After the pods, the couple’s who get engaged take a week long trip to a romantic (and usually tropical) destination to test out their physical connection, Will the love they felt in the pods remain when they spend time together in person? Plus, they get to meet all the other couples in person. This is my personal favorite part of the Love Is Blind journey. Let’s get into it!
***Author’s Note: this section was written after finishing the couples’ trip to the Dominican Republic and before they went home to Charlotte, NC.
Johnny & Amy
Well aren’t these two the perfect little pair! This season has felt, more than most before it, much more natural going into the resort trip. Johnny and Amy felt like perhaps the most natural of the group. They were very affectionate and things looked like they were going great. So naturally, I am nervous about them.
Despite all the adorableness, there were definitely some seeds being laid for future arguments. Seeds like Amy sharing that she isn’t going to be able to follow through on a marriage in this process if her dad doesn’t approve. Oh yeah, and her dad is super skeptical of this entire concept – like absolutely any normal person would be. This is always a fear when the couples return back home to meet each other’s families and truthfully, it should be a fear! Imagine your sibling or child or grandchild who has been unlucky in love going through an experiment where they have no devices, meet and connect with a bunch of other singles through a wall, get engaged to someone they have never seen before, and are expected to marry them within a month. Not to mention this is all being filmed for one of the most-watched reality TV shows. It would be beyond strange not to be hesitant about this process. All that being said, it’s also very normal of Amy to say that without her dad’s approval she is not willing to move forward with an expedited marriage. It freaks me out when the people on this show proceed despite their families hesitancy. I understand that every family dynamic is different, but disapproval from your family feels a little bit like a sign that you should be questioning what you are doing.
So there’s that issue. On top of that we have one of the more interesting situations in the history of Love is Blind.
When the couple’s venture off to whatever tropical locale the producers pick for their season, it’s all about aligning the physical connection with the emotional one they formed in the pods. Physical chemistry is extremely important in a relationship and most couples jump on the opportunity to test the waters. Johnny, however, is hesitant to get intimate with Amy. During a conversation with Laura, he shares that they have not gone all the way because she is not on birth control. Hmm, okay. He goes on to say that while he wants kids in the future, he is not ready to have one right now and actually thinks it would get in the way of the life he wants to lead with Amy in the next few years. All this to say, sex sans birth control would be too risky. He is also baffled that Amy is not on birth control saying he believed all girls to be on birth control.
*Sigh* Sometimes boys just really say boy stuff and lean in that whole boy thing too hard. To say I laughed while he talked about this wouldn’t be entirely true, I was also in complete awe of his ignorance. I don’t believe that this is anything more than ignorance though, I think Johnny acknowledges his lack of awareness quickly and knows he has a lot to learn. It is just a jarring knowledge gap that is sure to lead to a bit of friction between these two.
These are not little issues. They aren’t huge issues either, but they aren’t small. It will be interesting to see how these two crazy kids navigate these potential road blocks. Here’s hoping they do so by leaning on each other for support and providing grace to the other when the going gets inevitably tough. I am rooting for them!
Brittany & Kenneth
I am a little nervous about these two.
When they arrived at the resort they were inexplicably sweet. She was calling him “sugar” and he was constantly attending to her. I was melting every time they were on screen.
Then the party with all the other couples happened. Among the many conversations had that night was a chat between Ken and AD about the impact of race on his relationship with Brittany. Kenneth is a black man and Brittany a white woman, how does he see their relationship developing considering this fact? Was she equipped and ready to raise Black children? Had he dated white women before?
They weren’t the only pair to have a serious conversation after the party, but they did manage to do it in the most healthy way. Discussing difficult topics like this can be tough, but the pair managed to navigate the conversation about these very real concerns without it becoming argumentative.
Everything seemed great after this conversation right? NOPE! What we got next was an awkward boat ride where Kenneth was flat and silent except for when he got giddy about dolphins for a few minutes – which was adorable, may I just say. The rest of the ride consisted of them sitting in awkward silence or with Brittany trying to start of the conversation to little avail.
It seems to me that Kenneth is very in his head about all this. Personally, I think Brittany needs to address this with him and be mature about it like I know she can be. They have some tough conversations coming up with friends and family, they should be on the same page going into these.
