At a Glance
- Iyanna McNeely married Alexander “Alex” Lewis in a classic winter wedding in Chicago.
- The ceremony on Jan. 17 and reception the next day sparked criticism from fellow cast member Natalie Lee.
- Lee argues the show’s premise-choosing a partner from 15 men-doesn’t hold up in real life.
Why it matters: The wedding and the ensuing commentary shed light on the long-term viability of reality-TV matchmaking and its impact on participants’ real-world relationships.
Natalie Lee’s recent podcast episode on the fallout of Love Is Blind season two has turned a wedding into a case study. The episode, titled “Out of the Pods,” featured Lee’s experience as a bridesmaid at the ceremony of her former co-star, Iyanna McNeely, and her new husband, Alexander “Alex” Lewis. The event, held in Chicago, was described by Lee as “so, so magical,” but it also prompted her to question the experiment’s validity.
McNeely’s Chicago Wedding
The ceremony took place on Jan. 17, with a reception the following day. Lee, who had previously served as a bridesmaid, shared that seeing McNeely with Lewis made her realize the social experiment behind Love Is Blind “doesn’t work.”
McNeely, who had previously married fellow cast member Jarrette Jones on the show, filed for divorce in September 2022, with the divorce finalized in November 2022. She accused Jones of cheating during their “unhappy” marriage.
The wedding was photographed by REEM Photography and featured a traditional winter ceremony in a Chicago venue. Lee’s presence as a bridesmaid gave her a front-row view of the couple’s dynamic.
Lee’s Take on Love Is Blind
During her podcast, Lee said, “It was so, so magical,” before explaining why she believes the show’s format is flawed. “I think the reason why it doesn’t work is you’re choosing one person who best fits you out of 15 men. Like, that’s it,” she told cohost Deepti Vempati.
Vempati echoed Lee’s sentiment, adding, “The pool is small if you really think about it. And then also the fact that the people that go on the show now, I don’t know if it’s necessarily the type of person that I would want to be married to. You know what I mean?”
Lee clarified that she is not condemning reality TV itself. “Not saying it’s bad to go on reality TV at all,” she said. “But now that we’re older and have matured more, I don’t think that would be the pool of men that we would go for. When I signed up to do the show, I was just excited to meet somebody in a new, unique way. But now that I think about it, I feel like my standards have changed and I’m just like a different person.”
The conversation highlighted the tension between the show’s premise-finding a partner through a brief, emotion-heavy interaction-and the reality of long-term compatibility.
Past Relationships of Cast
Several Love Is Blind season two participants have experienced failed relationships after the show. Lee and Shayne Jansen did not marry at the season finale but continued dating afterward. They eventually split in early 2022.
Deepti Vempati and Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee also chose not to marry at the altar. Vempati later dated costar Kyle Abrams, but they broke up in 2022.
McNeely’s marriage to Jarrette Jones, which began during the series, ended in August 2022. She filed for divorce in September 2022, with the final settlement in November 2022.
These examples illustrate a pattern of short-lived relationships among participants, raising questions about the long-term success of the show’s matchmaking model.
What the Wedding Reveals
Lee expressed that seeing McNeely with her new husband made her realize what true love looks like. “Seeing her with her new husband – his name is Alex – I was like, ‘Wow. That truly is what love is,'” she said. “What she had during Love Is Blind wasn’t true love, even though at the time we all thought that. But I was like, when you see someone who is with their greatest match, that’s when you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s love.”
She added that she wants a future partner who “looks at me and my future partner and is like, ‘This makes sense. This is amazing, great, perfect. This is love.'”
The conversation underscores the broader debate about the efficacy of reality-TV matchmaking. While some couples have found lasting relationships through the show, many others, including those who have married and divorced, suggest that the experiment may not translate into real-world success.
Key Takeaways
- Iyanna McNeely’s wedding to Alexander Lewis serves as a real-world test of Love Is Blind‘s premise.
- Natalie Lee’s commentary highlights the perceived shortcomings of the show’s limited pool and the evolution of participants’ standards.
- Past relationships of season two cast members demonstrate a trend of short-lived marriages.
- The conversation invites viewers to reconsider what constitutes lasting love versus the allure of reality-TV romance.
Love Is Blind season 10 premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
