‘Love Is Blind: After the Altar’: Catching Up With the Couples Ahead of the Reunion Series

Paige Strout July 25, 2021, 1:00 pm

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‘Love is Blind: After the Altar’: Catching Up With the Couples Ahead of the Reunion Series, Featured Image — Netflix

Netflix’s reality competition Love is Blind introduced viewers to one of the most unique dating shows in recent years. Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the series follows 30 men and women looking for love as they blind-date each other in “pods,” agreeing to an engagement before ever seeing the other’s face.

Season 1, which aired in early 2020, followed 6 couples out of the pods and into reality as they dealt with real-world struggles less than a month before their wedding day. The new three-episode reunion special, Love is Blind: After the Altar, will see the couples catch up two years after filming, promising new revelations and drama. Below, catch up on each couple’s story before the special premieres on July 28!

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Lauren & Cameron

After getting to know one another in the dating pods, Lauren and Cameron became the first couple to get engaged. The two were perhaps the most stable couple throughout the season. The most drama the couple faced surrounded Cameron meeting Lauren’s dad. During his meeting with Lauren’s mother, both women expressed concern about her father’s approval. As Lauren stated in Episode 4, Cameron was the first white guy she had ever dated. When the two meet, her dad brings up the topic of being an interracial couple and the possible struggles that may come with that. Luckily, Cameron stayed calm and collected and was able to win him over. In the season finale, the two lovebirds said “I Do” and officially tied the knot.

Lauren and Cameron remain happily married and even started a YouTube channel together called Hanging With the Hamiltons. They adopted a dog named Sparks and recently went to Universal Studios Hollywood with fellow Love is Blind couple Amber and Barnett.

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Amber & Barnett

Amber and Barnett were the other couple who walked down the aisle in the season ender, but their relationship had a bit of a rockier start. While the two connected in the pods, a few other women had strong connections with Barnett as well, including Jessica. After Jessica said yes to Mark’s proposal, Barnett was stuck between choosing Amber and another contestant, LC. Ultimately, Barnett proposed to Amber, and the two met for the first time in person. Things were smooth sailing until the couples met each other, and Jessica saw Barnett for the first time. Jessica’s feelings for Barnett put a strain on both couples’ relationships, but not enough to change Barnett and Amber’s feelings for one another. Even after Amber admitted that she’s in a lot of debt and had a rough first meeting with Barnett’s family, the two pushed through to the end, making them one of two couples that ended the series married.

The two are still together and happy as ever, often going on many adventures with their dog, Koda. Whether they are kayaking, going to the beach, or dressing up in Pokémon onesies, they always seem to have a good time.

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Jessica & Mark

Viewers knew Jessica and Mark were in for a wild ride ever since they met in the dating pods. The two sparked a connection right away, despite their 10-year age gap. What Mark didn’t know was how strongly Jessica connected with Barnett, as well. That became a running theme throughout their relationship, as Jessica struggled with translating their pod connection to real life, still having lingering feelings for Barnett. Unlike most of the other couples, they didn’t become intimate right away, as Jessica wanted to take things slow. However, Jessica later admitted to Mark that she was unsure if she would ever work up to having a physical connection with him. Their relationship took a turn for the worse when a tipsy Jessica confessed her remaining feelings for Barnett to Mark after the birthday party. Mark spends the remainder of the season looking for clarity about her feelings for him. Even after successful meetings with each other’s families and Jessica supposedly moving on from Barnett, it was no surprise that these two didn’t work out. Jessica said no to Mark at the altar, leaving him heartbroken. Afterward, she was told by producers that Barnett said “I do” to Amber, making her once again regret turning him down.