AD & Clay
There are absolutely not questions about AD and Clay’s physical chemistry. This was palpable from the moment they laid eyes on each other during their reveal. There is a lot of attraction between the two, as there should be! They are two beautiful people who are very much in love with each other – you love to see it. This is all well and good, but I fear it might be the strongest part of their relationship. I worry that Clay’s emotional connection with AD stayed in the pods once he saw her in person. He has been very clear about how much looks matter to him and has continued down this road as the two settle into their getaway in the Dominican Republic.
This fear is exacerbated during one of the most uncomfortable scenes in the show thus far. Somehow Clay takes a compliment about AD’s body and ends up saying how if she ever gained any weight, “I wouldn’t let you get out of shape.” When I tell you that I actually grimaced when he said this. AD’s face made it clear that she did not appreciate the comment and the pair got into their first scuffle about it. It’s hard to buy that Clay has gotten past his obsession with the physical when he talks about not allowing AD to ever gain weight or not be in as good shape as she currently is.
I would like to once again say: YOU CANNOT FIX THIS MAN!
Unfortunately for her, Clay was not the only man to objectify AD on this trip. She had to accept apologies from both Jimmy and Jeramy for their actions at the first gathering of the couples. Jimmy complimented her butt to Chelsea who loudly repeated the comment to AD and Jeramy repeated Laura’s request to “bean dip” AD – I will define this term later. This woman is being overly sexualized by over half the men on this trip, including her fiancé, and is handling herself with nothing but grace. Go off, queen!
Unfortunately for her, Clay was not the only to objectify AD on this trip. She has to accept apologies from both Jimmy and Jeramy for their actions at the first gathering of the couples. First Jimmy compliments her butt to Chelsea is a derogatory way – great! Of course Chelsea, whose insecurities are at an 8/10 on this trip, repeats this loudly to AD. Then we have Jeramy who decides to repeat Laura’s request to “bean dip” AD – I will begrudgingly define this term later. Laura is upset because she was told to him in an unserious way as a joke, but what no one seems to give a shit about is how AD must feel being physically demeaned by both men and women at what should have been an exciting party for the whole group. It’s like these men have never seen an attractive, confident woman and feel some sort of neanderthalic urge to sexualize and objectify her to take away some of her power. And like these white women clearly see this beautiful, strong black woman as a threat and are compelled to dwindle her down into nothing but a sexual object because of their own insecurities. It’s gross and icky and made me very sad for AD. This woman is being overly sexualized by over half the men and women on this trip, including her fiancé, but she is handling herself with nothing but grace. Go off queen, we love you and you deserve so much better!
The only other moment of note for these two was a lunch they went to that was highlighted by AD getting the ick from the way Clay ate his soup – an iconic moment in television history – and Clay suddenly being fearful that he would mess things up. At one moment he even mentioned that he is trying to be the type of guy who wants to get married, you read that right: trying! AD, come on girl, he is telling you exactly who he is and he is not ready for this! I am exhausted by this silly man.
Speaking of my exhaustion for Clay, why doesn’t this man know anything about weddings?! He is 30, hasn’t he been to a wedding????? He asked about wedding bands as if it was the first time he heard that rings were exchanged and didn’t know what AD meant when she said she would walk herself to the alter. I have no words except: GET OUT OF THERE, AD! SAVE YOURSELF!
Chelsea & Jimmy
In keeping with the many Love is Blind traditions, Chelsea has entered the chat as this season’s insecure fiancé. Just like Danielle Ruhl and Zanab Jaffrey before her, Chelsea manages to create a unique level of frustration from the viewer as she allows her insecurities to pick apart her relationship. As an insecure woman myself, you really hate to see this.
She doesn’t really waste any time with this either. Almost immediately upon arrival to Punta Cana, Chelsea is asking for constant reassurance from Jimmy. Does he still feel the way he did in the pods? Does he love her? Does he regret his decision? Does he have second thoughts? It’s enough to exhaust anyone and poor Jimmy is clueless as to where all this is coming from, but – like any good beta – he keeps trying his best to reassure her.
