It’s an understatement to say Love Is Blind season 8 star Dave Bettenburg is struggling with fiancée Lauren O’Brien’s past situationship — but does he have a right to be upset?
“I think everyone’s situation is different,” Vanessa Lachey exclusively told Us Weeklyduring an interview with her cohost and husband, Nick Lachey, when asked if there are rules for how long you should be single before the experiment. “It’s very important to not be seeing someone while you’re on the show — we’ve seen that play out or not play out so well. But there’s no right or wrong.”
David and Lauren left the pods engaged in the first drop of episodes on February 14. In the second installment, released on Friday, February 21, David begins to give Lauren a hard time for hooking up with someone — with whom he has mutual friends — in the months leading up to production.
“When you meet someone for the first time, and if you found out they just got out of a relationship, then you navigate that conflict,” Vanessa continued. “And [we’re] seeing how Lauren and David navigated that conflict, how what was important to him might not have been that important to her, or vice versa.”
Nick acknowledged that David “felt it was gonna be a little awkward running into people that he knew,” but added, “That’s part of life [and] it’s not a specific Love Is Blind issue.”
On the show, Lauren spoke to the Netflix cameras about her situationship.
Nick Lachey, Vanessa Lachey, and Lauren O’Brien.Greg Gayne/Netflix; Adam Rose/Netflix
“Dave was like, ‘Did you date anyone before coming on here?’ I go, ‘I was, like, talking to someone a couple of months ago, but I wouldn’t have said that I dated them,’ but Dave has mutual friends with him,” she explained. “I was giving [Dave] names and he’s like, ‘Oh, I know him. I see him at the pool all the time.’”
While Dave said he didn’t want the situation to affect their relationship after their post-pods trip to Honduras, he struggled to let it go.
“How do you go from seeing someone so recently to like, ‘I’m ready for marriage?’” he asked. “That just seems like a huge step in between. … That’s tough.”
David Bettenburg and Lauren O’Brien in ‘Love Is Blind.’Courtesy of Netflix
Upon returning to Minneapolis, Minnesota — which the cast has reiterated doesn’t have a large dating pool — Lauren’s friends tried to assure Dave that the pre-show romance wasn’t serious.
“We would’ve hung out with him if they were dating,” one pal argued.
Multiple couples fall in love “sight unseen” every year on Love Is Blind — and some are so unseen that their stories don’t even make it to Netflix.
The reality TV dating experiment dropped season 1 in February 2020, following six couples who fell in love behind a wall, got engaged and then said “I do” or “I don’t” at the altar. The show was so popular that Netflix has aired seven more seasons in five years (and already renewed the series for seasons 9 and 10).
Prior to the season 8 finale, Us calculated that there was a success rate of about 25 percent — but that’s strictly from the couples that the cameras followed from start to finish. As it turns out, there are almost always several duos who get engaged on the experiment that fans don’t see.
“Each season, there are lots of stories that we don’t tell, regardless of whether couples get engaged or not. Some of them even, we will follow for a little bit and not show their story on the show,” creator Chris Coelen told Variety in 2023. “It’s a little bit of a judgement call.”
In a separate interview with People that same year, Coelen explained: “I think really what it comes down to is how people get there in the first place. We’re looking to tell the most genuine, most authentic stories that we can and that’s really the criteria by which we judge what stories we’re going to follow, and the stories we’re going to then tell on the program. That is the No. 1 organizing principle of what we do.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the couples left on the cutting room floor every season:
Season 1
Rory Newbrough and Danielle Drouin
Rory told People in 2020 that eight couples got engaged, which the show wasn’t expecting for season 1. “We got our phones back. They thanked us graciously and said, ‘Sorry, we just don’t have enough to cover everybody,’” he recalled.
The twosome went on their own trip to Miami after the pods but split shortly after. Danielle went on to see another season 1 contestant Matt Thomas, but later married a man named Kerrington Sky in 2022. She is due to give birth to their first baby in March 2025.
Westley Baer and Lexie Skipper
Westley was upset about not being able to go on the cast trip with Lexie. “I didn’t know why,” he told People at the time. “I believe one person said, ‘We don’t want to mess up your relationship.’ It was a bummer. We were both like, “We cannot wait for this trip. It’s going to be amazing.’ And then, the next day [we were told], ‘Unfortunately we can’t follow your journey.’ I don’t know the reasoning, but I’m glad I was able to connect with somebody, at least.”
While Westley and Lexie continued to date after the pods, they ended things after about three months.
In 2022, Lexie confirmed that they are still friends. “We talk every day and are definitely in a good place. We watched a lot of Love Is Blind together, and I wish more of our journey was shown,” she said. “We’ve talked through a lot of what ifs – if we went to Mexico, would we be married now? Would we be together? Our lives changed completely because of the show, but maybe they would have changed even more.”
Season 2
Caitlin McKee and Joey Miller
Courtesy of Caitlin McKee/Instagram
Caitlin and Joey got engaged and stayed together for several months after making their own travel plans when Netflix opted not to film their journey. “[We] had an amazing summer and fall with the opportunity to travel, meet each other’s families, and build a genuine relationship without the cameras and crew. Although we ultimately chose to go our separate ways recently, we are choosing to remain friends and he will always hold a special place in my heart,” Caitlin wrote via instagram in February 2022.
She added: “I will be forever grateful for this experience. I made genuine connections with friends that will be in my life forever, laughed harder than I have in years, cried more than I probably should have, but most importantly I learned a heck of a lot about myself and who I am and want to be as a person.”
Joey has been dating a woman named Jessie Kopp since 2023.
The pair stayed together for several months post-show, but called it quits before the 2022 premiere.
“Kara, has been one of the most charismatic, loving, & supportive people I’ve ever met, she is hands down one of the strongest women I’ve ever been around,” Jason wrote via Instagram at the time. “Getting to see her on the red carpet was without a doubt the best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life, it’s gives me goosebumps just thinking about how beautiful she looked.”
Kara announced her engagement to a man named Kyle Hundelt in December 2024, with plans to wed in 2026.
Season 3
Production company Kinetic confirmed in October 2022 that there were no couples who got engaged that weren’t shown in season 3.
Season 4
Jimmy Forde and Wendi Kong
Courtesy of Jimmy Forde/Instagram
The Seattle duo ended things three months after getting engaged in the pods. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t just on @loveisblindnetflix to play pool in the background … Although it wasn’t shown, Wendi and I got engaged on the show. I gave it my best shot, but our relationship didn’t work out, and that’s okay!” Jimmy wrote via Instagram in April 2023. “Wish Wendi nothing but the best in life, and future relationships. Maybe one day that story will be shown, but i’m okay with that never being the case. Overall it was a powerful experience and I ended up making some pretty awesome friends.”
Wendi went on to reconnect with contestant Paul Peden after he said “no” to Micah Lussier at the altar. “Paul and I, we had this incredible psychological connection in the pods, almost to the point where we felt a bit narcissistic because it was like, ‘Am I only feeling this because you’re like me?'” Wendi said on the “Out of the Pods” podcast in June 2023. “When [Paul] came back to Seattle, we reconnected and then we had to disconnect for a bit because his focus was on Micah and he needed to see that through. After the wedding happened, we actually reconnected again and it was just a lot of talking.”
The twosome ultimately didn’t work out either.
JP Schultz and Ava Van Jenson
After their pod proposal, JP ended things with Ava — via text message.
“I saw him at the airport and he was a completely different person,” Ava told Netflix’s Tudum in 2023. “As we were boarding the plane, I felt my phone vibrate and it pinged a bit and I looked down and he sent me a text basically ending the engagement.” JP subsequently claimed he was trying to reset the expectations in the relationships as “continuing to get married on this timeline” wasn’t a good idea. In the end, they couldn’t get on the same page.
JP married a woman named Jennifer in August 2024.
According to an interview with creator Coelen in 2023, there were actually eight engagements (the season followed 5) but it hasn’t been reported who the final couple was. “[In season 1], we had eight engagements, we followed six. In season 2, we had eight engagements, we followed six. In season 3, we only had five engagements and we followed all of them. In season 4, we had eight engagements and we followed five,” he told People in 2023.
Season 5
Paige Tillman and Josh Simmons
Paige wasn’t happy that the duo weren’t followed on season 5. “I thought, ‘Josh and I are definitely going to Mexico.’ We were the cutest couple. We were so sweet and kind to each other. We loved each other. Everyone knew we loved each other. And that’s why it was so weird,” she told Today in 2023. “We were adorable. So in love. So cute together. I don’t know who’s hitting their heads right now for not showing us.”
As they flew home to Houston, Texas, together, they spoke about how they would aim for a 2024 wedding. “It was like we were going through the process of the show but I was doing it myself,” she explained.
After five months, however, they broke up. “We had an issue about not talking about what we wanted out of life. That’s a huge thing you think we would’ve spoken about. But it’s different when it’s in person,” Paige said, revealing she wanted to move to Los Angeles to be a stylist. And while Josh offered to come with her, she didn’t think it was fair to ask him. “I would’ve rather us figure that out than get married and resent each other for making the other make choices. The way we ended was great — we had a mature conversation like, ‘This is what you want. This is what I want. Let’s move on.'”
Paige did end up moving to L.A., while Josh started a family with a woman named Samantha Cheek.
Renee Poche and Carter Wall
In a plot twist, Renee claimed to PopSugar that she and Carter were filmed — unlike the other cut couples — and found out before the show premiered that they wouldn’t be heavily featured on season 5 (where they broke up at the altar).
