at how they decided to address this whole debacle at the reunion. I get Tyler not wanting to have the kids and that family be exposed on national television, but a simple explanation of that from the jump could’ve nipped the whole social media scandal in the bud. Hell, he or Ashley could’ve at least put out a quick statement on Instagram saying that parts of the baby reveal conversation were purposely left out to protect the family and that they’d clarify details at another time.
I didn’t get the hostile energy at the reunion because, if you introduce something as big as being a “sperm donor” during the season after proposing, you should know that viewers are naturally going to have a lot of questions. The “Love Is Blind” producers didn’t do them any favors by editing that scene so heavily and allowing them to lie on camera, so they should really be mad at them. We are only judging based on the information we were privy to, so they could’ve saved us the “mind your business” attitude. Glad their marriage is still going strong, but I hope this is the last we’ll have to hear from them because their response to viewers’ criticism really left a bad taste in my mouth. — Njera
These two honestly deserve each other. I was over it with the finale, and I’m absolutely over it with them acting as if they’re above addressing the fact that Tyler lied about seeing his kids on national television. If you’re going to go on any sort of reality show, especially one in which the goal is to get married, then you have to also accept the fact that there will be public interest in your business, good, bad and ugly. There’s plenty of opportunity to be a deadbeat dad — or a ride-or-die for a deadbeat — out in the real world instead of reality TV. — Taryn
I don’t know, their responses didn’t bother me that much? I’m sure they’ve been bombarded by para-social sleuthing fans for the past month, and they’re exhausted and defensive.
I also get it’s a reality show, and you sign up for this, but I don’t think most humans are built or prepared for the realities of instant fame — even if they’re aware of them. And everyone responds to it differently, so I’ll offer these two a little grace.
I do think Njera’s Instagram statement would have been a great move, but a part of me wonders whether or not “Love Is Blind” would allow them to do that?
All in all, I thought these two were cute and all, but after the “sperm donor” drama marred their veneer, I checked out a bit. I did hope there’d be some more tea on them during the reunion, but they didn’t really want to spill, and that’s fine! I’m totally cool turning the page on these two. — Elyse
I know we gave Marissa’s mom some flak for being so hostile toward Ramses when they first met, but clearly she had a reason to be. I’m glad she was at the reunion to speak to how much Ramses calling off the engagement broke Marissa’s heart. I’m shocked she even took the time to try to reason with him about the breakup, but that just goes to show she really did have Marissa’s back the whole time.
I’m glad Marissa had her mom there as support because you can tell she’s still processing the split. It was hard to watch her be retraumatized by Ramses’ “the energy was too high for me” comments. But like Marissa’s mom said, ending the engagement was for the best because that relationship would’ve fizzled out so quickly and the breakup probably would’ve been even worse if they went through with the marriage. Hopefully they both can move on now and find the partners who suit them best. — Njera
Listen. Mama knows best. Even if she doesn’t approach it in the neatest way.
Marissa’s mom clearly supports and cares about her. Even to say that she opted for a civil conversation with Ramses instead of punching him in the throat after he broke up with her was her way of making it clear that she doesn’t play about her baby. It’s clear that Marissa is still healing and that her mom is an integral part of that journey. I’m sure in a few ways that in itself has strengthened their relationship. Even though I still wouldn’t have thanked Ramses’ trifling ass for calling off the wedding, I do understand where she came from with that. Marissa absolutely would’ve been miserable loving a man so hard who didn’t have the capacity to love her the way she deserves. — Taryn
I don’t care about anyone from Season 1 through Season 6, nor do I care about the future cast when we’re trying to get to the bottom of what the hell happened with Season 7. There was a whole montage of Bliss and Zack, as well as Jessica — whom I don’t even remember from Season 1 — and her husband and baby, which was weird and unnecessary. Like the last reunion, this felt like propaganda for viewers to “believe in” the “Love Is Blind” experiment. But let’s be really honest and not high-and-mighty here: The majority of us aren’t watching this show to believe in love again. We’re watching it to be messy and entertained and to have something to talk about in the group chat. — Taryn
The past few seasons of “Love Is Blind” have restructured the purpose of the reunion in a way that feels so off-putting. With these specials, we tune in to get the tea of what’s happened since the show wrapped and recap the biggest moments we still have questions about. This isn’t the time to parade around old cast members to strengthen the show’s brand or make an event of the reunion by having a live audience. We came for answers, and moments that could’ve been interrogated more were sacrificed so we could fawn over the “first ‘Love Is Blind’ baby” and a random Season 1 alum who didn’t even marry someone from the show.
Once again, Nick and Vanessa Lachey proved they were not interested in asking the cast all of the tough questions — we could’ve gotten more clarity on the major off-camera moments — but focused instead on wrapping up Season 7 in a neat, little bow so they could soft-launch the next season. We could’ve gone without the gimmicks. — Njera
I thought the intro, which “disguised” all of the “surprise guests,” was obnoxious. It was so obvious who all of those guests were that I could name them all — especially Marissa’s mom, with scissors at the ready to cut off Ramses’ balls. I think the “LIB” people knew this was obvious, but did it anyway. So, fuck them and fuck me for continuing to watch this trash.
I hear all of your complaints, and they’re totally valid. But I guess my hot take is that I actually kind of liked the guests this time? It was a bit more tamped down than the Season 6 reunion. That was basically just a promo for “Perfect Match,” a show I refuse to watch after enduring the celebration of hookup culture brimming in Season 1.
Personally, I liked hearing about Bliss and Zack living up to their mutual weirdness by giving their kid a really kooky name. I was delighted to see A.D. again — though I found it confusing that Marshall kept popping his head into her shot when she was talking about dating someone new. It made me think A.D. was dating Marshall, and I was like, “Noooooo, A.D., NO!”
I also giggled a bit while watching a montage of MESSICA’s (her name is Jessica, Taryn, and is pronounced in the sloppiest slutty-baby voice you can manage) wedding. During the montage, I kept seeing pics of Jessica at her wedding and thinking: “Is she drunk there? She’s definitely drunk there.”
I think they sprinkle in these old LIBers to give the audience a little break during the more intense points of the reunion, and I’m cool with that because I need the time to refill my glass of wine.
Sure, it’s all promo for the brand, but it’s still a little fun. — Elyse
Nick Lachey’s corny dad jokes during the reunion were eye-roll-inducing, but I mean, isn’t that exactly what we expect from the Lacheys at this point? I did say “enough” while he was making the Taylor Swift puns, but it wasn’t any weirder than Vanessa’s “could I please sacrifice your baby to the Netflix gods” behavior when she met Zack and Bliss’ baby. — Elyse
I have watched a zillion reality TV show reunions — and they all have a little bit of cringy writing in them as the hosts try to tee up new conversations with the cast members. But every time one of the Lacheys opened their mouth, I wanted to fast forward. Sometimes you really don’t need a segue that’s so dynamic and wordy. You can just say, next topic or let’s turn to so and so! Why were we tortured like this? The editing of it was also a little weird because in the moments where they kept referencing “wrap it up” to refer to the contraception conversation between Marissa and Ramses — but also to move on to another subject — the awkward silence was palpable. The look on Ramses’ face was like … this is ridiculous! I felt him so hard in those moments because they were trying to be cute and funny, and instead it felt like they were beating a dead horse. — Erin