10x01 - Honey, I'm Home

[bunniefuu]

- ["Can't Take My Eyes Off You" playing]
- ♪ You're just too good… ♪

- [man] I love you.
- [woman] I love you.

- [man 2] I love you.
- I love you so much. [laughs]

- [man 3] Will you marry me?
- [laughing]

- [woman 2] Yes.
- [man 4] Here's to love.

[woman 3] This is crazy.

♪ …baby, and if it's quite all right
I need you… ♪

[man 5] Finding love, it's everything
I thought it would be, times 100.

[man 6] This is what a great relationship
is supposed to look like.

[woman 4] I never thought I would fall
so hard and so fast.

[man 7] You make it easy to love you.

[woman 5] I'm very excited
for this new adventure.

♪ Let me love you… ♪

[woman 6] I know real love exists.

[man 8] I feel
you aren't gonna get married.

You need someone who's gonna
show you places you've never been.

- I wanna do that with you.
- Stop.

[man 8 chuckles]
You might be dangerous for me.

Yes.

[woman 7] He was a b*tch!

[woman 8] Oh my God.

[woman 9] I just
have to trust my feelings.

[man 9] I hate you so much.

- [woman 10] I thought things were better.
- [woman 11] You nervous?

[man 10] Don't think I've ever
put so much into a relationship.

[woman 12] I've been waiting for this day
my whole life. I'm just nervous.

Holy sh*t!

This is the biggest moment of my life.

♪ You're just too good to be true ♪

- [chattering]
- [laughing]

- Wow! Wow!
- Ladies! Ladies! Ladies!

[shouting]

O-H!

[all] I-O!

- O-H!
- [all] I-O!

[Nick] O-H!

[all] I-O!

I do that every season,
but it's never worked.

[laughing]

[Nick] Grab a seat. Grab a seat.

- [laughs]
- [Nick] Look at Ohio in the house!

[cheering]

He's a proud Ohioan.

- Hi, everybody.
- Hello.

[all] Hi.

I'm Vanessa Lachey.

And I'm Nick Lachey.
And welcome to Love Is Blind!

[cheering]

Well, guys, I'm curious.
Why Love Is Blind?

For me, it's simply just
to find my best friend.

That's beautifully said, man.

A lot of people judge me by how I look,

and wanna take me home,
but not take me home to Mama.

- Aww!
- I'm a doctor.

You get the awards and the career.
You get everything you ever wanted.

But if you can't share it with somebody
that understands you to your core,

it's empty.
This is me showing up for my life.

- Wow.
- I'm adopted into a family from China.

Oh okay.

I also had over ten surgeries
to get rid of a birthmark

that would have caused melanoma.

So my whole life has been
thinking about the physical aspect.

So this is the first time
I get to showcase, like, my personality.

I'm super excited to be here.

I spent my entire twenties focused
on becoming the woman of my dreams,

personally, professionally, spiritually.

As I've entered my thirties,
I'm like, "She need a man."

- [laughing]
- [Tyler] "She needs a husband."

And I always say, "Jesus died single.
I don't need to die single."

- [laughing]
- So… that's why I'm here.

[laughing]

Well, over the next ten days,
you will finally have a chance

to fall in love based solely
on who you are on the inside.

Not for your looks, your race,

your background or your income.

And if you fall in love and find somebody

that you wanna spend the rest
of your life with, you'll get engaged.

And then you'll finally see
your fiancée for the very first time.

And in just four weeks,
you will be at your wedding.

And there you will make
the most important decision of your life.

[Vanessa] Will you say "I do"
to the person

you fell in love with sight unseen?

Or will you choose to walk away forever?

[Nick] Is love truly blind?

The age-old question.

[laughing]

We hope that you prove that it is.

[cheering]

[man] Yeah!

[both] The pods are now open!

[cheering]

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ And I'm gonna love you… ♪

[all] O-H-I-O!

[man] Let's go, boys!

[man 2] First day
of the rest of your life, boys!

- [woman] Whoo!
- [woman 2] Let's do this!

- [woman 3] Yes!
- [man 3] Let's go find love, boys!

- [man 4] Yes!
- Pods are open! Bye!

Hi!

Is that my wife?

- Is that my husband?
- [laughs]

I don't think I've ever been on,
like, almost 16 dates in one day.

Your voice is literally
like sex operator voice.

Not sex operator.

[laughs]

[man] What do you
like doing outside of work?