“We were very excited about everything, and things went really well in Mexico as well. We were always very pleasant, funny, happy, and enjoyed each other’s company. But once we got back to Houston and back to the real world, I started noticing things that I kind of ignored or blew off that were red flags I should have picked up on. And eventually I did say ‘no’ at the altar,” she said. “I got a call a couple months before the show aired, in August, to let me know that our story wasn’t going to be a big focus. What I was told was, ‘We’ll just, point blank, say that Carter was awful and we don’t want you to have to relive that. That’s just not going to be a big focus.’ They also said timing was an issue, so they decided to cut our story. That’s what I was told. I did ask for clarification because I was so confused at first. My first question was, ‘Wait, the wedding’s not going to be shown?’ She was like, ‘No, no wedding.’ So I kept asking more and she was like, ‘I think it’s going to be more like, you guys are friends from the pods.’ It was very vague, and I still thought that possibly we were going to be engaged on the show and then kind of cut down from there.”
Season 6
Brittany Wisniewski and Leo Braudy
After fans saw Brittany and Leo’s incredibly awkward post-pods engagement reveal, Netflix subsequently cut to a black screen which read: “Brittany and Leo were not one of the six couples chosen by producers to continue their journey in Mexico. They took their own trip to Mexico and broke off their engagement weeks later.”
Viewers later learned that they just decided they weren’t a match. “We stayed in a hotel, we hung on the beach all day and then we just realized that there’s a huge difference between getting engaged on the show and getting married,” Leo said. “And we had a lot of long conversations about it and we just realized that we were better as friends and we’re super good friends.”
Coelen confirmed again that the show has the budget for five couples — and can sometimes stretch to six — so two more couples were cut from season 7.
“When we make that decision as to who to follow, if we have more couples that got engaged, we make a decision as to which couples we think are authentic,” he told Variety in October 2024. “And when I say authentic, I mean most authentically likely to actually be at the altar and say I do. Who is really genuinely on that path? We felt, at the time, that the six couples we did end up following were the ones that felt more, on a gut level, had a real shot to say ‘I do’—that they were really invested in saying ‘I do.’”
Bohdan Olinares and Nina Zafar
Vulture reported that Nina was apprehensive about getting engaged in the pods and ultimately decided to leave together sans a ring. She later confirmed that the twosome didn’t make it very far in the real world.
“I may not have found love (or screen time lol) on Love is Blind,” she wrote on the social media app. “But I did find 13 new girlfriends, and some guy friends too, and I think that’s pretty amazing. Say what you want about reality tv and the people that go on it, but it takes A LOT of guts to put yourself out there for the world to judge. I’m so proud of my castmates for that! Cheers to season 7.”
Vulture revealed that Nina’s sister, Tara, was also on the show and had a match who she didn’t want to get engaged to.
“Nina’s sister Tara left on the same day, also with a guy she’d been dating in the pods, also without feeling ready to get engaged. In all, three couples left season seven without continuing production: Nina and Tara and their respective matches, and Brittany and Leo, who went through with a proposal and reveal but were not invited to the romantic getaway,” the outlet reported in 2024.
Season 8
Coelen confirmed that two couples were cut from the season of LiB that is currently airing.
Kylie Schuelke and Brian Sumption
Courtesy of Kylie Schuelke/Instagram
The twosome went public after the premiere, hinting that they are still going strong with several PDA pics via Instagram.
“From the pods to reality — what a journey! Grateful for every moment, every lesson, and everyone I met along the way. Love Is Blind — you were a wild, unforgettable ride. #LoveIsBlind,” they captioned a joint social media post.
Brittany Dodson and Mo Ndiaye
While fans saw Brittany’s relationship with Devin Buckley play out (and end), there are several reports that Brittany was also linked to Mo. Cosmopolitan cited a TikToker named “StorytimeWithRikkii” who alleged Mo made a “problematic” comment on the show, which he denied in a screenshot obtained by the magazine.
“Was problematic to production so they cut all his scenes? Huh?!… That is all news to me,” he wrote. “As far as who broke up with who… Well I’ll leave that one alone no need to go there. Everybody got their side but I know my truth I am glad you have A LOT to say about me and my own experience though.”
Dylan Efron takes the Hamptons? Ciara Miller thinks it’s a possibility!
“I feel like it could be relatively easy,” the 29-year-old Bravo star told Us Weekly when asked how to get her Traitors costar on Summer House. “I think I just have to text him and be like, ‘You should come to the Hamptons this weekend.’”
Peacock viewers have fallen in love with Zac Efron’s younger brother as season 3 of The Traitors airs. Ciara, for her part, was banished during the latest episode after she was falsely accused of being a Traitor.
“He is truly the kindest, sweetest soul,” Ciara said of Dylan. “It’s funny, he texted me last night and was like, ‘I still feel bad about not sticking up for you at the round table and voting for you.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you should!’”
The Winter House alum noted that Dylan, who has appeared on Zac’s Netflix travel show, Down to Earth, was the “reality TV newbie” in the Scottish castle, which was filled with Survivor, Big Brother and Bravo alums.
Ciara Miller and Dylan Efron.Steven Simione/FilmMagic; Euan Cherry/Peacock
“Him getting into an argument with a Housewife — I’m sitting in between him and Robyn [Dixon] when they were going back and forth — I’m like, ‘You’re doing great. … You’re doing so good,’” she continued “He’s so outdoorsy and his type of reality TV is so different than his normal life. I’m like, ‘Oh, you’ve never fought on TV.'”
Ciara concluded, “He’s as sweet in person as he is on TV. And obviously, he’s hot. I get people falling in love with him.”
Another person Ciara bonded with on the reality show is Survivor icon Boston Rob who coached her through a mission involving wild bugs and a snake. He was outed as a Traitor later that evening.
“He’s such a girl dad. That’s why I didn’t vote for him in the round table because we had spent all day together,” Ciara told Us. “We got through that challenge and then I started to believe that maybe he’s not a Traitor. He’s so nice, so sweet. But now looking back, so conniving, manipulative, very duplicitous. It’s confusing when you’re in it. But it was really nice when we were in the challenge and he was talking me through it. Because if I had anyone else, I probably wouldn’t be able to get the shield that night.”
Ciara admitted that finding out Rob was a Traitor “definitely took away” from the bond they formed on the show.
Ciara MillerUs Weekly
“He put me in a coffin!” she said of a previous episode. “I was like, ‘OK, thank you for getting me a shield, but I don’t respect that.'”
Rob was working with fellow Traitors Danielle Reyes and Carolyn Wiger.
“I was kind of disgusted that she was a Traitor. I just didn’t respect her game-playing,” Ciara told Us of Danielle. “There were some off-camera swearing on kids, grandkids or whatever, and I just didn’t feel like the stakes were that high. Granted, I don’t play game shows for a living, so I don’t know, but it just felt ridiculous to me.”
Summer House airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The Traitors starts streaming new episodes on Peacock Thursdays at 9 p.m ET.
Jenner and Booker were first spotted on a double date — with other people — in May 2018. While the model was seeing Ben Simmons at the time, Booker was linked to Kylie Jenner’s then-best friend Jordyn Woods.
Us Weekly confirmed in February 2019 that Booker and Woods’ relationship quietly fizzled out before she was caught kissing Khloé Kardashian’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, at a party. The scandal, which prompted Kardashian and Thompson to split, also resulted in the end of Woods and Kylie’s friendship. (Kardashian and Thompson got back together in August 2020.)
Kendall and Simmons, meanwhile, continued to date on and off. After more than two years of dating, however, sources told Us that Kendall and Booker pulled the plug on their romance — but only for a few weeks. Two months after their June 2022 split, Us confirmed that the pair were back together. However, they called it quits again that fall. In February 2025, an insider told Us that the pair were back together.
Scroll through to see Kendall and Booker’s timeline:
After the twosome were spotted together several times during the summer of 2020, Us confirmed that they were “still seeing each other.” An insider told Us in August 2020, “It’s easy because they get along well and he also gets along great with her family.”
The duo proved to be going strong in the new year after Booker reposted a steamy snap of Kendall in a bikini in January 2021 via Instagram. That same month, the reality TV personality posted a pic watching her man and the Phoenix Suns take on the Dallas Mavericks on the social media platform.
Kendall and Booker gave fans a closer look at their romance on Valentine’s Day in February 2021. While she posted a pic cuddling with him on her kitchen countertop via Instagram Stories, Booker posted a video of her playing with a dog and the twosome taking a nap on the grass.
"They are definitely an item and care about one another immensely,” a source told Us in March 2021, less than a month after the pair went Instagram official. “But it's not like they will be getting engaged any time soon. Kendall likes the pace at which things are going at the moment and has no plans to elevate things so quickly."
Jenner celebrated her one-year anniversary with the athlete by sharing a few intimate photos on her Instagram Story, simply captioned “365.” The two cuddled on a private jet in one shot, and they entertained Booker’s dog, Haven, in another pic.
Jenner showed her support for Booker during his NBA Finals debut with the Phoenix Suns. "I'm not emotional, you are," she wrote via her Instagram Stories, sharing a video taken from inside the arena. She also posted a photo of herself decked out head-to-toe in Suns orange.
The couple toasted Jenner’s successful 818 Tequila brand in New York with a beachside bash. "Devin led Kendall through the crowd upon arrival and led her to her seat,” an eyewitness exclusively told Us of the event. “They kept making eye contact throughout the night and never strayed far away from each other. At the end of the night, they walked out together hand in hand with nothing but smiles."
A fan posted a video of the couple talking with Booker's grandmother as Jenner met the athlete's family member for the first time. Mister Cartoon, who was working with Booker to design two basketball courts in Moss Point, exclusively told Us that the duo seemed like "a perfect match" during their visit.
Kendall shared a look at her pumpkin carving date night with Booker ahead of Halloween. However, the athlete has rules for jack-o-lanterns. "Pumpkin dont count if you used a stencil," he tweeted.
