In a confessional, Sara explained why she felt she had to walk away from her relationship with Ben, saying, “I know that the connection we have is so real, and my heart is there, but when we talked about a lot of the values that I hold so close to my heart, making this decision, my mind is telling me I can’t.” After explaining to her mother and sister why she decided to walk away from the marriage, Sara said in her confessional, “Sometimes I did wonder if it was surface, fun, carefree love that we had. We had equality, religion, the vaccine…I brought up all these things because I think they’re all important conversations. Whatever you believe, at least like have the conversation. There was no curiosity coming from his side.”

Ben’s apparent lack of curiosity was a dealbreaker, and when it came to his desire to continue dating after the show, Sara was resolute in her decision. “When Ben asked at the altar to continue dating, I was like, I don’t want to continue this cycle of hoping and wanting something to work, when so very clearly it’s not going to.” At the end of the episode, Ben reflected on his experience, saying, “I fell in love with this girl, and I am still in love with her, and I’m devastated to not have that person in my life anymore. But I’m a true believer that love is blind, and that’s a lot to say after someone who just got walked off on the altar.”

Sara speaking to Ben about their breakup on the season 8 reunion.

At the reunion, Sara reflected on watching the TikTok video about Ben’s alleged past behavior, saying, “It wasn’t small. There were thousands of comments on that [post] and that concerned me, but I chose to trust Ben. Knowing what I know now about Ben, a TikTok like that makes sense. I’m not surprised what has come to light in the last year.”

However, Sara revealed she had hoped they’d be able to continue their relationship after filming ending, and that Ben would join her when she moved to Nashville to complete a 3-month traveling nurse contract. “Our plan all along is that he’d come with me,” Sara explained. “So we did live together for close to a week or two after the wedding, and we had the discussion the night before I left for Nashville…We decided he’d be there for two weeks, up to two months.” They decided Sara would make the long drive to Nashville alone, and Ben would fly to the city the following week to join her.

Ben seemingly had a different interpretation of their plans, as Sara claimed, “I get to Nashville and that’s when I noticed that he removed me from Find My Friends, which I was shocked to see. I was really confused, because I thought we left on good terms, and I honestly thought Ben was going to be in Nashville that week with me.” She subsequently received what she described as “very scripted apologies” via text, and then “didn’t hear from him for a month and a half.” When Ben finally did reach out, it was to ask Sara if they could rehearse what to say at the reunion, on the advice of a former cast member, later revealed to be Jimmy from season 6.

Ben shared he believed that he and Sara “were broken up when she left.” While Ben claimed he was devastated by what he perceived as a breakup, Sara suggested he was “out drinking with friends all day,” and not “heartbroken crying at home” like he claimed to be. Taylor and Lauren confirmed that Sara had told them Ben was moving to Nashville with her, further throwing Ben’s claims into question. Reflecting on the experience, Sara said, “I feel like it wasn’t authentic, and I fell for it the whole time. I felt like I was completely love bombed.”

Taylor and Daniel

Taylor and Daniel.

Taylor Haag and Daniel Hastings’s romance blossomed in the pods, but after meeting in person for the first time, they were hit with their first trial. Before they flew to Mexico, Taylor confronted Daniel after worrying she recognized him from Instagram, and that he may have seen her social media profile before entering the experiment. Luckily, the pair were able to overcome their Instagram drama, with Taylor discovering Daniel had never followed her on the platform. The rest of their relationship appeared to be smooth sailing.

At the altar, Daniel told Taylor, “To say that it’s been a wild ride would be quite the understatement. It’s crazy to think that just five weeks ago to the day, I was getting on a knee.” Describing the reasons he’d fallen in love with her, Daniel referenced the fact they “instantly became like best friends,” and “the way that I can see you being plugged into my life as the mother of my children.” He told her, “You’re everything I could have ever hoped for in a wife and so much more. I’ve said it a million times, but I just truly am the luckiest guy in the world.”