Obviously, Jessica and Mark are no longer together. Both have moved on with new partners, and each celebrated one-year anniversaries with them. Mark and his girlfriend, Aubrey, even welcomed a baby boy in April 2021. After the show’s first reunion special back in March 2020, it was revealed that Mark had briefly dated one of Barnett’s pod connections, LC. A Reddit user revealed that Mark was supposedly dating their cousin, to which LC responded, stating that she didn’t know about his cheating and had broken up with him. Mark was accused of cheating again in an Instagram comment, stating that he slept with multiple women at his gym during the show’s filming. Jessica responded to the comment, stating, “Wow. News to me, I only knew about one.” Mark is absent in the trailer for After the Altar, making fans question if he will appear in the reunion special.

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Giannina & Damian

Giannina and Damian were introduced as another couple with a strong emotional connection in Episode 2. After Damian got down on one knee, Giannina turned the tables on him and proposed, marking a beautiful start to the pair’s relationship. However, things didn’t remain that way as the season went on. The couple frequently got into arguments about everything from Damian being on his phone too much to Giannina’s mood swings. But, for every fight they had, they found a way to quickly make up and move on. After Damian’s parents canceled their meeting with the couple, their meeting with Giannina’s parents and stepfather went smoothly, restoring their confidence in the relationship. Days before the wedding, Damian tried to ease their nerves through romantic gestures, such as putting rose petals on their bed and hiring a personal chef for dinner. However, when it was time to say “I do,” Damian could not, causing Giannina to run off disappointed. He told her afterward that he didn’t know what he would say up until the last second, stating her constant mood switches made him question where she stood. She got upset that he didn’t confess this to her before the wedding and angrily leaves.

During the first reunion special, the two announced they had gotten back together not long after filming ended. Despite staying together for many months following the special, it has been rumored that the two have called it quits, as neither has posted about the other on social media for several months. In the trailer for After the Altar, the two are seen arriving separately, further inciting rumors.

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'Love is Blind,' 'Love is Blind: After the Altar,'

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Kelly & Kenny

Kelly and Kenny were one of the least problematic couples of the season, but that also meant they got very little screentime. We followed the pair’s journey, from the pods to their first date to their engagement and meeting, all in Episode 2. The couple decided to take things slow and work their way up to getting intimate with each other. They barely dealt with any drama and appeared to have a picture-perfect relationship. It was a big twist when Kelly confessed that she was having doubts right before the wedding, unsure if she was 100% in love with him. This revelation came out of nowhere, as Kelly had never expressed any worry about their relationship until that point. At the altar, she did not say “I do,” leaving Kenny to apologize to and thank attendees for coming. In his interview after the ceremony, Kenny appeared upset and asked the cameras to give him some space.

After the show premiered, Kelly and Kenny revealed that they had decided to not get married at the end of the show weeks prior to filming the finale, opting to continue dating afterward. Kelly stated that Kenny asked for time to process his feelings but never responded when she reached out to pick up their relationship. Kenny is now in a new relationship with his fiancé, Alexandra. Kelly is still single and is focusing on her career.

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Carlton & Diamond

Introduced in Episode 1, Carlton and Diamond quickly connected and were engaged by the end of Episode 2. Before they met face-to-face, Carlton confessed that he was afraid to open up to Diamond about his sexuality because of how others reacted in the past. He waited to reveal this to her until the end of Episode 3 while on their vacation. Diamond was not hurt by the fact that he had past relationships with men, but rather that he wasn’t honest with her sooner, making her question how trustworthy he was. Carlton got upset and stormed away, but the two met up again the next day to work things out. Unfortunately, things did not go down well. Diamond again expressed her disappointment in him being dishonest, to which he replied that he wanted her to get to know him as himself, not for his past relationships. The fight quickly escalated and ended with Diamond’s engagement ring being thrown into the pool, Carlton insulting her, and Diamond throwing her drink in his face before storming away. Needless to say, these two did not make it down the aisle.

The pair seemed to have made amends after Carlton officially apologized during the first reunion special. However, Diamond blocked Carlton on social media and was accused of being biphobic and homophobic. He clarified that he never believed she was either of those things and even posted several times on Instagram that he missed her and wanted to get back together. Carlton is now in a happy relationship with his boyfriend. Diamond is still single and is working on her Ph.D.