His girlfriend quoted his message and jokingly added, "I feel personally attacked."
“Yer corpse bride,” Jenner captioned an Instagram gallery of images from a lingerie photoshoot, which left her boyfriend in awe. “Don’t forget!” Booker commented on October 27.
Booker made it to the gingerbread house. Kendall's mother, Kris Jenner, is known for sending elaborate Christmas cookie creations to her loved ones, and Booker's name was included on Kendall's confectionary gift alongside her dogs' names.
The couple got cozy during a winter getaway for New Year's, and they both shared photos via Instagram of their vacation. They went to a rustic location for an intimate weekend in the countryside, sharing wine and nights by the roaring fire.
Booker recalled taking a road trip with his love to Roden Crater, a landmark created by an extinct volcano outside Flagstaff, Arizona, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The visit gave them an opportunity to bond over the artwork created there by artist James Turrell.“We visited Roden Crater and were astonished by the experience,” Booker told Architectural Digest in February 2022. He even bought a piece by Turrell to remind him of the getaway.
Booker gushed over his relationship during an interview with WSJ. Magazine, noting that it wasn't "hard" to manage the public interest in his love life. "Honestly, I'm enjoying life to the fullest, and that came off my tongue so easily because it wasn't always this way, but I feel like I'm in a good place right now," he told the outlet. "I love my family, I love the people around me, and I love the impact that I get to have on this world, the younger generation under me and the kids who look up to me."
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with her mother and sisters, the host asked the model whether she tunes into Booker’s NBA games. “I watch every game unless I have — last night, I had a dinner, but all my friends and family know that I, like, sit with my phone [in front of me] wherever I am with the game on,” she replied, adding that she’s been a basketball fan since going to Lakers games with Khloé Kardashian.
Though the couple have become more comfortable sharing their relationship over the years, Jenner has no interest in including the athlete on The Kardashians. "We’ll see Kendall with her friends more than you did in Keeping Up [With the Kardashians]," showrunner Danielle King told Variety when asked about Booker appearing on the show. "But she is keeping her relationship private."
While promoting a new episode of Hulu's The Kardashians, Jenner revealed that her phone background is a black-and-white photo of Booker getting ready to hit the court during a basketball game.
A source told Us that the twosome hit pause on their relationship as they “figure out if a future together is what’s meant to be.” Per the insider, Booker and Jenner are “still super amicable and supportive of each other.
Booker raised eyebrows when he “liked” a cheeky photo of Jenner sunbathing nude, which she posted via Instagram on June 26. The same day, the twosome sparked reconciliation speculation when they were spotted hanging out in Malibu together. The pair were seen smiling and getting close on the balcony of the Soho House.
Weeks after Us reported the pair pumped the brakes on their relationship, they were spotted together multiple times, from a Hamptons getaway to a weekend wedding in Napa, California.
"Kendall and Devin are 100 percent back together," an insider exclusively told Us. "They spent some time apart but are back to a good place and are really happy with each other."
The model shared a glimpse of a rural summer getaway with Booker via her Instagram Story, posting a photo of herself sitting on her beau's lap and drinking a beer.
The athlete was left speechless after Jenner shared a series of sizzling bikini pics. Booker kept his reaction simple, dropping a sweaty emoji in her Instagram comments.
After attending multiple New York Fashion Week events together, Jenner and Booker packed on the PDA while watching the men's final at the U.S. Open.
Booker celebrated his girlfriend by commenting on Kim Kardashian’s Instagram snap of herself with Kris and Kendall.
“Middle,” he wrote, pointing out that the 818 founder was front and center for the family snap. Kendall, for her part, showed she appreciated the support from her beau by "liking" his comment.
Kendall kicked off the start of the new basketball season by cheering on her boyfriend during his game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kendall brought Caitlyn Jenner with her to the Crypto.com Arena to root for Booker’s eventual win.
Us confirmed that the duo called it quits once again. "Things are amicable after the breakup, there's no bad blood between them," an insider revealed, noting that the split happened "a little over a month" prior.
Months after their split, a source exclusively told Us that Booker was still harboring feelings for his ex. "Devin still thinks about Kendall on occasion and a piece of him still misses her. He has no idea what the future holds and although maybe their timing wasn’t right, [that] doesn’t mean it can’t happen at some point down the line," the insider noted, explaining the athlete “is not completely over her."
The source explained: "He’s not actively trying to get back with her but isn’t exactly opposed to the idea either.”
A source exclusively told Us that Kendall and Booker are “very much together,” adding, “Kendall thinks Devin is really funny, and they seem very solid right now.”
The insider noted that Kendall and Booker had been in New York City for a friend’s dinner party and were “making out and being very affectionate.” Despite their PDA, the source shared that the pair “like to keep their relationship private.” The insider added, “But they are very touchy-feely when they’re with friends.”
Months before Healy was linked to Taylor Swift following her split from Joe Alwyn, the English rocker made waves for kissing fans on stage at various shows. He ditched the tradition during a January 2023 show — because Swift was there to surprise fans with a performance of “Anti-Hero.”
“I’m not kissing anybody in front of Taylor Swift, have some respect. In front of the queen, it’s not happening,” Healy told the crowd.
One month later, he was under fire for a podcast he recorded with hosts Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen. During the episode, the three men mocked Ice Spice and Healy laughed as Friedland and Mullen mimicked Chinese and Hawaiian accents. The “Robbers” singer also recalled an NSFW story about masturbating to brutalized women.
Healy later apologized to Ice Spice on stage, saying in part: “I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d—k. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”
Scroll through for a breakdown of Healy’s controversial moments:
Healy referred to rumors he was dating Swift as “emasculating” back in 2016.
“She wasn’t a big impact on my life,” he told Q Magazine at the time. “It’s just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift. The reason I mention that is because if I had [properly] gone out with Taylor Swift, I would’ve been, ‘F–king hell, I am not being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.’ You know, ‘F–k. That.’ That’s also a man thing, a demasculinating [sic], emasculating thing.”
Healy later denied that he was throwing “shade,” explaining that he didn’t understand why he was asked about Swift so often after she attended one of his shows in 2014.
“I have said on countless occasions that I found her to be one of the most gracious, hard working, creatively gifted, and beautiful women that I have had the pleasure to meet,” he tweeted at the time, per Elle. “I personally have a lot of respect and admiration for her. Why would I not?”’
Healy has been known to bring fans on stage to make out, with a concert goer at a November 2022 show in Vegas posting on social media that he asked permission before they smooched. Days later, Healy kissed a male fan and it wasn’t the first time he locked lips with the same sex. Back in 2019, he kissed a male fan in Dubai to make a point against United Arab Emirates laws.
“Thank you, Dubai, you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my 'behaviour’, but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again,” he tweeted at the time.
Healy went viral in November 2022 when he appeared to chow down on raw meat during his show at Madison Square Garden. According to a review from NME of the show, the musician also touched himself while sitting on a couch on stage, telling the crowd: “I’m sorry if you came with your dad and I was touching my d—k. It’s your fault for bringing your dad.”
He made waves for the same steak bit in January 2023, but has yet to publicly comment on the food drama.
In a video from a January 2023 show, Healy appeared to do a Nazi salute while marching on stage as he performed “Love It If We Made It.” He made the apparent gesture as he sang the lyrics from the track, “Thank you, Kanye, very cool.” At the time, West was under fire for various antisemitic remarks.
The line in the song — which reads in full, “‘I moved on her like a bitch,’ excited to be indicted / Unrequited house with seven pools, ‘Thank you, Kanye, very cool’ / The war has been incited, and guess what? You’re all invited / And you’re famous, modernity has failed us" — is seemingly a slam at former President Donald Trump, who tweeted “Thank you, Kanye, very cool” in 2018.
Healy never commented on the controversy but slammed West in a February 2023 interview. “He’s obviously someone who is dealing with grief and has mental health issues, but that’s not an excuse to do, like, antisemitism,” he said, adding that he's all for the “blurring of boundaries” but thinks West went too far.
Healy, Friedland and Mullen were accused of making fun of Ice Spice, whom Mullen called an “Inuit Spice Girl” and a “chubby Chinese lady” during the aforementioned February 2023 episode of “The Adam Friedland Show.”
“Yeah, that's what Ice Spice is like,” Healy responded as he laughed at Friedland and Mullen.
He later apologized on stage, saying in part: “I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you. Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d—k. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”
Ice Spice, for her part, said she “didn’t really care” about the controversy” during a September 2023 interview with Billboard. She added that Healy “apologized to me a bunch of times” when they crossed paths at a Fashion Week party earlier that month.
In May 2023 — amid Healy's rekindled romance with Swift — Swift announced that Ice Spice would be on the remix of her hit "Karma." Swift, who called herself a "massive fan" of the "Princess Diana" rapper, raved about Ice Spice in her social media announcement, calling her a "brilliant artist" who is "THE ONE to watch."
Us Weekly confirmed in June 2023 that Swift and Healy had called it quits.
“Taylor and Matty are no longer romantically involved,” a source exclusively shared at the time. “They had fun together, but it was never serious.”
During the same podcast appearance, Healy recalled being walked in on as he masturbated to "Ghetto Gaggers,” a porn website that features the degradation of women of color.
“It was 30 seconds [after this girl Olive left], like, you guys were still waiting outside, she came back in, I was already flustered,” he said. "I was, like, dressed as 'guy who is jacking off,' so I had, like, untucked shirt. Like you said, I think it literally was, like, Ghetto Gaggers was on the TV. It's just somebody just getting, like, brutalized. … I’m like, ‘It’s fine, it’s OK.’ 10 minutes would have been fine, but 30 seconds was, like, I was worried that was almost offensive.”
