Warning! SPOILERS for the Love Is Blind Season 3 finale and reunion are ahead. Relax in your pod and return once you’ve caught up!
Wow. Even though a lot has already been said about viewers’ deep thoughts and intense feelings regarding much of what went on during the course of Love Is Blind Season 3, I don’t think there was a single person with a Netflix subscription who was truly prepared for the reveals and conversations that were had in the finale and reunion special. People got hitched that many of us expected to surely break up. Surprising people were left sobbing and heartbroken. One bride told her groom off in a way that had people applauding right in front of him, and much, much more happened.
If you’re still processing all of the new information provided to us by one of the most intriguing reality dating shows that frequently leaves viewers with lots of questions, we’re here to break down the biggest moments from the Love Is Blind Season 3 finale and reunion. Let’s go!
Zanab Saying Cole “Shattered” Her Self-Confidence
This. Was. A. Mess. It was pretty clear, once Cole and Zanab met outside of the pods, that their romance had already entered shaky ground, but things got messy really fast. They’d continually had arguments and reconciled, with Cole saying and doing a number of things that brought the ire of his fiancée and fans. By the time their wedding came along, I don’t think anyone watching wanted them to actually marry, but we were still shocked when instead of Zanab simply saying “I don’t,” she tore into Cole for his body-shaming and how he “single-handedly shattered my self-confidence.”
That thread carried into the reunion, where she opened up even more about how he made her feel, with Cole denying many of the examples she gave and some of their co-stars backing her up. These were both extremely tense situations, and I’ll get more into the aftermath a bit later.
Colleen And Matt Getting (And Staying) Married
Again, these two had serious problems from the time they entered their post-pod world. As he’d been cheated on by his previous wife (his high school sweetheart), Matt was understandably very gun shy and hyper-aware of any possible sign that Colleen wasn’t as in love as she claimed. Meanwhile, Colleen had earlier expressed that she wasn’t “attracted to” men who wanted to have deep conversations, and even her parents admitted that she doesn’t like to share her feelings, neither of which seem optimal for long term relationship happiness.
These two had several disagreements that left them crying and/or angry as hell, and Colleen seemed very ready to possibly bail just a couple of days prior to the wedding. So, I imagine that many were completely shocked in the Season 3 finale when both made it to the altar and actually said yes to marriage. And, not only that, but they were still together when the reunion filmed and appeared to be doing well. Congrats!
Bartise Saying No To Nancy
Well, what do you know? This was also an incredibly messy situation. Bartise hurt Nancy very early on, when he got his eyes on his second choice from the pods, Raven, and dared to tell Nancy to her face how hot Raven was. Because of that, and a couple of other issues, they had problems with physical intimacy many times, but appeared to work things out before the wedding. Then, Bartise pulled the rug out from underneath his sweet bride by refusing to marry her at the altar. Which leads me to my next point…
Nancy’s Family Getting In Bartise’s Face About His Decision
There were several moments, after Nancy and Bartise had left the altar to chat about him saying “I don’t,” where I honestly thought that either her brother or adorable, tough mom would do physical violence to Bartise. For some reason, Nancy had remained committed to him, despite her many misgivings, and her family definitely seemed pissed at him.
It probably didn’t help that most of her family and friends had followed her outside after she got dumped, so when Bartise arrived to talk he had to face the angry horde. Truth be told? With the number of folks who've been left at the altar on this show, I'm surprised this hasn't happened before.
I know this is a special situation, but this should serve as a lesson to anyone getting married. As soon as you know you’ve changed your mind, talk to your intended privately and maybe retreat to a quiet corner to reflect on your life.
Bartise Moving On Very Quickly
Speaking of self-reflection after you break up with someone on your wedding day…Bartise, apparently, didn’t need that, at least not in the way most people would think of it. At the reunion, Nancy (and Alexa and Raven) revealed that the day after he left her at the altar, social media revealed that he was already out partying with a new woman, and noted that said woman was also with him over that weekend.
Bartise admitted that “something” happened with this woman, but not until later, and got very agitated for his choice to move on so fast, with him saying that he was doing “a lot of drinking and a lot of coping,” and clearly felt attacked for not coping in “the right way,” even though he called himself out for how he acted on the show recently. And, it seemed pretty apparent that Nancy and the other ladies felt him moving on from someone he claimed to be in love with so fast felt like he wasn’t honest about his feelings for Nancy in the first place.
Raven And SK Dating
A big shock of the episode right before the LIB finale was Raven deciding to marry SK, even with her doubts about what would be expected of her when they married, but SK making the choice to tell her in front of the assembled guests, “I feel like today is not the best time for us to do this.”
Though Raven was left with tears in her eyes after that, the reunion revealed good news for the couple and filled in some blanks, as they’d reconnected after their ceremony and are currently happily dating long-distance!
Cole Sobbing At The Reunion
I can admit that even without Cole managing to endear himself to me (because of how we saw him treat Zanab, and how messy he was when it came to basic housekeeping), it was tough to see what he went through toward the end of the reunion. After they’d talked out some of what happened between them, with Cole denying some of Zanab’s more serious allegations, he made what sounded like a sincere apology to her and everyone else and admitted that he regretted going on the show because of how he, ultimately, made her feel.
It was during this time, in the last 10 minutes or so of the reunion, that Cole began to sob, even after Zanab had said she’d already forgiven him for his behavior and didn’t hate him for what he did. Maybe it’s just the fact that we see grown men cry so infrequently (especially in movies and TV shows), but watching him break down over how their relationship ended and his part in it was really difficult. Hopefully, he can take this experience and do honest work on becoming more sensitive to others’ feelings, which sounds like what Zanab wants for him, as well.
Love Is Blind absolutely offered up a rollercoaster of emotions for viewers, and while we await Seasons 4 and 5 of the hit, you can rewatch all of it on Netflix.
