The emotional rollercoaster that was the second season of Love Is Blind concluded with an hour-long reunion special, hosted by Hollywood couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey. This is one reality show retrospective that had us settling in and reaching for the popcorn.
Fans of the show were left with many questions after the final episode aired on Netflix a week prior and the drama-filled reunion definitely did not disappoint. The untold drama reminded us of why we tuned in and answered some big questions along the way.
Shake Has Gone Full Villain
As soon as the episode kicks off, Shake says he is worried about how he is "going to be edited." Shake spent much of the season interrupting the rest of the cast at every opportunity he got. As such, all the editing in the world couldn't change viewers' opinions on him. Shayne's up first, he is in the middle of explaining why he always asked Shaina what she was wearing when Shake cuts him off. You see, Shake has realized that the show "isn't about finding a wife, it's about finding love," to which Nick responds, "as long as she can get on your shoulders," calling out Shake's misogynistic behavior in the pods. Shake continues with his theory. This indicates that he did not watch season one because that is literally the point of the show. Danielle is on the same page here, asking him if he "read the description before going on the show."
Next, Shaina is explaining to Mark that she is sorry for leading him on when Shake jumps in and suggests that her motivation for saying "yes" to Mark was to stay on the show longer. Shayne is sitting next to him, and it looks like it is taking every fiber of his being to not explode, while Nick adds that he unfollowed Shake because of this type of behavior. Iyanna steps in and says that Shake should just shut up. Shake's supervillain power must be interrupting people because he just can't help himself. Next, Sal is his target. Shake has feedback on why he and Mallory didn't work out. It's not very insightful, and turns into an attack on the entire cast, shouting 'I keep it one hundred' at anyone who disagrees with him. At one point in the show Shake even manages to anger Nick and Vanessa, who break host mode to lecture him on the way he treats people.
Danielle And Nick Are Couple Goals
Nick and Danielle are stronger than ever, with Danielle saying that once they left the show and the pressure that came with it, they stopped fighting and were able to communicate more. Nick goes on to say that something they have learned in couples therapy is to "listen more and talk less". Couples therapy! These two are in it for the long haul, and they genuinely seem to want to make each other happy.
Vanessa asks if the furniture in Nick's apartment is still intact since Danielle moved in, referencing Danielle's party-girl, table-top dancing ways, causing a lot of sexual innuendoes and confessions about a very stable granite bench. We get a glimpse at the couple's new life together with a cute home video of their shared apartment and their cat and dog who clearly hate each other. Other than the conflict between their pets, Danielle and Nick's life now seems drama-free.
Shayne And Natalie Still Have Complicated Feelings For Each Other
Shayne looks stressed out of his eyeballs even before the first question, and Nick does not hold back, asking him about the time he mistook Natalie for Shaina and then going on to accuse him of gaslighting her when she called him out on it. Shayne shows genuine remorse and says that he is "embarrassed" by it. Nick plays a clip of Shaina's last-ditch effort to win over Shayne in the pods, and Shayne looks like he is in physical pain. In her diplomatic way, Natalie gently calls out Shaina for going behind her back, while Shayne goes into victim mode, citing how stressful that situation was for him. Lucky for him, he is interrupted by Mark, who seems to be calling out the producers for creating that whole situation, at which time someone might need to explain to him how reality TV works.
The time has come to discuss the fight that ended it all for the front-runner couple, Shayne and Natalie. Shayne admits that he needs to learn how to communicate better, but Natalie is so upset that she can hardly speak. She says that she knows that Shayne didn't mean what he said, but she is sad because that fight is the reason they didn't get married. Shayne says that Natalie needs to take a bit of ownership of the argument. Natalie breaks down saying that she "hates that she made him feel like he wasn't enough because he was more than enough." Natalie says that "in their situation, there is no good guy or bad guy," a stark contrast to Deepti and Shake's relationship. Overall, it is a pretty heartbreaking conversation between two people who seem to have a lot of residual feelings for each other. Natalie finally reveals that the two dated again after the show, but it didn't work out, Shayne says that it is because it was all "too fresh." Now that Shayne and Natalie are at breaking point, Vanessa asks Shayne if he has seen Shaina since the show, and he completely shuts down, leaving Shaina to jump in and confirm that they have seen each other as friends.
Queen Deepti Reigns Supreme
Queen of knowing her own self-worth, Deepti is here, and she is as composed as ever as she watches her ex-flame make a complete fool of himself on national television. When she can finally no longer hide her disdain, she does not hold back telling Shake that he is extremely disrespectful and the way he talks about women is degrading. She tells him that "it says a lot about him as a person that everyone has a problem with him." The entire cast is in support of her, including hosts Nick and Vanessa.
Deepti reveals that all the girls, as well as Shayne and Jarrett, warned her not to marry Shake because of what he was saying behind her back. While Natalie and Iyanna confirm that what we saw on the show was a watered-down version of what he had actually said, the entire audience pauses to Google 'what did Shake actually say about Deepti?'.
Shaina And Mark Are Still A Trainwreck
Vanessa plays the clip of Mark proposing to Shaina and the moment is even harder to watch this time around. Mark says that he had no idea that Shaina had a thing going with Shayne and was upset that she used him as a backup in case she couldn't win Shayne back. Shaina looks very confused and as though she can't seem to make out his face from so far away.
Overall Shaina says she "100%" owns her mistakes, but that she also felt "manipulated" being given Mark's mother's engagement ring. She is, of course, interrupted by Shake because it has been at least five minutes since everything was about him.
Who Even Knows What The Deal Is With Sal And Mallory
Nick begins his segue to Sal and Mallory starts with "a couple who gave us some great music," and we're all panicking that Sal is going to whip his ukulele out from behind the couch. Vanessa must share this concern because she quickly interjects with a question, asking Mallory if they ever did meet up for coffee, to which Mallory responds that they did but it "didn't make sense to continue on."
Nick says that out of all the couples he felt like "there was always something going on with them that he couldn't put his finger on." Same, Nick, same! Sal responds in the most Sal way with a million words that mean nothing. The word "karma" is in there somewhere, he says something about there being no point... Sal, this is exactly what Nick was talking about. Shake interrupts, and this time it is a relief because this is going nowhere.
Jarrett And Iyanna Are Still The Best Part Of The Series
Jarrett and Iyanna are looking madly in love and super happy in their matching outfits. Vanessa asks if Iyanna and Jarrett watched the conversation between Jarrett and Mallory in Mexico together. Of course they didn't, Vanessa! That would have been incredibly uncomfortable, queue Vanessa playing the clip. Thankfully Iyanna is a queen and takes it like a champ saying that her anger at the situation was aimed at Jarrett rather than Mallory because he is her "partner, and he's the one that owes her loyalty, Mallory doesn't owe her anything." Jarrett apologizes profusely and says that it should never have happened and that it was a "bad joke that was taken out of context."
Jarrett and Iyanna seem to be a happy couple, explaining that marriage is hard because they are so different, but that working on their relationship is very rewarding. Finally, Vanessa asks if the couple were intimate before their big day, and as anyone who saw that shower scene could have guessed, the answer is "yes."