When asked about his aforementioned offensive comments on "The Adam Friedland Show" Healy told The New Yorker in May 2023 that he was baiting fans "a little bit, but it doesn't actually matter."
"Nobody is sitting there at night slumped at their computer, and their boyfriend comes over and goes, ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ and they go, ‘It’s just this thing with Matty Healy.’ That doesn’t happen," the musician said. "If it does, you’re either deluded or you are, sorry, a liar. You’re either lying that you are hurt, or you’re a bit mental for being hurt. It’s just people going, ‘Oh, there’s a bad thing over there, let me get as close to it as possible so you can see how good I am.’ And I kind of want them to do that, because they’re demonstrating something so base level.”
While performing at Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival in 2023, Healy sparked controversy when he kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage after speaking out against the country's discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. "It's f---ing ridiculous to tell people what they can do," Healy said at the time. The band proceeded to abruptly end their set, Healy told the crowd, "Alright, we got to go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur."
The festival later confirmed in a statement that Healy's "controversial conduct and remarks" forced them to cancel the remainder of their show. Lawsuits were subsequently filed against Healy and the band in 2024, with the festival seeking $2.4 million. Documents obtained by Variety claimed that The 1975 and their management team were aware of the policies artists were expected to follow in order to perform at Good Vibes Festival, including not swearing, not smoking or drinking on stage and not talking about politics or religion. A ban on "kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves" was also issued by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL).
In early 2025, a court hearing took place, during which the band's lawyer alleged that The 1975 should not be held liable and slammed the "bizarre" accusations against them. "The allegations of breaches of a duty of care are not breaches of a duty of care at all. They are breaches of Malaysian statutes and guidelines. That is why this claim is completely artificial against my clients," the lawyer argued, per reports.
The opposing counsel claimed that the festival organizers suffered "substantial losses," adding, "It is therefore fair, just and reasonable for the duty of care to be imposed and for them to answer for their acts of procuring breaches of contract."
What happens in Scotland doesn’t always stay in Scotland.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Ciara Miller opened up about filming The Traitors, clarifying a comment she made about in the season 9 Summer House premiere about having her phone in the castle.
“You get your phone — I don’t even know — every six, seven days,” the reality star, 29, told Us, adding that she “thrived” without the device. “But it’s all supervised so you can’t go on social media. You can only make a couple phone calls and if you send a text, they have to read it.”
Ciara, a Faithful, made it eight episodes before she was “banished” at a roundtable because her costars (falsely) thought she was a Traitor.
“Everyone owes me an apology. I’m walking into [the reunion] guns blazing. Like, ‘You owe me an apology. You owe me an apology. You owe me an apology.’ Because where was I a Traitor?” Ciara asked Us, hypothesizing that filming a reunion for the Peacock show should be easier than hashing things out with her Summer House castmates. “I think it probably won’t be as long.”
Other behind-the-scenes tidbits include confirmation the group does their own glam on the game show.
Euan Cherry/Peacock
“I like doing my makeup. I don’t love doing my own hair. There were a couple mornings where I didn’t wake up on time and I’m like, ‘I have to get in full hair and makeup. … Guys, can we have a day off? I don’t wanna do this,’” she told Us with a laugh. “But the fun part of it was dressing up. I don’t wanna shop for another outfit [now], but if you have no strategy, you must have good hair, makeup and outfits. It’s its own strategy.”
Ciara hinted that there was a packing list for the show, which is how the group could be coordinated in missions like her now-infamous “wedding” to Boston Rob (bugs and snakes included!).
“When I was watching it, I was like, ‘This is disgusting.’ I had my eyes closed the entire time. I had never seen some of these other bugs that were on me … That’s actually insane. And I’m so glad I had my eyes closed, and I didn’t even know it was a snake until shortly after,” she recalled. “I was screaming and they had to, like, readjust the snake because he was getting too close to my mouth. And I’m like, ‘This is crazy. I’m never doing this again’ And I was like, ‘You better have gotten this in one shot because I’m not doing it again.’”
Ciara Miller on Traitors.Euan Cherry/Peacock
As for another one of her memorable moments in the coffin, Ciara estimated that she was in the box waiting to find out if she was going to be murdered in episode three for at least 30 minutes.
“They break it up because of filming things … [But] I’m never going in a coffin again,” she said. “I don’t believe in going into a coffin prematurely. It’s so creepy. I really hate coffins. There was no lining in there, it was just a cold, wooden coffin. And I was like, ‘Really? I was in brand new leather boots,’ but nobody cared.”
It also wouldn’t be The Traitors without the iconic breakfast scenes where the cast gathers in the morning to find out who was murdered the night before.
“Breakfast is nerve-wracking. You’re hungry but too nervous to eat. But also, it’s meat and cheeses and croissants. It’s very cutesy. And I’m like, ‘Can I get a scrambled egg? Some hash browns?’ There’s none of that,” she recalled.
Ciara subsequently shut down Us’ theory that the group should think about how the last three people at breakfast could be the targets of the Traitors.
“You all come in [to eat] in different orders every time. It’s really hard to catch on that type of pattern,” she said. “There was a time where we tried to, like, count the chairs, but then they were like, ‘You guys are stupid. That’s not it at all.'”
Summer House airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. The Traitors streams new episodes every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
After officially joining the cast of Summer House five seasons ago, Ciara Miller knows a thing or two about becoming part of the Bravo family.
“It’s hard to come in as a new person. We’ve known each other for a while now and we’re a family — and it’s sometimes super toxic — so it’s not easy coming into that environment where we all have so much history and there’s so many personalities at play,” Ciara, 29, exclusively told Us Weekly. “And having to sort that out as a new person is kind of intimidating. But I think it’s always best if you’re new to sit back a little, learn dynamics and offer an ear because it’s really hard to have an opinion when, you know, we all are so interconnected and there’s so many years of drama at play.”
During the season 9 premiere on February 12, fans met two of the three new cast members: Lexi Wood and Bailee Henderson. While it’s clear Lexi will be in the mix — she struck up a quick connection with Jesse Soloman on the first weekend of the summer — Bailee was noticeably missing from the recent premiere party in New York City.
“I loved Bailee. I thought she was so cute. She’s from Kentucky, has the cutest southern accent, and was always bubbly, down for whatever. Loved to party. She had a really cool girl style about her,” Ciara told Us. “[Lexi and Bailee] came in together and it was a really cute pair. I think Lexi and Jesse — she got whisked away with that— and then Bailee would hang with the girls a little bit. It was kind of [Bailee] balancing between the two. Sometimes when you come in with a new person, you wanna stick with the other new people. But I liked Bailee a lot. I know she’s not really in our, like, Summer House promo or anything, but hopefully people get to see a little bit of her.”
Ciara also had a positive first impression of Lexi, telling Us that she’s “so cute” and “super nice.”
Lexi Wood, Ciara Miller, Bailee Henderson.Kareem Black/Bravo ; US Weekly ; JP Yim/Getty Images for American Eagle
“When you think of Canada, in my head, I think of Lexi, like, she’s just so nice. And then her ‘o’s are super drawn out and she eats ketchup chips,” she said, revealing she warned Jesse about jumping into a showmance too quickly. “Lexi coins herself as a lover girl. I don’t think it was like uncharted territory for her. I was kind of, like, ‘Jesse, ust as a word of advice, pump the brakes. I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but I have walked in your shoes once or twice.’”
In the trailer for the season, Lexi actually accuses Ciara of being flirty with Jesse during the summer. “Honestly, I don’t really know [what that was about],” Ciara told Us. “I am gonna watch and figure it out with the rest of you guys because I still don’t know. In my head — and maybe this is just my world — but I don’t see it as that big of a deal. Once we watch it back and we see, I guess, then I’ll see you at the reunion.”
“[Going into the summer], me and Jesse were really cool. I mean, we’re still really cool,” she said. “Honestly, I feel like me and Jesse fight and it’s fine. We’re gonna get over it. And it’s typically always me mad at him for something or he’s annoyed that I said something or I was a little bit too honest. t That’s our relationship.”
She added that part of his innate personality is to flirt.
“He’s a flirt. He’s gonna flirt. He loves his female friends. He loves the female species,” she said. “If you wanna gossip, you call Jesse. He’s like, ‘You got tea for me?’ I love a FaceTime with him and him getting in the bed is, like, so normal.”
Kareem Black/Bravo
Rounding out the newbies is Imrul Hassan, who Us hears had a very eventful summer with ladies “outside of the house.”
“Imrul’s a party animal,” Ciara told Us. “They have coined him the name ‘Orgy Beast.’”
She added that he has “such a complex story” and “a really cool family” that fans will learn about.
“It was really nice getting to know him this summer. But on the other hand, he parties a ton,” she said. “I will never be able to keep up with [some] people, but he was able to jump right in and keep up and, honestly, surpassed us. So it was super impressive. There were definitely moments where we’re like, ‘Who, what is, what is happening here?’”
Summer House airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m ET.
Rose, a 27-year-old nurse, opted to self-eliminate during the Monday, February 17, episode of the ABC series after her drama with Carolina, a 29-year-old PR producer, carried over from week three.
Week four kicked off with the group traveling from the mansion to Spain, with 32-year-old attorney Dina getting the first one-on-one date. Calling herself an “ice queen” several times during the date as they explored Madrid, Dina opened up about being one of 11 siblings and struggling to share her feelings in her big family. Grant, 31, told her that she reminded him of his mother (but not in a weird way, he promised!) and gave Dina a rose.