Taylor read her own vows, revealing she shared Daniel’s sentiments entirely. “I have never felt more sure about anything in my life than I am, today, standing here with you, surrounded by all of our family and friends,” Taylor said. “If I close my eyes, I’m standing in the hallway before our first date, saying, ‘I have a feeling about this next one,’ and it was you.” Taylor romantically completed her vows by telling Daniel, “Although on paper I have only known you for six weeks, my soul has known your soul for a lifetime.” They both said “I do,” and their friends and families were elated.

Daniel shows off his tattoo of Taylor’s eyes.

On the Love Is Blind reunion, Daniel and Taylor revealed that they were still happily married. Daniel also showed viewers his new chest tattoo of his wife’s eyes, and Taylor said her husband was her “best friend.”

Joey and Monica

Joey and Monica.

Joey Leville and Monica Danús had a unique connection from the start. The couple appeared to have a fun relationship, and their unusual shared interests, such as an undying passion for The Sound of Music suggested they might just go the distance. At the altar, Joey told Monica, “Your energy, your light that you bring, like you’re the most beautiful person, inside and out. You’re the most caring, loving, empathetic person. I can honestly say I would not have ever wanted to do this experience with anyone else.” Joey then made the perfect joke about their meet cute in the pods, saying, “My friends and family always said, ‘You could probably have a relationship with a wall,’ and I actually did it.”

Monica was asked first whether she took Joey as her husband. “I don’t right now,” she told him. “I’m going to start crying…I just feel like we’re both, we’re not quite there. You’re amazing and I love you, I do.” Joey wholeheartedly agreed with Monica, telling his fiancée, “I think we both have a tremendous amount of love for each other and that’s apparent…I agree, I don’t think I would be ready. I need to be 100 percent…and to be completely, 100 percent honest, I’m also not 100 percent at this time.”

In a confessional afterwards, Monica revealed that she may have said “yes,” had she gotten more reassurance from Joey throughout the experiment. “If Joey had told me with his words, ‘I am 100 percent in, like, it is you, I know it’s you,’ it could have been a lot different,” she explained. “I would have liked a different outcome, but I want to be chosen. I deserve to be chosen.”

Joey shared his side of the story, saying to camera, “I think Monica said ‘no’ because the family dynamic with her sister was a big inhibiting factor for both of us.” He continued, “In the physical affection area, I was specifically working on to be more physically affectionate for her.” Joey also shared his surprise at hearing Monica say she loved him at the altar, revealing, “Monica never said, ‘I love you,’ specifically until the altar. The first time she said that she loved me was up there. I did not know that at all.” At the end of the episode, Joey elaborated on how his future might look, saying, “I need time, but I don’t have any specific anticipation for any future at this moment with Monica. It was never my intention to go into this to just date.”

Daniel, Taylor, Virginia, and Monica at the season 8 reunion.

Monica addressed the breakdown of her relationship with Joey at the season 8 reunion, sharing that she never told her fiancé she loved him before the wedding. She also explained her discomfort with the fact that she had to ask Joey to be more affectionate with her, and that he also never expressed his love for her. In response, Joey explained, “I do kind of feel like we could never get out of the friend zone. That was kind of how I felt, and the big reason for me was her sister, because family is my number one value.” When Joey wasn’t accepted by Monica’s sister, he said it “definitely took a toll” on him.

On reflection, Monica said she “wanted to reach through the screen and shake this girl,” and tell her, “He’s not into you, like he’s clearly not interested.” She also claimed that she’d discovered some upsetting things about her fiancé since filming ended. “I’m sleeping next to this man,” she explained. “He slid into one of the other cast members DMs after he saw her, and I still don’t know exactly what was said.”

It was revealed that Joey messaged Madison, telling her he liked her pink hair and that he wished they could’ve spoken more, after they briefly dated in the pods. Monica explained that Joey having messaged someone else was troubling, as they had continued a relationship after filming and had even become physical. That’s when Joey allegedly claimed to Monica that “Madison was trying coming on to him at bars and was after him.” It wasn’t until Monica spoke to Madison directly that she discovered what had actually happened.

“I didn’t know any of this was happening at all until Monica was brave enough to come talk to me,” Madison explained. “And I’m so thankful that she did. But I was appalled by that lie.” Madison and Monica shared that they pulled Joey aside, and he denied ever telling his fiancée that Madison was coming on to him. This resulted in Monica feeling “gaslit” by Joey. “As a romantic partner, like you do have a lot more to learn,” she told him. “I’m sure I do, too. But you were not a good romantic partner to me. I’m so ready just to shut the door, and we are humans on this earth together and that is okay.”