Saturday and Sunday, it's football.

Oh, music to my ears. [laughs]

Why Love Is Blind?

To find my wife.

I thrive in chaos.

[laughs]

I don't wanna always
meet a girl, like, at a bar.

Where do you meet 'em?

- Target.
- [both laugh]

Six of my friends DM me about this.

At first, I didn't know how
to take that. [laughs]

You're like, "How single do I look?"

Yeah. [laughs]

I think the biggest misconception
that people have about me is, like,

I'm just kind of like a big oaf.

[laughs]

But I like art and reading,
and I think I'm a pretty good cook.

- Hello.
- [woman] Hello.

You're not gonna be hungry.
Look at me. [laughs]

- This is Jordan. What's your name?
- My name is Amber.

So I'm definitely a foodie. Love to cook.

Yes! I'm a foodie too.

- I'll talk food all day.
- What's your favorite thing to cook?

[Amber] Breakfast.

- I have a seven-year-old daughter.
- Okay.

- I love making her waffles.
- So good.

- I make Thanksgiving for my family.
- Oh nice.

- I make Christmas dinner for my family.
- Yeah! Okay.

When I first had Emma, nurses
weren't really making a lot of money.

There was a Christmas there
where I couldn't even buy her presents.

Oh wow.

I was so stressed out and crying
and felt so bad about myself.

But I have a picture of her and I,

like, just laying there
on the top of my staircase,

and she's so happy,

because children, they don't care
about anything but love. [chuckles]

And I think that's the same
with relationships.

You can make all the money in the world,

have the hottest girl in the world,
have the hottest guy.

At the end of the day,
if they're not gonna lay there

on the staircase with you
when you're broke…

[laughs] …and laugh with you,
it doesn't mean sh*t.

I guess that's what I'm looking for here,
too, is just to find that person.

- That's what we're here for.
- [both laugh]

[Amber] I'm often not the best
with first impressions.

They're not gonna want
this country bumpkin. [laughs]

"I do have a daughter,
so do you want a family?" [laughs]

I wanna be judged
for who I am on the inside

because I'm funny, and… [laughs]

I'm settled down. [laughs]

So I would love for somebody
to come join that in my comfy-a*s bed.

[pop music playing]

[Vic] Cheers!

[laughs] Find your wife. Find your wife.

- My name is Victor. I go by "Vic."
- I'm Christine.

- [Vic] We're here for the same reasons.
- I hope so.

[both laugh]

I've been wanting to be married
for some time.

I've searched sometimes
in the wrong places.

Let's get talking. That's where I thrive.

I'm here to find a wife.

- [Christine] Where are you from?
- From Brooklyn, New York.

Coming to Columbus,
you become a Buckeye, you know?

Did you hear us doing the O-H-I-O earlier?

- Oh, you already know.
- [both laugh]

What do you do?

I'm a professor at one
of the universities here in Columbus.

- Are you?
- [Vic] Yeah.

- [Christine] In what?
- Specifically in public policy.

Um, pretty much
a big focus on, like, data analytics.

- I tend to focus on--
- Sounds fun! [laughs]

It is though! It is.

- Right.
- [laughs] I'm very passionate about it.

Oh, I love that.

[Vic] What drives you?
What motivates you, gets you going?

I am a speech-language pathologist.

But I just wanna continuously be better.

- [Vic] Are you a Christian?
- 100%.

- You tell your folks you were coming here?
- My mom, yeah.

- What did she say?
- She trusts my judgment.

- And she's really, really excited for me.
- Cool.

- [Christine] How about you?
- She trusts my judgment as well.

- She better! [laughs]
- Yep. [laughs]

I wanna get married
because I really want a true partnership.

I want to have kids,
and I wanna have the Super Bowl house.

Like, I wanna be cooking out
and making snacks for the kids.

All the friends, the family,
the guys, like, my girlfriends.

The Super Bowl house
is definitely my fairy-tale ending.

- Can we do this forever?
- I know! Literally.

- I just love talking to these men.
- Yeah!

When someone sees me or I see them,

there are all sorts of automatic
assumptions that happen, immediately.

That's been studied. It's unavoidable.

Being a woman in science,

having no idea what somebody looks like

and really getting to know their
heart and soul, it makes sense to me.

[man] My name is Chris.

I am Jess.

You can be the most gorgeous man.