However, Carolina, who went on a one-on-one date in Vegas during the February 10 episode, was not happy to find out that she was on a group date. “If I’m lucky he’ll kiss someone in front of me,” she quipped after being caught complaining about wanting more time in front of the women who haven’t had any solo time yet again.
After a quick interlude with Parisa’s bad day — she has a pimple! she burned herself on her curling iron! her spray tan is “chipping!” — we see the women go on a donkey ride and attempt mechanical bull riding after a matador class. We also see Zoe, a 27-year-old tech engineer and a model, get candid with Grant about being adopted and growing up as a Black woman in a primarily white neighborhood.
The emotional moment would normally lead to a group date rose for Zoe, but instead, Grant opted not to give anyone the honor after Juliana, a 28-year-old client service associate, confronted Carolina about not being grateful for the time she has had with Grant. The rest of the women have Juliana’s back, leading Carolina to cry — and Grant to walk in just in time to pull her aside and comfort her. (While it’s always hard to tell who truly is the problem, Juliana opting to apologize for her role in Grant’s decision not to give out the rose makes it seem like Carolina really is the drama.)
Grant EllisDisney/John Fleenor
Grant later went on a second one-on-one date, this time bungee jumping in the rain with Sarafiena, a 29-year-old associate media director. Things nearly took a turn when Grant thought Sarafiena wasn’t attracted to him because she doesn’t give it her all when they kiss, but she subsequently explained that she’s just playing it safe because her mom is watching. (Most relatable fourth wall break in Bachelor history?) Sarafiena opened up about being told something was always missing in her past relationships and was given a rose from Grant.
When it was time for the cocktail party, Grant was quick to pull Juliana to hear more about the drama with Carolina. After she filled him in on her concerns, Grant informed Carolina that she is valid in her feelings but should only be expressing them to him — and not the rest of the girls. We have to give it up to Grant for the way he handled this one! Carolina is being extra and needs to realize she’s on The Bachelor, but it is only sane to question why you are having such strong feelings after one date with a dude.
Meanwhile, Rose — who told Grant earlier in the episode that she was anxious following her past drama with Carolina — wasn’t happy when Dina decided to comfort and validate Carolina (who was still emotional) in front of the group. (ICYMI last week, Rose told Carolina that Grant said he was thinking of Rose during his solo dance with Carolina on a group date. Grant later denied that was what he meant, but the damage was done as Carolina was triggered and went to Grant, causing his relationship with Rose to suffer.)
Rose told Carolina that she felt “f—ed” by her “big time,” explaining that she thought she was confiding in a friend when she repeated what Grant had told her. Rose subsequently decided to quit the show, informing Grant before Monday’s rose ceremony.
“I’ve been fighting myself for a long time, like, fighting to stay and fighting through my own emotions. Everything that happened with Carolina invalidated so much about my relationship that was so good,” Rose told the cameras. “This is definitely a tipping point for me.”
At the rose ceremony, Grant informed the women that Rose left, admitting he was hurt by her decision but explained it is a reminder to all of them that it is their choice to be here.
When he’s handing out roses, Parisa’s bad day gets worse as Carolina secures the final rose. And just like that, Grant is down to his final seven — Carolina, Dina, Sarafiena, Zoe, Juliana, Litia and Alexe.
Arielle Kebbel did not expect fans to end up saying “justice for Lindsay” decades after her stint on Gilmore Girls.
“When I moved to L.A. that was my first audition. It was my first job. I was 17. I remember I was on the phone with my mom one time in Coffee Bean and I was like, ‘Oh, hang on, mom, these girls are talking to me.’ They’re like, ‘Are you Lindsay? … We hate you,’” Kebbel said during a recent interview with Us Weekly about her Fox series, Rescue: HI-Surf. “And I remember thinking at that moment, like, ‘OK, I guess that’s what ‘making it’ looks like.’ And then cut to present day, I will be out at a coffee shop and people will be like, ‘You deserve more. F Dean!’”
With a laugh, Kebbel added, “It’s like, ‘Wow how times have changed.’ And I’ll just look at them and be like, ‘You know what? I appreciate that. Thank you.’ Lindsay’s day has finally arrived.”
Gilmore Girls fans met Lindsay during season 3 of the series when she started dating Rory’s (Alexis Bledel) ex-boyfriend Dean (Jared Padalecki). During season 4, Dean and Lindsay get married, with Rory later having an affair with Dean. While Gilmore Girls aired from 2000 to 2007 on The WB (with season 7 airing on The CW), fans have since turned on Dean for being Rory’s worst boyfriend.
“My favorite thing that I saw — I can’t remember if it was on TikTok or Instagram — but someone made a horror film edit, like if Dean was a serial killer,” Kebbel told Us. “I live for it. I would make that horror film with Lindsay as the detective on the case.”
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Kebbel went on to appear in several TV shows including The Vampire Diaries and 90210 as well as movies like John Tucker Must Die and Fifty Shades Freed. To Us, she is also one of the OG Hallmark Christmas movie stars, appearing in 2012’s A Bride for Christmas with network darling Andrew Walker.
“I like to say I made his Hallmark career,” she joked to Us. “That was my first Hallmark Christmas movie and I think it was his too. We got really lucky. We had a great director. There was just something about the wittiness and humor in that script that I remember reading it and being like, ‘This is funny.’ And I was excited I’d never done a Christmas movie, and I was excited to infuse that humor into it. I’m a sucker for a good rom-com.”
When asked if she would make another Hallmark movie, Kebbel said there would have to be a special script.
“I think if there was that special sauce again, I would love to do it,” she said. “At the same time, part of what makes those special is, I think, holding out and then being willing to dive in when you go, ‘This is the right moment again.'”
For now, fans can catch Kebbel on Rescue: HI-Surf (Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox) as Em, a lifeguard on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawaii.
“We had two weeks of intense training. I definitely went to the hospital,” she told Us. “It’s the only job I’ve ever been on where the more cuts and scrapes and bruises I got, we never had to cover them up. That’s part of the show, that’s part of the character.”
Joe Amabilethinks Rose Sombke made a fatal move on The Bachelor when she told fellow contestant Carolina Quixano what Grant Ellis shared with her during a private moment.
“The Rose/Carolina misunderstanding has been a little strange,” Joe, 38, told Us Weekly while talking about his new partnership with Eroxon. “They’re both likable. I feel for Rose in the situation because she’s so upset and I think she made a mistake. I just don’t know why she shared the information to Carolina. Of course if Carolina hears that, she’s gonna want to confront Grant. I just feel like Rose slipped up, and unfortunately, when you do that in Bachelor world, there’s just not a lot of time.”
Fans have been torn about Rose, 27, going to Carolina, 28, about Grant, 31, telling her that he was “thinking” of her during a group date. While Rose (and some fans) believed that Grant was saying he thought of Rose during his solo time with Carolina, other viewers believed that Grant was saying he thinks of her in general as a way to give her some validation.
“I don’t know if Grant actually said it or not — and I don’t think it really matters,” Joe told Us. “I just don’t think she should have told Carolina, because that is where the problem is. In my opinion, even if Grant did say it, I think you would be better off keeping that information to yourself, because all that would do is potentially hurt your chances by letting someone else know.”
Despite the Rose and Carolina hiccup, Joe made it clear that he’s a big fan of the season 29 Bachelor.
Disney/Matt Sayles
“Grant, so far, so good. I like Grant,” he said. “I really like the way he’s handling all the tough conversations. I think he’s doing a really good job.”
Based on the teaser for the season, however, Grant will be torn on who to choose on finale day.
“That’s what’s confusing, because right now it really seems like he knows what he wants,” Joe told Us, agreeing that Juliana Pasquarosa and Litia Garr are the frontrunners for top two.
Disney/John Fleenor
When asked whether Grant should follow his head or his heart, Joe picked the latter. “I’m such a romantic. I believe you should actually trust your heart because if your heart’s not in it, then it’s not gonna work anyways — even if the logistics make sense,” he said.
Joe added that when it came to his relationship with now-wife Serena Pitt — who is 10 years younger than him and lived in Canada when they met on Bachelor in Paradise — he definitely “trusted the good old heart.”
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
The reality star has been a part of Bachelor Nation since season 14 of The Bachelorette in 2018. Now, he’s partnered with Eroxon to promote their gel used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men and the brand’s new AI ChatBot, Ed.
“I just think it’s great to have these conversations. I feel like talking about ED has been so taboo for so long. I feel like guys don’t love having the conversation,” he said. “I was really interested in finding out that one in four men over 18 suffer from it. I personally don’t, but I am getting older. So I just think the more knowledge, the better.”
Joe even told Us that he would recommend Ed to his friends in the franchise. “Listen, I have no problem doing it. Let’s go. I’ll have that conversation,” he said.
Instagram-gate is rocking Love Is Blind — and the Lacheys marriage.
On season 8 of the Netflix dating show, stars Daniel Hasting and Taylor Haag’s engagement bliss was soured when she accused him of following her on Instagram before the show.
“It’s funny because that was one of those moments — we always tend to agree, but then when we do disagree, we agree to disagree. And I was like, ‘I understand what she’s saying.’ And [Nick’s] like, ‘I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,’” Vanessa Lacheytold Us Weekly during an exclusive interview with husband and cohost Nick Lachey. “That’s the beauty of the show is that water cooler talk.”
Vanessa noted that this season in particular “really highlighted how social media does impact a relationship.”
“If somebody is following you and does know a lot about you, is that fair?” she pondered. “And it didn’t give you an opportunity to truly get to know them for who they are because that is personal. That is why it’s Instagram and it’s posted. She had this little voice in the back of her head, and I’m really proud of her for speaking up on it.”
