Love Is Blind‘s much-anticipated season 2 finale is finally here!
The popular Netflix reality series returned in mid-February with 30 contestants searching for love and dating without ever seeing their partners. Of the six couples who got engaged in the pods before meeting in person, five of them made their way to the altar in Friday’s finale: Iyanna McNeely and Jarrette Jones, Deepti Vempati and Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee, Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson, Mallory Zapata and Salvador Perez and Natalie Lee and Shayne Jansen.
At the altar, each couple was tasked with choosing whether to proceed with marrying their partner or pump the brakes on their whirlwind romance. Upon doing so, hopefuls determined whether or not love is truly blind.
The unique romantic journey proved to be unsuccessful for most duos, though there were some pairings that defied the odds. Scroll down to learn the fate of the remaining five couples.
Danielle and Nick
The episode picked back up with Nick and Danielle standing at the altar. Danielle, 29, confidently said “absolutely” when asked whether she’d marry her love, but Nick, 36, hesitated before answering.
“I do,” he eventually said. “I have no question whatsoever that you are the person I’m supposed to be with.”
Added Nick, “I’m glad that I found you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life being better together.”
Later speaking to the cameras, Nick said he is “very happy” and “very excited” to be married. “Saying yes and committing to getting married today to Danielle was a game-time decision because I wasn’t 100 percent sure that she was 100 percent sure,” he admitted.
“But it all worked out the way it was supposed to,” he added. “That means that I’m a married man and we have a whole life of 50-some-odd years together — and I can’t wait.”
Danielle, for her part, said in a separate confessional: “This is everything I could have ever wanted. So, love is blind, obviously.”
Deepti and Shake
While Shake, 33, and Deepti, 31, appeared to get along flawlessly, they had one big issue: Shake was concerned that he was not feeling an “intense physical connection” with his bride. And he said so, quite a few times.
“This isn’t something that you can be, like, 80 percent sure,” Shake told his groomsmen of his hesitancies. “You have to be 150 percent sure, right? … I don’t feel that kind of instinctual physical attraction.”
Shake then acknowledged his connection with Deepti, saying it was the sort of bond that often only comes once in “a lifetime.”
Deepti, on the other hand, told her group she was a “glass case of emotions.” But she was still excited.
Everything changed when Deepti reached the altar. After the officiant asked Deepti whether she wanted Shake to be her husband, she took a deep breath before choosing to walk away from the relationship.
“I hope you know how much you mean to me and the impact you’ve made on my life, but no, I cannot marry you,” she said. “I deserve somebody who knows for sure. So I’m choosing myself and I’m going to say no.”
After she walked away from the altar, Deepti told the cameras Shake is “not the one” for her. “If he was, he’d make me feel like I was the one and he never did that,” she added.
In an attempt to turn things around, Shake told wedding guests that the gathering is still “a celebration” and encouraged everyone to dance to the music. Shake then told some attendees he’s partially “upset” with Deepti’s decision but believes they’ll be friends someday.
Natalie and Shayne
Shayne and Natalie’s big day got off on the wrong foot since they got into a huge argument the night before. Shayne, 32, called Natalie, 29, the “worst thing” that’s happened to him and said he “hated” her. Because of this, Shayne feared Natalie might not be able to “let go” of the comments.
“I know in my heart that I love Shayne so much, and I want to work it out,” Natalie said in a confessional. “But I’m scared.”
While at the altar, Shayne agreed to go forward with marrying Natalie and said “there’s no one else” he’d want to be with. But Natalie ultimately chose to back out.
“I’m so glad that we shared this journey together. I think we’ve grown a lot, as two people who have fallen in love. I know I’ve grown a lot because of you, but I don’t,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry, Shayne. I still love you and you’re still my best friend, but like, we have really big issues to sort through.”
Later, the pair had an emotional exchange. Natalie said they can try to “work on” their issues and that she wasn’t “closing the door” on their love, though Shayne needed “time” to think about what he wanted going forward.
“Before our fight, I was 100 percent sure I was going to marry him today. Like, today would have looked so different, but saying that you hate someone, telling someone you’re the worst thing that’s ever happened to them, those words cannot be unintentionally said,” Natalie said in an interview. “I thought today, truly, was going to be the happiest day of my life.”
Added Shayne in a separate confessional, “Still love her. Still think she’s a good person. But you think I’m actually going to f—— come back to you after that kind of stuff again?”
Mallory and Salvador
Mallory, 32, and Salvador, 31, experienced their fair share of hardships before heading to the altar, including compatibility differences and not having support from all family members.
Moments before the ceremony, Mallory told some loved ones she can see a future with Salvador. But Salvador admitted to his own family he’s not sure what’s best for the couple.
“I still feel undecided,” he then said in a confessional. “I feel like I need to see her. I need to see her in her dress and I know it’s going to be when she’s coming down the aisle, but I know that when I’m there and I get to hold Mallory’s hands and just voice how I feel, it’ll all be okay.”
The pair exchanged kind words before giving their final decision, which concluded with Salvador choosing not to marry Mallory. “I feel like I just need more time,” Salvador said through tears as Mallory also teared up before adding, “It’s okay.”
Salvador then spoke directly to all of Mallory’s loved ones that were in attendance, though her parents did not attend the ceremony. He apologized to everyone and thanked them for coming, nonetheless.
“I know this was hard for all of you too,” he said. “I can only give her my most truest self and my most honest choice. That’s why I said no today. I just thank you for being here for us today.”
Afterward, Mallory and Salvador spoke separately about his decision. Though Mallory felt Salvador wasn’t “100 percent sure” about his decision before the ceremony, he revealed he “almost” said yes instead. Mallory also admitted she partially hoped he’d agree to marry her, but she wasn’t entirely sure how she’d respond if he did.
Salvador then suggested that they go on a date and try to “remain in each other’s lives,” but he still wanted to “take a few days” first before determining whether they should get back together.
Iyanna and Jarrette
The couple’s primary challenge before their wedding was whether or not Jarrette, 32, would be able to slow down his bachelor lifestyle. Before heading to the altar, Iyanna, 27, addressed this concern once more in a confessional.
“He says he’s going to make adjustments, but I haven’t seen those adjustments yet,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to see that in action until after we say I do. That’s a huge risk. That’s a huge risk to take. I just need more time, and I don’t have that.”
Added Iyanna, “So, I have to either take a very, very large leap of faith off a f—— cliff or just walk away.”
During the ceremony, which was officiated by Jarrette’s father, the bride and groom both got emotional while exchanging vows. Jarrette said “I do” without any hesitation, but Iyanna waited for a beat before saying the same.
“I just married the woman of my dreams. I’m f—— on top of the world right now — cloud nine,” Jarrette told the cameras. “I met my damn wife through a wall. Not too many people can say that, not too many understand that, but it happened.”
Added Jarrette, “I’m a married man. I’m a husband. I’m going to wear this s— with pride.”
Iyanna said in a separate interview this is only “the beginning” for the couple. “We have so much more to do, but, oh, my God, this is a great start,” she concluded.
The first two seasons of Love Is Blind are now streaming on Netflix.