Devin and Virginia

Devin and Virginia.

Virginia Miller and Devin Buckley found romance in the pods after extricating themselves from a love triangle. In the real world, the pair appeared to be building a strong relationship, even dealing with difficult topics like prenuptial agreements. On their wedding day, both of their families seemed excited that the pair had made it to the altar.

“It was amazing getting to know your heart,” Virginia told her fiancé. “It really shined through. I love how you honor all of your commitments, and I love how much you love your family. I just have so much respect for you as a person and you’ve brought me so much happiness.” When asked whether he agreed to become Virginia’s husband, Devin quickly responded, “I do.” However, Virginia became tearful when it was her turn, telling him, “I love you so much. But I’m just not ready.” Devin started crying at the altar, as Virginia apologized for saying “no.”

In a confessional, Devin said of the failed wedding, “The worst thing that could happen happened and I just feel kind of lost.” In her own confessional, Virginia explained her decision, saying, “I feel sad. I feel really bad that I hurt Devin and his family.” She told her family, “I was really going back and forth about what I wanted to do.” Virginia revealed she felt as though she’d been forced to “protect” Devin in certain areas, which ultimately damaged their relationship. “There were even topics that he didn’t want to talk about, like politics,” Virginia noted. “So there was just…depths of our relationship that we didn’t get to. We just didn’t get there. And even our sexual relationship, we just didn’t get to it.”

She also noted that their differing opinions regarding politics weren’t a “dealbreaker,” but “how the communication around that was handled” affected her. “Devin said that he was raised in a conservative household, and he just asked me if I voted with my faith in mind,” Virginia explained. “That was off-putting, because I do vote with my faith in mind. And then he didn’t really want to talk about it more than that. Marriage is a serious thing. When I don’t have peace about something, that means a lot to me.” She also referenced a check they’d received as a wedding present, which Devin had failed to tell her about, suggesting “it made [her] not so trusting of him.”

Reflecting on his experience on Love Is Blind, Devin said at the end of the episode, “Even though I didn’t get married today, I still do believe love is blind, because I felt that love for Virginia. Regardless of everything that happened, I still care about her and I love her.”

Devin and Virginia talking from opposite sides of the stage at the season 8 reunion.

At the reunion, Virgina shared some of the reasons she couldn’t say “yes” at the altar. “I still, to this day, don’t really feel comfortable telling you Devin’s views, but I will be really clear about mine,” Virginia explained. “I 100% support the LGBTQ community. I also believe that women should have the decision to choose if they want to have an abortion or not. I also believe that different religions should be valued…I have Muslim family members.” She continued, “We got there emotionally, but ultimately aligning our lives together was a big decision.” Devin responded by saying, “For me, I can look past certain things, and I think that you can be together and have a relationship and not completely agree on everything.”

When pressed about why she said “no,” Virginia dished, “I think there were just a lot of little signs leading up to the wedding that we just weren’t the perfect match. The night before the wedding, I went to his hotel room and I saw a note from an ex-girlfriend on his nightstand…It just kind of created a little distrust.” Devin replied by saying the woman in question was one of his best friends, and he doesn’t really consider her to be an ex, even though they used to date. Virginia raised the issue of the $1,000 check from his mom’s boss, saying, “He still to this day never brought up a check. It was just very weird.” Devin claimed that he was simply holding on to the check until they were married.

While Devin said he still thought highly of Virginia, even though their relationship didn’t work out, she exhibited shock. “This is a very interesting character that I’m seeing today, because I haven’t felt love or respect in the last year,” she explained. Devin claimed that Virginia “stopped talking to [him] completely after the wedding,” which she immediately disputed. “I called him for about a week and then he stopped answering my phone calls,” she said. “He continued to go around and tell everybody that I ghosted him.” Devin tried to deny spreading a ghosting narrative about his ex, but Molly and Madison confirmed he’d told them both that Virginia ghosted him.