If you open your mouth
and say some stupid sh*t,

you are not gonna be gorgeous
to me anymore. [laughs]

- You have any pets?
- I do have a pet.

It's a little cat. She was a stray.

- She chose you!
- I know.

- What's her name?
- [Chris] Chalupa.

- Chalupa! I'm obsessed.
- [Chris laughs]

I have two English bulldogs.

It's a face
only a mother could love. [laughs]

Oh, I love that.
Uglier the better. [laughs]

- What do you do for work?
- I am an infectious diseases doctor.

- So I work at the hospital.
- Okay.

So, during COVID, I was in the ICU,
like, watching people dying all day.

- Oh my God! So you're the front lines.
- [Jessica] Yeah.

Anybody who works
inside a hospital during that time period,

listening to a bunch of bullshit
from the outside world,

and seeing people in there,
it must have been tough.

[Jessica] It was really hard.

I actually went to Kuwait for a year,
nine months in the desert.

- I was in a Black Hawk unit.
- Wow!

And the older I get,
you just naturally gravitate

towards, like, just wanting
to be a better person

and wanting to live in a better society.



I mean, you live it, which is amazing.

- I actually am divorced.
- [Chris] Okay.

And I only bring up
the fact that I was divorced

because, at the time,
I would just watch people die

and come home and, like, crash.

It kind of felt like this person
who was supposed to be my safe space

and my support, was like,
"Oh gosh, what am I supposed to do?"

- My ex-husband is a really good person.
- Mm-hmm.

But our ideas of what a marriage was,

what a spouse does were so different,

and it opened my eyes to so much about me.

I have a very, very full, active,

fun, loving, amazing life.

And I feel like, "Man, I would love
to share this with somebody."

- I wanna share it with my best friend.
- [Jessica] I love that so much, Chris.

♪ We're on top of the world… ♪

Modern dating is, "Are you hot? Am I hot?"

"Is he maybe a little taller,
heavier, more muscles?"

- [woman] What's your name?
- Chris.

Chris, I'm Brianna.

What's a man supposed to look like?

I'm not gonna lie, not gonna put
"six foot" just to meet someone.

They'll be like, "You're not six foot."

- [Bri] My friends call me Breezy.
- All right.

- That sounds good, Breezy.
- So, what do you do to unwind?

I do a lot of jiu-jitsu.
That helps me balance myself out.

I've done Ironmans.
I like doing triathlons.

- Wow!
- I just love being active.

I love doing hard sh*t
that, like, nobody else wants to do.

They're like, "I don't wanna do it!"
I'm gonna do it.

He's a lunatic!

I have an ice plunge at my place.
I get in every morning.

It's 34 degrees. "This is
the hardest thing I'm gonna do today."

The rest of my day,
whatever happens to me, I don't care.

- That is so attractive.
- [Chris laughs]

You're like, "I wanna do hard sh*t.
I wanna challenge myself."

Hell yeah. I'm telling you,
I will make you do hard sh*t.

- If you don't wanna, I'll motivate you.
- [Bri] Yes! Chris!

- I'll motivate you!
- [Bri] This is what we need!

I respect that so much.

I was in competitive cheerleading
and softball.

What position in softball did you play?

I was a pitcher.

Oh wow!
Do you think you could strike me out?

Oh hell yeah.
With confidence, I could strike you out.

[laughs]

I absolutely could.

I get intense.
My friends and I are very competitive.

- [Chris] Are you?
- I think you would fit in. [laughs]

[laughs] Totally agree.

[producer] Why are you here?

I mean, how much time do you have?

[laughs] Could this be a therapy session?

♪ My dreamer heart is showing
I wear it on my sleeve ♪

♪ It's shining, and I know it ♪

♪ Yeah, you just gotta believe
Yeah, yeah… ♪

I think that love is deeper
than a physical attraction.

I've felt it. I know that.

My friends and I joke, "We've given a lot
of medium-ugly guys some chances."

I know that's savage to say,
but, like, "Why'd you break my heart?"

"You're only medium ugly."

- [man] What's your name?
- I am Brianna.

[man] Brianna.

Yes, but people call me Breezy.

Why do they call you Breezy?

[Bri] I've just been Breezy
since I was little.

[Connor] Breezy's one
of the coolest nicknames.

[laughs] Let's go! What's your name?

- My name's Connor.
- Connor. No cool nicknames?

My last name is Spies.