Courtesy of Netflix
Fans see Taylor confront Daniel during the final moments of the first batch of episodes that started streaming on Friday, February 14, telling her new fiancé that she recalls seeing photos of him at Christmas time after he allegedly followed her on the app.
“Nick, again, was like, ‘I don’t think that it was that big of a deal,’ but I understood why it was a big deal to her,” Vanessa added. “And I think that they handled it beautifully.”
The couple noted that Taylor and Daniel are a duo they are rooting for.
Taylor Haag, Daniel Hastings.Adam Rose/Netflix (2)
“We were like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna be golden’ [and we say that with a couple] every season we watch. And then when it clipped right to her being in her room, we were like, ‘Wait, what?'” she said.
“Every season is unique and specific and different,” Nick noted. “We’ve never seen that particular scenario play out before. That’s what keeps it exciting for us.”
Fans will have to tune in to the next batch of Love Is Blind episodes — which start streaming on Netflix Friday, February 21 — to find out if Daniel and Taylor can move past the IG drama.
Arielle Kebbel as Em Wright in ‘Rescue: HI-Surf.’Zach Dugan/FOX
Tsunami! Unexploded mines! Busted affairs! Arielle Kebbel tells Us how Rescue: HI-Surf’s sexy lifeguards weather it all — while also teasing what is to come for her character Em’s relationship with Will.
“[For] little me who learned to swim at 1 year old, this is the best job of my life,” Kebbel raves in the new issue of Us Weekly of shooting Rescue: HI-Surf on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawaii.
Kebbel adds that the best compliment she can get is that North Shore locals are fans of the show. “To get positive feedback from the North Shore and to know that they’re championing our show means the world to me,” she says. “It was the hardest job I’ve ever done, but it was also the most rewarding because I’ve never been on a production where we would call cut and the crew would be cheering for me and for us and for our cast. It is so important to me to give it my all every single day. And so I’m very, very grateful that people are responding to this show.”
Even before the cameras started rolling, the cast was committed to the project, getting certified as lifeguards, ATV drivers, jet ski drivers and scuba divers.
“We had two weeks of intense training. I definitely went to the hospital,” she said with a laugh. “It’s the only job I’ve ever been on where the more cuts and scrapes and bruises I got, we never had to cover them up. That’s part of the show, that’s part of the character.”
Rescue: HI-Surf airs on Fox Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
How much of your own stunts do you do?
There is no CGI, which I’m so proud of. We all do most of our own stunts. I do have an amazing stunt double [to give me tips].
Kekoa Kekumano as Laka Hanohano and Arielle Kebbel as Em Wright in ‘Rescue: HI-Surf.’Zach Dugan/FOX
Watching you go hard in the water or on the beach is really inspiring. Is there a fitness regimen you follow?
You have to take care of your body like an athlete would. Female lifeguards are strong and are tough from their core. [But] being on the island is such a physical, spiritual experience that diet isn’t even in the realm of thinking there. And I will carry that with me forever.
Your character Em’s hair is also iconic. Effortless beach waves!
When we started filming, there was talk about cutting my hair even shorter for practical reasons. I said absolutely not. We cannot cut her hair and further prove that you can’t be feminine and celebrate femininity in a man’s world.
Adam Demos as Will Ready and Arielle Kebbel as Em Wright in ‘Rescue: HI-Surf.’Zach Dugan/FOX
How often did Mother Nature throw a wrench into production?
Every single day! We were constantly holding for crazy rip currents, windstorms, rain, sandstorms [or] whales, monk seals, turtles.
The relationship between Em and Adam Demos’ Will began and ended offscreen, then picked up with a hot fling… while he was engaged. Are you rooting for them?
They’re like these animals! They’re explosive together. At the same time, it’s a reminder of the dangers that come when you follow your feelings and don’t necessarily take responsibility.
Arielle Kebbel as Em Wright and Adam Demos as Will Ready in ‘Rescue: HI-Surf.’Zach Dugan/FOX
In the February 17 episode, they rebound with other people. Should we worry?
Anytime you have the word rebound in a love relationship, it’s probably not gonna go well. It’s more fuel to the fire.
[Creator Matt Kester] always said we want this to be a will-they, won’t-they all season long, so that at the finale, people are shocked.
What about Em’s relationship with Captain Sonny (Robbie Magasiva). Do you like playing that dynamic?
I love working with Robbie. We felt so lucky that we could develop this relationship because it’s very rare that you have a male-female work relationship that has zero sexual tension. She respects him as her boss, but she also holds him to the fire because she knows him in a way and can speak to him in a way that nobody else at work can. And at the same time, she knows that he can hold her to the fire because he saw something in her a long time ago and brought her along on this journey.
It didn’t take long to identify one of the more polarizing characters on season 8 of Love Is Blind.
The first batch of episodes of the Netflix dating series dropped on Friday, February 14, with Dave Bettenburg catching our attention with his pods pick-up line, “What’s wrong with you?” (Yes, we’re being serious.)
“I think he admitted at some point that a couple of the ladies didn’t take that the right way,” Nick Lachey told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview with wife and cohost Vanessa Lachey. “For him, that’s a way of trying to break the ice and be a jokey guy.”
As Nick explained that “the delivery is lost a little bit,” Vanessa noted, “It’s hard when you can’t see someone.”
“Because even the women were like, ‘What?’ But she couldn’t see his face,” she added.
“I think he realized that was a swing and miss a few times,” Nick continued. “He’s definitely a character. It certainly brings a lot to the show. We haven’t actually ever been in the pod and experienced that, but I can’t imagine how you break the ice. I think for him it was just a way to break the ice and cut right through. It didn’t land the way he hoped it would.”
Courtesy of Netflix (2)
While Dave did struggle in the pods, he later found himself in a love triangle with Molly and Lauren. Spoiler alert — he picked Lauren and the twosome got engaged.
Fans will have to keep watching to find out if they make it down the aisle, but for now, they are having some fun with his pod performance.
“Why does Dave keep bringing up plastic surgery isn’t this love is blind? #LoveIsBlind #LoveIsBlind8,” one fan wrote, referring to his comments about judging people who get “too much Botox” after his experience as a medical device salesman.
Another viewer posted, “Watching the new season of Love is Blind and I would walk out of a date with Dave, he is giving weird vibes.”
“Starting the new season of Love is Blind and I’m already sick of this David,” a third fan declared.
Greg Gayne/Netflix
Love Is Blind debuted on Netflix in February 2020. The show has gone on to see 13 weddings in seven seasons, with three ending in divorce. (According to Us’ calculations, 40 duos have been followed on post-pod journeys.)
“It’s been thrilling to watch and launch the eighth season in five years and to be a part of all those,” Nick told Us. “It’s a great show and people respond to the show, but more importantly, I think, for us, is the human element. Seeing 13 marriages come out of seven seasons of the show and bringing people together who normally wouldn’t probably ever connect in the real world has been really gratifying for us to be a part of.”
Love Is Blind is currently streaming on Netflix, with new episodes dropping next Friday, February 21.
“[It’s] so lame. I don’t like it,” Joe, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly while talking about his new partnership with Eroxon.
Deadline reported earlier this month that ABC opted to skip a cycle of The Bachelor spinoff — which typically premieres in May or July — as the focus is on Bachelor in Paradise’s return for season 10. (BiP skipped a cycle in summer 2024.)
“I, honestly, I don’t know why it happened,” Joe continued. “I mean, maybe the outcomes, [but before Jenn Tran], Charity [Lawson] had a happy ending. Charity was a great Bachelorette. She’s in a successful relationship. I mean, Jenn’s season kind of ended in a rough way, but that happens.”
When Us hypothesized that five shows — The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette — may be too much to air in a year, Joe agreed.
“I think you could be correct on that. I just think Bachelorette is still one of their better shows,” he said, adding that he prefers The Bachelorette over one of the senior shows, but not “over Paradise,” the franchise where he met wife Serena Pitt in 2021.
When asked who would be handing out roses if he was the boss at ABC, Joe named Bachelor season 28 standout Maria Georgas.
“If I was in charge. Maria,” he said. “Bring her on. Let’s go. Let’s have fun.”
In the meantime, Joe is watching Grant Ellis’ season of The Bachelor — and he’s impressed.
“Grant, so far so good. I like Grant,” he said. “I really like the way he’s handling all the tough conversations. I think he’s doing a really good job.”
Joe is also focused on his partnership with Eroxon to promote their gel used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men and the brand’s new AI ChatBot, Ed.
“I have talked to the AI ChatBot, Ed. He’s fantastic. And I think, you know, guys on a golf course, guys in a locker room, everybody’s bragging about how much sex they have — but nobody wants to talk about their issues,” Amabile continued. “And I think having [Ed] really allows you to be vulnerable and ask questions that you wouldn’t really ask your friends.”
Joe added that “it’s great to have these conversations” with your friends or partner. “ I feel like talking about ED has been so taboo for so long. I feel like guys don’t love having the conversation,” he said. “I was really interested in finding out that one in four men over 18 suffer from it. I personally don’t, but I am getting older. So I just think the more knowledge, the better.”
The 38-year-old Bachelor in Paradise alum caught up with Us Weekly at a Valentine’s Day event at Bibliotheque in New York City on Wednesday, February 12, to talk all about his new partnership with Eroxon, a gel used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men.
“I just think it’s great to have these conversations. I feel like talking about ED has been so taboo for so long. I feel like guys don’t love having the conversation,” Amabile told Us. “I was really interested in finding out that one in four men over 18 suffer from it. I personally don’t, but I am getting older. So I just think the more knowledge, the better.”
Amabile added that he loves that the Eroxon gel is the first “over-the-counter” medicine for ED. He’s also tried the brand’s new AI ChatBot, Ed.