The couple’s party was miserable for just about everyone and these two were not immune to it’s torture. From the moment Jimmy made a remark about AD’s appearance, you could visibly see Chelsea shutting down. Even though AD was the one being objectified, Chelsea took it upon herself to have a crisis about their relationship. There was nothing Jimmy could do to get her out of that funk, he was doomed from that moment. In fact, everything he did following that made it worse – how fun for him. Talking with AD after he made a comment about her that was repeated, how dare he! Coming over to the girls and acknowledging that they all dated, he is shameless! Not waiting on Chelsea hand and foot, how cruel!
All this built up and came bubbling to the surface once they returned to their room. She began by asking him “what’s wrong” multiple times before saying she doesn’t believe nothing is bothering him. This is textbook projection. Clearly, sweetheart, something is wrong with you and not Jimmy. Their argument that follows is practically unbearable and features my new least favorite noise: the shrill voice Chelsea takes on when she cries. It’s so tough to watch her self-sabotage and try to quit before he quits on her all while Jimmy is too dense to acknowledge and comfort her. It’s almost like they didn’t learn anything about each other in the pods.
At the start of this trip I was for Chelsea and against Jimmy, now I have completely flipped. They are opposites and while it’s true that sometimes opposites attract, this is not one of those times. He is way to low key and she is way to high key. I can’t see a world where this pairing works.
Laura & Jeramy
From the pods to the tropical resort, these two have a remarkably smooth transition. They are very natural with each other physically and have great banter. The way they are cuddling and being affectionate with each other is refreshing!
But it’s not all sunshine and roses. Like every other couple accompanying them, there are some signs of conflict to come in the early days of Laura and Jeramy’s physical relationship.
First we have the fact that, on top of being funny and adorable, Laura might be a bit too controlling. It’s truly hard to tell if Jeramy is going to be able to roll with the punches with her, because the two of them are constantly giving each other shit. It’s really cute, until it’s not and I am nervous that time when it won’t be cute will come around sooner rather than later. She is very quick to give him a hard time and while he takes it in stride, not every person can handle that kind of constant criticism. Even if it is said in jest sometimes.
All that said, Jeramy seems to be into her regardless of the little jabs she gives him. Even though I am not a fan of this guy, I have to give him credit for that. But that is probably all the credit I will give him. This guy is nothing special at all. You might think when he has sunglasses on that he is pretty cute, but don’t worry it’s an illusion, his little beady eyes are still lingering underneath. Not to mention he is a little bit of a hatfish. Underneath all of it, he is just another guy who I am preparing to be disappointed by.
In true Love Is Blind fashion, I don’t have to wait long before I am disappointed. Jeremy was one of other culprits at the couple’s party. This is the part where I begrudgingly have to define the term “bean dip.” Essentially, this means to slap someone’s breast from underneath (writing that sentence just took a year off of my life). This was, apparently, something the women joked about in the ladies’ quarters of the pods. Listen, boob slaps happen between women whether out of comedy or in the heat of the moment, they are part of womanhood and that is perfectly fine. What isn’t fine is when men get themselves involved with this. Thou shalt not boob slap if they do not have boobs themselves…
Let me get back on track: where is this all going? Basically, Laura jokingly tells Jeramy to bean dip AD. Not great, but it’s a joke told between a couple. Whatever. But then Jeramy feels compelled to repeat this request to Clay and AD. POOR AD IS BEING OBJECTIFIED YET AGAIN! Laura gets upset that he repeated the joke and he responds by acting like a total baby. He projects and gets angry at Laura for telling him something that was clearly meant to be a joke (a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless) that wasn’t to be repeated. Chelsea must have been relieved to find out she wasn’t the only one blatantly projecting her own emotions onto her partner.
Jeramy ends up ignoring Laura after storming off from the party and sleeps on the couch. While he does have a come to Jesus moment the next day, realizing that he didn’t handle himself well, I don’t feel good about this. It leaves an icky taste in my mouth. It is good to admit to a shortcoming, a lot of other couples on this show aren’t able to do that, but that doesn’t absolve Jeramy of the fact that he acted like a complete child the night before. Is this how he will handle conflict going forward? Because if so, Laura is in for a stressful relationship.
Oh yeah and let’s not forget that Jeramy tells Amy that he wants to meet Sarah Ann in order to explain things to her. I hate that idea and I am extremely nervous for Laura. It really doesn’t seem like Jeramy is taking this as seriously as her, but we shall see.
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