- Most of my friends call me Spies.
- I love it.

Breezy and Spies, dude.
That's actually really cool.

- Breeze and Spies.
- [Connor] Okay, tell me about yourself.

- [Bri] I went to school at Michigan.
- So, are you a Wolverine?

- I am.
- [Connor] Oh!

That is the hottest thing
I've heard all day.

I'm looking for someone
that wants to slow dance,

but when "Mr. Brightside" comes on,
we're in the middle of the dance floor.

The fact that you said "Mr. Brightside,"

I'm like, you know I went to Michigan,

where I'm known
for singing that in the stadium.

- [Connor] That's my favorite song.
- Amazing.

I literally, like, put three stars
next to your name.

Are you a Michigan grad?

I am not, but I hate Ohio State.

- [shouts]
- [Connor] I went to OU.

I'm from Cleveland.
My dad grew up in Minneapolis.

I lived in Minneapolis.

I just put two more stars!

[laughs]

[Bri] I'm super active.

I played in a broomball league.

- No way!
- [Bri] Yeah.

Broomball is so fun.

I like to go on ski trips.

Oh my God. I love skiing.

Okay, so star, star, star.
We both like to ski.

- You have, like, the most stars so far.
- [Bri] Aww!

- [Connor] Okay.
- Connor!

- I know. I shouldn't have said.
- I love this for us.

So let's get married.

[Bri] Connor!

[Connor] A couple weeks
after we get married, our honeymoon

would just be on a ski trip.

- [Bri] Full ski trip.
- I'm not even kidding.

That sounds like the coolest,
like, next seven weeks of my life.

Can you imagine?

- "Can you imagine?" I'm not kidding…
- You're like, "I can. It's gonna happen."

- I really can imagine that.
- We're putting it in the universe.

- Oh, I love it.
- [Connor] It's crazy.

- I put so many f*cking stars on here.
- Ow!

I'm looking to find my ride or die.
I want someone there next to me.

["Mr. Brightside" by the K*llers playing]

Whether it's karaoke,

singing "Mr. Brightside"
with all of our friends cheering us on,

and then Sunday just sitting on a couch
not even speaking to each other,

just holding hands,
DoorDash-ing food, watching Netflix.

[man] Hey, a man
that knows what he wants. God dang.

- That's what I'm looking for.
- [man] Let's do this sh*t, baby.

♪ 'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside… ♪

- Hello.
- [Emma] Hello!

- What's your name?
- My name's Connor.

Connor, I'm Emma.

- Emma?
- [Emma] Emma.

- I love that name.
- Ooh. So I'm already a winner?

[Connor] I'm not gonna say it, but I've
already put a star next to your name.

- Okay!
- [Connor] I didn't say it out loud.

- [Emma] I didn't hear it.
- Good.

My mom literally goes,

"I love you,
but sometimes just shut the f*ck up."

- [laughs]
- And I'm like, "Honestly, not bad advice."

Keep going, Connor. Disappoint your mom.

- I've done that for 31 years.
- [Emma laughs]

- [Connor] What do you do for work?
- I'm in retail merchandising.

So I work at, like, a fashion company.

- What do you do?
- Uh, I sell dumpsters.

- Do you actually?
- [Connor] I swear to God.

- No.
- [Connor] I can't make it up.

- [Emma] What kind of dumpsters?
- Like, those large commercial ones.

Hey, we would actually be living
in a world of waste

if we didn't have dumpsters.
Because of you, Connor, we are clean.

Are you just gassing me up
because you like me?

I literally put, "Sells dumpsters, star."

[laughs] You have,
like, three stars already.

My sister's gonna watch this,
like, "He's so dumb."

I'll be like, "Hey,
me and Emma are married."

I'll get on board with dumpsters.

- What are you doing the rest of your life?
- [laughs]

I used to be self-conscious of my scars.

On dates, it just was,
like, an elephant in the room.

People stared a lot
and didn't ask questions,

and that was really uncomfortable.

So when I'm here, you completely erase
all those physical appearances.

- [man] Hello.
- Hi!

- Hey, how's it going?
- Oh my gosh, it's going so good!

There is something so incredible
and exciting about that.

- What's your name?
- My name is Mike. How about you?

- Mike, I'm Emma.
- [Mike] Pleasure, pleasure, Emma.

Pleasure!

So your dating experiences,
how have they been? [chuckles]

So I've been single for about a year now.

And I do wanna get married.