“I have talked to the AI ChatBot, Ed. He’s fantastic. And I think, you know, guys on a golf course, guys in a locker room, everybody’s bragging about how much sex they have — but nobody wants to talk about their issues,” Amabile continued. “And I think having [Ed] really allows you to be vulnerable and ask questions that you wouldn’t really ask your friends.
Amabile assured Us that no one should be “scared” to chat with Ed.
Eroxon
“There’s also a mental health aspect of it, and I think it could be really tough on relationships. So even if a woman was curious about her partner, maybe, not performing well, she could jump on, talk to the AI ChatBot and figure it out,” he said.
Amabile, for his part, has been married to Serena Pitt since 2022. The twosome met on season 7 of BiP in 2021.
“Our marriage has just been the best thing that’s happened to me,” he gushed to Us when asked for the highlight of the first three years of marriage. “It’s just the everyday life — cooking at home. We love all the traveling and the events and everything, but I just think it’s just the cozy nights at home and the low-key dinners in New York have been my favorite.”
Amabile noted that he believes they will have a baby “within the next three years” as they continue to navigate where they want to raise their family.
“We were considering leaving New York City. It was a really tough conversation,” he explained. “We are trying to settle down somewhere. We don’t know if New York will be our forever place, but we kicked that can down the road again because we resigned. So New York another year.”
Amabile, who is from Chicago, and Pitt, 27, a Toronto native, have debated where to settle down since their time in Mexico.
“We have been having the same conversation since we left the beach,” he joked to Us. “It’s just as stressful and it happens every [year], and then once we resign the lease, it all goes away.”
Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character, Leslie Knope, invented the holiday in 2010 to celebrate sisterhood one day before Valentine’s Day every February — and fans are still toasting their gal pals annually. (Us Weekly has a look at the very best scenes from the comedy above.)
“What’s Galentine’s Day? It’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style,” Leslie explained during season 2, episode 16 of Parks and Rec, which first aired in 2010. “Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas.”
Leslie made sure to give her BFFs thoughtful gifts each year, including a “bouquet of hand-crocheted flower pens, a mosaic portrait for each of you made from the crushed bottles of your favorite diet soda and a personalized 5,000-word essay of why you are all so awesome.”
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Poehler, meanwhile, revealed that she celebrates the special day with her own friends. “Female friendships are the most important thing in your life,” she shared in a February 2024 TikTok from the snowy streets of New York City. “The best thing about your friends is they know you better than anyone and they still want to hang out with you. Happy Galentine’s Day!”
When she can, Poehler reunites with fellow Parks and Rec alums to toast the holiday. “I’m having dinner after the show with Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn,” the actress revealed during a February 2020 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I don’t think there has to be [gifts], but Leslie Knope did [give them].” (Jones played Ann Perkins, Plaza played April Ludgate and Hanh portrayed Jennifer Barkely on the series.)
Poehler noted that it “kind of caught on as a fun fake holiday, just like Valentine’s Day, which is also a fake holiday.”
After host Jimmy Kimmelproposed a male version of the holiday, Poehler quipped: “I feel like men are so sensitive now, you could have your own Galentine’s Day version of it.”
That same month, Poehler confirmed during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show that she does “celebrate Galentine’s Day all the time.”
She joked: “If you’re gay then every Valentine’s Day is Galentine’s Day.” Kelly Clarkson replied, “Women are a good time. Gay or not, it’s a fun time.”
Poehler added, “I think it’s fun to make up your own holidays.”
Parks and Recreation aired for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015. The former NBC series is currently streaming on Peacock.
Watch the video above to relive the best Galentine’s Day moments!
Ben Higginsmay have given his final rose to Lauren Bushnell, but he found lasting love with Jessica Clarke.
Bachelor Nation first met Higgins when he competed for Kaitlyn Bristowe’s heart on season 11 of The Bachelorette. After finishing in third place, ABC named the Colorado native the season 20 Bachelor.
Higgins subsequently got down on one knee and proposed to Bushnell during the March 2016 finale. The duo, who landed their own spinoff, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?, called it quits in May 2017.
While Higgins returned to reality TV to compete on The Bachelor: Winter Games in 2018, he quit the spinoff without a love connection. By the end of that year, however, Higgins met Clarke through Instagram.
“She’s a very kind, pure, emphatic and supportive person in general. And she’s not only like that to me. I’m part of that, but she’s like that to everybody around her,” Higgins gushed to Us in April 2019. “She challenges me to be more empathetic, more loving, more caring, more kind as well. So I’m very happy.”
The pair’s relationship got serious quick. Higgins proposed to Clarke in March 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. They said “I do” in November 2021, revealing three years later that their first baby is on the way.
Scroll through for Higgins and Clarke’s relationship timeline.
The reality TV personality introduced his followers to Clarke in February 2019.
“I’ve been selfishly keeping this girl to myself for too long! Hey friends meet @jessclarke_!” Higgins wrote on February 20. “I successfully slid into her Dm’s a few months ago. I took a risk and I am glad I did. She is someone special, and I look forward to where life is going to take us. Stay tuned for the journey.”
The pair were in a long-distance relationship when they first started dating.
“Long-distance isn’t ideal, I don’t love it. I want to be around her more and we don’t get to be around each other a ton, so that’s not something I want to keep doing,” Higgins told Us in March 2019. “But I think there’s a good compromise, and that’s giving up more of my time to go see her. And I’m ready for that. … She’s just an incredible person.”
The couple made headlines in April 2020 after Higgins revealed that they were waiting to have sex until they tied the knot.
“It’s just something that we both felt comfortable talking to each other about. I forget the exact scenario that it came up,” Higgins told Us at the time. “We didn’t know at that point — who knew where it was going, but like, you know, [I said], ‘Let’s just make this commitment now.’ We had talked about it and agreed to it. Oftentimes that we bring it up. Like, we still have the desires and we still have the emotions and the physical desires to love each other.”
When Higgins’ season of The Bachelor re-aired as part of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! in June 2020, he told Us that Clarke wouldn’t be tuning in.
“She is my partner, and I want her to know that I don’t want her to feel any sort of heartbreak or sadness from that. So she’ll make an appearance on the show, but she will not be watching it,” Higgins told Us about The Bachelor: GOAT. “She’s going to get through that day, and probably the week afterward, with all the comments about my season, and then we’ll move on. But it’s not healthy, I don’t think, for her to probably watch it.”
Clarke took to Instagram to show Higgins support, however. “Cheering you on from afar tonight,” she wrote. “I’m so proud of who you are and happy for all of the steps that led me to you! You make me smile so big it smushes my face.”
Clarke shared a photo on Instagram of Higgins kissing her and marked a special anniversary. "Every Thanksgiving from now on, I’ll remember the first message you sent me!" she wrote of receiving a message from her future husband on Instagram. "Waking up 2 years ago and seeing a DM from a random stranger, I never imagined I’d be marrying him."
"Thank you for supporting me in following my dreams, loving me on my most tired days, making me a better person, and always making me feel like I am good enough just as I am," Clarke continued. "This photo is from last year when we were traveling all of the time. I remember being so worried that one day life would slow down and we wouldn’t know what to do with one another, but this year I’ve learned that those slow days are my favorite."
Higgins revealed via Instagram that the couple are officially homeowners in Colorado. “Jess and I now own a house together (staying in Denver)! We don’t own any furniture but we are hoping Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus send some our way this Christmas,” he captioned a photo of the pair in their new home. “Until then, our and probably next many dinners in the new house will be on the floor, just the way it should be! Also, before you start blowing up the comments this will be Jess private VIP party pad until the wedding, then I move in to crash the place! Let the fun begin!”
“Had the opportunity to stop watching football on Sunday to go pick up the future wife of the party!” Higgins wrote via Instagram alongside photos of the couple at Clarke’s bridal shower. “Only a month till I get to show off my tux and watch @jessclarke_ cry (beautifully and happily) down the aisle!”
The couple exchanged vows at Cherokee Dock in Nashville with Nick Viall, Shawn Booth, Ashley Iaconetti, Jared Haibon, Becca Kufrin, Thomas Jacobs and more Bachelor Nation members in attendance.
The couple marked two years of marriage on November 13, 2023.
"2 years. 2 years ago we made a commitment. The commitment that everyday makes me smile with joy, feel a peace in my soul, has allowed every part of me to be even more free than before, brought a hope for the future I never knew existed, helped me see the faults that I want to change and brought a lot of laughs," Higgins wrote via Instagram. "In the words of my wife @jessclarke_ 'marriage is great, every night we get to have a sleepover with your best friend'. With Jesus as our foundation and a loving commitment to each other I am so excited for every day in our long future together. Till death do us part hun I love you, happy 2 year anniversary. Goodness gracious she is really gorgeous isn’t she??? Everyone go out and send some love to @jessclarke_ today for 2 years of being the best partner!"
The couple announced Clarke's pregnancy via Instagram, sharing a video that featured their biggest milestones together. "The next chapter of our love story! Baby girl coming in February ❤️," read the caption.
The pair welcomed their first baby. “Update and more to come but baby girl Higgins has entered the world,” Higgins captioned a February 12 Instagram photo of the trio after Clarke gave birth. “She is healthy. @jessclarke_ is doing so well.”
While at the time he didn’t “have words for what just happened,” Higgins said both his daughter and wife were doing well and thanked the hospital staff for their care.
“The nurses and doctors who cared for us should be lifted high,” he said. “Also I am biased but God spent a little more time on our baby girl because she’s real beautiful! This beauty will be revealed soon but first she needs a bath.”
Tia Booth may have not realized it at the time, but she met The One in Taylor Mock before she even returned to Bachelor Nation for a second stint in Paradise.