I think there is something
to a commitment, a lifelong journey,

being able to celebrate your love.

- Absolutely. I definitely want kids.
- Yeah.

It's like, "Okay, we've done
so much together in our married life now."

"Let's put that love
into a little baby." [laughs]

[Emma] I want to find the right partner,

but kids change the whole dynamic.

- Yeah. Listen, I know I want kids, right?
- [Emma] Yeah.

But it doesn't necessarily mean
I need to have them right away.

I am not a 100% yes.

- Okay.
- [Emma] But I'm not a no.

I know a lot of people really want kids,

but for me, I don't know yet.

I appreciate you being super honest
with me about it. Thank you.

[Emma] I'm adopted.

I do not know my birth family

or if they are going to pass down
any medical problems.

That scares me about having a child.

I've been raised by a white family.

They are the best examples
of love. [sniffles]

But right now
I'm not ready to disclose that.

It's just something I don't think…

anyone can understand
until they know who I am.

Sometimes you don't
even understand it yourself.

[sobs]

- Who am I speaking to?
- You're speaking to Steven.

- [Emma] Steven!
- Who am I speaking to?

- [Emma] Emma.
- Emma!

So just to let you know, I'm not the type

that's gonna be diving super deep
into hard-hitting questions.

Someone who can banter back and forth,
it's like, they are smart.

- You gotta stay on your toes.
- [Steven] Be quick.

You gotta be quick with it.

- What do you do for fun?
- [Emma] I love spending time with my dog.

He's 12 years old. We go to breweries.

I'm excited for having him meet
whoever my fiancé is.

I found him through
this adoption Facebook page,

and now he is my best friend.

Transitioning to dog to human,

do you think you
would ever, like, adopt a child ever?

Yeah, I, um, am…

For children, I think right now

I want to find,
like, the right partner for kids.

- But adoption…
- Perfect answer.

…is a million percent on the table.

Like, there are so many children
that deserve and need to be loved, and…

A lot of the guys here,
I don't know, tell me if I'm wrong.

I feel like they're starting off,
"Do you want my babies?"

Yeah.

I feel like when I get back, I'm gonna do
Big Brother program pretty hard.

I've seen a lot of men who haven't had
a dad like mine or a grandpa like me.

[Emma] Yeah!

And I'm like,
they're missing out on a lot.

My grandma and grandpa
have, like, the best love story ever.

[Emma] Oh my gosh! Wait.

Do you have time to tell it?

For you, anything.
My grandpa was a World w*r II guy.

He served in France
towards the tail end of it.

And he would
always go to this bank teller.

They didn't speak each other's language
at all, and it ended up being my grandma.

He went up to her one time
and pointed at the clock,

and, like, gestured to
"meet me here at that time."

Stop!

It was the most healthy marriage.

Oh my gosh! That is so…
I love love stories.

I love love.

I'm just like,
you don't hear that anymore.

[Emma] No!

Now you just get me and you behind a pod.

Are you pointing at a non-existent clock?

- Are you pointing at the screen?
- I'm, like, dancing by myself.

I love dancing.
I used to dance for 12 years.

In college, I actually taught
senior citizens hip-hop and dance fitness.

- Why is that the cutest thing ever?
- [Emma laughs]

My parents would come home from
date night, start dancing in the kitchen.

My parents were the same.

You can hear about love,
but I saw it my whole life.

[Emma laughs] I want that.

The first day in the pods,
there are people that make me laugh

and make my heart flutter.

I don't wanna jinx it. [laughs]

But there's a highly likely chance
my future husband's here.

[shouting]

She said yes!

[cheering]

Their energy is insane!

[woman] So much better
than sitting at a bar with somebody.

- We could all be engaged next week.
- I like Kevan with an "A."

- [Steven] One or two standouts?
- [Vic] Yeah.

I have eight boyfriends. [laughs]

Literally, every guy
told me they wanted a family.

I'm like, "So I have a daughter,

so how much
do you want a family?" [laughs]

Amber, the one that has the kid,
she's great.

I already started thinking
about places we could go on our ski trip.

- I was like, "We're both delusional."
- [shouting]

- [man] Here's to finding love, boys.
- [cheering]

[cheering]

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ Make it count ♪

♪ 'Cause love is all we need right now ♪

[Jordan] All right, boys.

- [Kevin] What's cookin'? Looks good!
- [Jordan] You should start getting this.

Finished the eggs.
I'm finishing up the bacon.

- [Steven] Appreciate you making this.
- This is what I enjoy doing.

[laughs]

- [woman] You take a nap?
- [Tyler] I did.

- I heard giggling.
- I was giggling in my sleep.

Maybe you were dreaming about us.

Maybe.

- No, she doesn't even know our names.
- Yes, I do now!

- I know everybody's names now.
- She said she does now.

Priyanka, Amanda, Keya.

Who's Amanda?

[laughs]

[Tyler] Your name's not Amanda?

- [laughing]
- Amber! [laughs]

You're a f*ck.

[laughing]

[woman] Amber!

[woman 2] Amber!

Goodness gracious.

This experiment,
if I can be completely honest, is…

This is crazy.

It's like when you're in the dark tunnel,

but I see at the other side,
all of the sunshine, so…

I'm here to find my light.

My light, my love, my man.

So what are some things you think
you wanna learn more about me?

What's your favorite movie?

- [Kevan] Interstellar's up there for me.
- Okay.

Love and Basketball. That's a great one.

No shade, but that's the worst movie ever.

What?

Yeah, it's really not good.
I mean, I get it. It's nostalgic.

- Actors were great.
- [Kevan] Yeah.

But in terms of storyline.

[sighs] The whole "play for your heart"
and then he dunks on her is ridiculous.

That part is…

- [Keya] Y'all lost me.
- No, that part's corny.

The ending, I will agree with you on that.

My favorite movie is Love Jones.

- Love Jones.
- [Kevan] Yeah.

I think that their love story
was so unconventional.

And I love the idea of them taking time
to kind of work on their selves

and then, like, circling back.

And it was just so romantic.

- Mm. That's what I'm talking about.
- Yeah.

So I've been single for about
two and a half years or so.

And my ex, she just wasn't my person.

- Which is fair.
- [Kevan] Yeah, super fair.

But she did teach me a lot.

She taught me how to be more patient,

have tougher conversations
when things got hard.

Oh yeah.

[Kevan] I wanna get married, have kids,
and you're gonna know exactly how I feel.

I'm not just gonna
leave it up to assumption.

- [Keya] Yeah. Yeah.
- A super important lesson I learned.

That's a phenomenal lesson,
if you ask me. I feel like… [laughs]

- Shout out to your ex.
- [laughs] Shout out to her, yeah.

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ Never ever letting go… ♪

Keya's down-to-earth and just chill.

I feel like she could
potentially be a best friend.

But when I hear Tyler's voice,
it makes me… excited.

Like, "Yes! This is the date
I've been waiting for."

- Hello-hello!
- [Kevan] How are we feeling, Tyler?

Good! So excited to talk to you.

[Kevan] Yes, I'm excited
to talk to you too.

[Tyler] I'm doing a lot
of journaling and reflecting.

And I'm really asking myself
and my partner on the other side,

like, the questions I think
are required to get married,

which I don't even know what they are yet.

- But I think tonight will help me.
- Exactly.

- [Tyler] Have you been writing here?
- Yeah, I have. Actually, I have.

- Ooh! A writer!
- [Kevan] Yeah.

- What you be saying about me?
- [both laugh]

So when I'm married,

ideally, I have somebody

I could just rely on,
and call and be like, "What are we doing?"

Same. I wanna have somebody
to bounce ideas off of.

- [Tyler] Yeah.
- My best friend, my partner.

- My person.
- I love that.

Now, one question I do,
you know, 'cause I'm in Columbus.

- I know you're in Cinci.
- Yeah.

How do you think we would attack that?

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experiment.

And maybe this is the way
that I find my husband.

And if I find somebody
who's open to relocating,

that would be beautiful.

But if we're talking about my husband,
that's priority number one.

If I gotta go to Columbus, if I gotta go
to Cleveland, if I gotta go to Alaska…

Yeah.

I'm doing what I gotta do
to be with my partner because

I believe in the power of marriage.

- Thank you. Thank you for that.
- Yeah.

[Kevan] But your ambition.

At the end of the day,
you know, you have to win.

At my job, it is a very,
very small percentage of people

who have gotten to the level that I am.

To be able to be
in the corporate environment that I'm in

and to get to a director level
before 30 was, like, crazy.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [Tyler] And I did it while being me.

I can look at a little girl like me
that came from where I came from,

be like, "You ain't gotta
do much about your personality."