Booth didn’t find love when she competed on The Bachelor for Arie Luyendyk Jr.‘s heart on the 2018 season. She appeared on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise later that year where she briefly connected with Colton Underwood (who came out as gay in April 2021).
After years off of TV, Booth appeared on the 2021 season of BiP, dating Kenny Braasch, James Bonsall and Blake Monar. In the end, however, she found love when she returned to Nashville and started spending time with Mock, whom she met months before filming the series.
“He got the balls one day to try to hit on me and get me to hang out with him, and I was like, ‘Sweetie, I’m going on Bachelor in Paradise. I’ll see you later,’” she recalled on the “Click Bait” podcast in October 2021. “Then after I got home, I was like, ‘Damn, this freaking dude has been right here trying this whole time, which is all I asked for on the show.’ So then I gave it a shot and we’ve been good.”
They got engaged in 2022 and tied the knot in 2023.
Scroll through for a timeline of Booth and Mock’s romance:
“We didn’t even have a proper first date. He was still trying to wear me down, and finally I was like, ‘I’m in a good mood today. If you want to come hang with me at my house, I have errands to do and stuff to do at my house, but if you want to come hang with me while I do that, OK,’” she recalled on “Click Bait” of how the duo started dating after BiP. “And that was the first time we hung out just us.”
“This guy truly doesn’t get enough credit for putting up with my s—t,” she gushed via Instagram. “He came into my life during the most difficult season I’ve ever faced and hasn’t wavered. I’ve tried to push him away more times than I can count, but he’s stuck through it all. Maybe once we’re on the other side of it I’ll write a book to explain, but for now here’s some genuine soft smiles.”
Mock popped the question. “Never been more shocked or sure in my life💍 I love you so much Tay, my FIANCÉ!!!” she captioned snaps from the proposal.
Days later, Booth gave more details of the moment, writing via Instagram Stories: "We think* he said 'Sorry BIP didn't work out for you. I'm glad you came back to Nashville to me?' Something or other. 'I wanna spend the rest of my life with you? Got down on one knee— Will you marry me?'"
She also gave an update on wedding plans, explaining, "I've been saying for a while I wanted to elope and not deal with wedding planning, but now that it's here I wanna have a big wedding.”
The reality TV personality announced her first pregnancy via Instagram, sharing a black-and-white baby bump photo. "Happy heavenly Father's Day to the first man I ever loved and Happy soon-to-be Father's Day to my forever," she wrote, referring to her late dad and Mock, respectively.
"We technically were pregnant when we got engaged, we just didn't know. I remember perfectly when we got pregnant. It was March 26 and we were about to go watch the Razorbacks play basketball. It was March Madness," Booth recalled during an episode of her "Click Bait" podcast, describing her early pregnancy symptoms and how she told her fiancé the news.
The reality star also noted that she had "no idea" why her initial announcement was removed from Instagram, joking, "It was only the biggest news of my life and the post disappeared!"
The Bachelor Nation alums welcomed their son, Tatum Booth Mock. The pair announced the news via Instagram with a sweet sound clip of Tia seeing her baby for the first time.
Booth announced on August 22 that she is pregnant with baby No. 2 and fellow Bachelor Nation alum Caroline Lunny was among the first individuals to learn the news.
“[Caroline] was the first person we got to tell in person,” Booth wrote via Instagram Story at the time. “Our waiter came over right as she was crying.”
While chatting about her bigSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test win — Nicole and Brody Jenner were the only recruits to pass selection after the six-week TV event — the fitness influencer cleared up her recent remarks about the Kansas City team.
“I didn’t say that I didn’t want them to win. I have the Chiefs winning. They’re going to win. It’s going to be a three-peat. Patrick Mahomes is going to get the job done. I never, never bet against Patty Mahomes, period,” Nicole, who dated Travis Kelce from 2017 to 2022, told Us Weekly. “I remember specifically when the Patriots were winning year after year, I said the same thing. When the Celtics were doing it. Said the same thing. It just happens. I’m ready to see history be made.”
The Chiefs are set to play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9. Nicole, for her part, knows Patrick and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, personally after dating Kelce, 35, for years. During her time on Special Forces, the fitness influencer spoke about the social media trolls who only associate her as the tight end’s ex (especially after he moved on with Taylor Swift in 2023).
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“A lot of my success, unfortunately, has been attributed to people I’ve been in close proximity with, and so this experience for me is so exciting and really just makes me feel so confident in myself because I did this all on my own,” Nicole told Us. “Nobody can take credit for this, so I hang my hat on that. I’m really excited about making it to the end, and although I would never do this experience ever again, I’m happy that I did it.”
Nicole also got vulnerable about being single, as she was the only recruit on the season who didn’t have kids. The topic was apparent when the cast had to write “death letters” to their loved ones on the show.
“The death letter was definitely one of the most challenging tasks. I’ve never mentally taken myself to a place like that of thinking if I were to die, this is what I would want my last words to [my loved ones to be],” she said. “I did kind of stick out like a sore thumb when everyone was doing their letters and talking to their wives and their kids, but for me — and they cut my letter a little bit short — so in the full length of my letter, what I basically say is that I might not have children and I might not have a husband, but I do have my family.”
Nicole noted that “life has a very interesting way of showing you” what’s important.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images
“It’s still so full of so much love and I think that’s really an important message for women, especially my age. I’m 33 years old, there’s this societal pressure to think that, ‘Oh, well, you have to be married with kids by this time to be happy,’ but I’m so freaking happy,” she concluded. “I’m so happy and I only have two dogs. … You can live life, it can be so full. When [marriage or kids] happens, it happens.”
Kayla Nicole had to take a minute to really process that she passed selection on Special Forces.
“From interrogation, they shoot closing scenes and then they take you back to your hotel. I called my family and everyone’s all excited [that] I made it to the end. But I found myself — I’m not even kidding — rocking on my bed and I didn’t realize how long I was doing. I know it’s a little creepy, [but I was] rocking on my bed, self-soothing for probably 15 minutes,” Nicole, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly. “I looked at my call log and I had talked to my family 15 minutes ago. I was just sitting there rocking while the shower was running. I kind of snapped out of it and was like, ‘Oh, my God, I might be a little traumatized by what just happened to me.’ But once I snapped out of that, I took the longest shower I’ve ever taken in my life. I ordered a burger from room service and a beer.”
The fitness influencer and Brody Jenner were the only two out of 16 recruits to pass the military tests on season 3 of the Fox series.
“I told myself that if I made it to the last day, that there was just no option of going home,” Nicole explained of the 10-day challenge. “There was no concept of time and I just kept telling myself, ‘I’ve made it this far.’”
She then quoted Kim Kardashian to Us: “What’d Kim say? ‘I didn’t come this far to come this far.’ You guys are going to have to really kill me to send me home. I wasn’t going to quit at that point. I’d been through too much.”
As part of the final stage of the show, the recruits are literally made to feel like they might die. For Nicole, that meant having a brick tied to her ankle — after more than 10 hours of being interrogated — with the threat of being pushed into a body of water if she didn’t break her cover story and own up to being part of the Special Forces.
Kayla Nicole.PETE DADDS / FOX
“They prep you [like if you were] a Navy Seal. They say when you go through interrogation, you want to make sure that you’re respectful. You want to befriend the people that are interrogating you. You want to make them like you, so you gotta drop the ego. You can’t be sarcastic, but they also tell you that a part of the task is to know when it’s time to give up your identity,” Nicole explained. “If it’s a life and death situation, that’s when you’re supposed to give it up — anything before then you won’t be able to pass and anything after. Then if ‘death’ were to supposedly happen to you, then you would fail as well, so they do tell you that. You have to differentiate when it’s the right time to give up your identity.”
Nicole noted that the hardest part of the interrogation on the final day was “not knowing when it was going to end.”
“I think that that kind of trips you out. You’re sitting in darkness for so long. I remember at one point, they brought me outside — I think dropped me in the trough — and I saw daylight and I was like, ‘Oh, we might almost be done with this. It might almost be over.’ That was the hardest part for me,” Nicole explained. “And then two, not really knowing who was still left with you. Brody was telling me the other day he found comfort in hearing me cough in the room when he had his headphones off and he was coming back in because he was like, ‘Oh, Kayla’s still here.’ You had no idea who was left. You had no idea what time of day it was. It was just an ongoing, never ending torture process. It was insane.”
While Nicole and Jenner passed, the remaining finalists Alana Blanchard, Cam Newton and Golden Tate failed interrogation.
Pete Dadds / FOX
“People really start to become your security blanket. You look to those people to help you get through. You become a family,” Nicole told Us. “You’re sleeping on cots next to each other, using the bathroom, showering next to each other. So you really become a really close knit group in a really short amount of time.”
Nicole said several cast members even have a group chat. “We’ve kept close. … We watch the shows together virtually, so it’s been great,” she said, adding that Christy Carlson Romano is the most active in the chat. “She’s really good at all the social media things and she’s sending us TikToks that she’s made of us. She’s great.”
Going into the show, Nicole — who dated Travis Kelce from 2017 to 2022 — had a bit of history with Newton. On the show, fans saw her inform Jenner that she once tweeted about comments the NFL player made about women on a podcast. She told Us that the twosome laughed about it while filming.
“Me and Cam talked about it in the washroom one day. A lot of our conversations happened in that room where we dry our clothes because it was warm [and] it was freezing [in Wales], so that was kind of like our little hub to hang out,” she said. “We talked about it, laughed about it and I think he agreed that what he tweeted was ridiculous. Cam, women don’t belong in the kitchen. …. He gets a lot of slack, but he’s such a great guy.”
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#LoveIsBlind,” they captioned a joint social media post.
I am glad you have A LOT to say about me and my own experience though.”