"This isn't about personality.
It's not about code-switching."

Like, "Be who you are." For girls
that look like me and girls who don't.

I think we all have stories

where people just don't feel enough
for whatever reason.

And I feel like my,
yeah, my biggest accomplishment

is that I was able to get to where
I am today

while being true to myself.

- Hmm. I love that.
- [Tyler] Yeah.

So it might be crazy to leave
the professional environment I'm in now.

And I wouldn't want to do that
'cause it's a place where I'm thriving.

But I think love is so important

and is now probably
the number one priority in my life,

even over my professional career,
because it's me and my husband's decision.

If we decide to make a move on that,
that's a decision that we make, you know?

- ["Your Love Is Bittersweet" playing]
- ♪ Come back on me… ♪

All the conversations
that I've had with you,

you definitely have that "it" factor.

Yeah. Appreciate that.

♪ Bittersweet… ♪

Wow. We're really doing this.

- [Tyler] We are really doing this.
- Yeah.

Like, there's gonna be people
who are engaged,

people who are married.

And it could be… like, me? Like, what?

[Kevan] Yeah, it could be. Exactly.
That's why I'm like, "Wow."

I'm just so appreciative of you.

[laughs]

[pop music playing]

Yeah.

[laughing]

♪ That I never felt before… ♪

- [man] Who am I speaking with?
- Ashley.

- What's up, Ashley? It's Alex.
- Hi, Alex.

I won't really approach women unless
I have that physical there to start with.

That's a fault that I'm admitting now.

Candidly, there's probably
women that I've missed out on

that would've been great for me
that I didn't give a chance to.

So I'm excited to actually see
the potential that can come from this.

I wanna feel so understood by my woman
that we're on the same page on everything.

We finish each other's sentences,
and she knows exactly who I am,

and I know who she is.

[Ashley] I get hypnotized by this wall.

I'm, like, so focused on it,
and I'm thinking about what you look like

and trying to place a face, just listening
to your words and your voice.

"Hmm. What does he look like?"

And then I'm just, like, staring.
I'm like, "I'm getting a little dizzy."

- You're getting dizzy over me.
- [Ashley] Obviously.

I will say
I'm thinking about you the same way.

The voice is catching me, for sure.
I like it.

- I'm curious about what you look like.
- I won't be giving any hints.

[chuckles] But I'll try
to figure it out myself.

- No hints on the looks.
- Sorry, sorry! I didn't think about that.

Do you like kissing?

[chuckles] I like to think
I haven't gotten any bad reviews.

I think I'm a decent kisser,
but you might have to help me and see.

- I'm a tough critic. I'm not gonna lie.
- Are you? Are you?

- I'm a really good kisser.
- [Alex] You're a good kisser, huh?

I'm a great kisser.

- That's gonna be dangerous.
- [Ashley] Yeah.

[Alex] So if I were in bed with you,
are you taking all of the covers or no?

[laughs] Um, probably.

I do it as, like, a strategy.
I'm like, "I'm gonna steal the covers."

- "So he has to come over here."
- Ooh, I like that.

- Yeah. I'm diabolical.
- [Alex] Big spoon? Little spoon?

[Ashley] I like both, honestly.
I love being wrapped up,

but I don't mind putting my arm around you
and spooning you a bit.

I love that.

Men are so funny.
They secretly love being little spooned.

- [Alex] Low-key, we do.
- Low-key. High-key.

You know that. I hate that you know that,
but you're right.

[Ashley] Yes.

[Alex] Do you like massages?
Are you a big massage girl?

- I mean, yeah.
- [Alex] Of course you do.

An easy way for a guy to be like,
"Oh, I'm in the mood."

"I'm just gonna rub your back
for ten seconds."

[laughs]

- We know your secrets.
- I'll have to come up with new ones.

- [Ashley] We know your secrets
- I know you do.

Sex is important for me.
I like that physical connection.

It's almost like a celebration
of the fact that we're that close.

- At this point-- let me explain.
- [Ashley laughs] Wait.

- "Oh, this is a celebration." [laughs]
- [Alex] No, that's not what I mean!

Another big turn on for me is

feedback.

If that feels good to you, let me know.

So you like dirty talk?

Oh my God. Yes.

- Absolutely.
- Calm down over there.

- I'm trying. I'm flustered. I'm flustered.
- Calm down!

- I'm flustered too. Don't worry.
- [Alex laughs] Yes.

You're so dangerous.
We're gonna have a problem.

You're welcome.

- I thank you.
- [both laugh]

My dad will tell you I have a bad picker,
but I'm ready to be a wife.

- [laughs] I'll talk to you later. Bye.
- [Alex] Sounds good.

I really like speaking with Alex.

Me and Alex do have sexual chemistry.

And I'm very excited to test that out.

[laughs] Sorry, Mom and Dad.

- I'm sweating, you guys.
- Oh my God. Sweating.

- I need to go freshen up the downtown.
- [laughs]

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ I'm giving in… ♪

[Mike] You gotta be open-minded.

That's the one biggest thing
I said to myself coming into here,

and that's what I'm trying to do.

'Cause on the streets, I…

You know, I am not, or I wasn't.

- [Kevan] That's why we here.
- Simple as that.

With Emma and I,
it's been absolutely amazing.

I feel like she touches on
every single level.

But some women want kids right away.

Some women don't want kids right away.

And I definitely want children.

Give me a whole
damn baseball team. No. [laughs]

To be completely transparent,
I am, like, very confused.

Yeah, as you should be.
You're dating X amount of guys.

- [Emma] Yeah.
- [laughs] Like, I get it.

You were one
that actually surprised me a little bit.

I liked your vibe the first date,
but it wasn't…

No. Oh my gosh, it sounds so bad. [laughs]

- Just say it. Be honest.
- I was like, "I wanna get to know him."

But it wasn't like,
"Oh my gosh, like, 100% yes."

- Yeah.
- But I was like, you're very nice.

Like, "This guy is so funny.
He makes me feel so comfortable."

I think you are so… attentive.

And it really makes me feel supported.

- I like that.
- Aww.

- That was amazing.
- I actually put it in ChatGPT.

[laughs]

- Oh my gosh.
- I like that you laugh at my jokes too.

- You're funny! What do you mean?
- [Emma] I know I am! Thank you.

[both laugh]

I have had you very high on my list
this whole time. [chuckles]

Since the first date, to be honest.

I think that you're absolutely amazing.

And I feel like with you, I can be myself.

- Yeah.
- And your voice is beautiful.

- [Emma] Thank you.
- So… yeah.

What are your reservations
on having children?

It's this internal battle I have
because I have an amazing family.

And I really struggle as to, like,

why I sometimes
just, like, don't want one myself.

You know? But how great would it be
to create life and have children?

I just don't want
to commit to that right now, you know?

Yeah.

I wanna get married.
I don't wanna have kids right away.

I want to enjoy marriage with my wife.

I want to explore each other.

I want to travel.
I wanna accomplish goals.

And then once we're comfortable,

let's start this new journey
of our lives together.

Let's bring a child into the world,
because it's a part of who we are.

We're leaving a part of us on this Earth,

in the person that we created together.

- Our child.
- That is a beautiful way to put it.

[Mike] I'm not trying to change your mind

or force you in any direction,
I promise you that.

- [laughs]
- No, yeah. And I really appreciate…

You are, like, helping me

see a new POV, but not belittling,

like, what I'm feeling.

If I find the right person, like,

it could happen, but it's not guaranteed.

[Mike] If I'm in love with you

and you're my wife, I…

I don't know. I feel like… [chuckles]

I feel like that'd be super tough.

Because now it's like I'm choosing between
my wife and the love I have for her

and possibly, you know, having a kid.

And that's so heartbreaking to me.

Well! Oh sh*t, this is awkward! Damn!

- [Mike] It's not awkward.
- Kidding.

I definitely do wanna see you tomorrow.

I don't know
if you're gonna have me on there.

No, I, um,

I will definitely…
I'll fit you in. I'll fit you in.

[Mike] No, you don't have to tell me what
you do. If I see you tomorrow, amazing.

If not, then I understand.

- Um, it's no hard feelings.
- No! You know I'm joking!

You're near the top.

You don't have to tell me. [chuckles]

I just wanted to make sure that you know
that I, like… you're actually up there.

[Mike chuckles]

I'm validating you.

Well, it feels good to be validated.
Thank you.

Enjoy the rest of your night.

You too, buddy.

- [chuckles] Oh. The "buddy." Love it.
- [Emma laughs] Bye.

Thanks for that.

- [laughs]
- I didn't friend-zone you. Don't worry.

[Mike] No, I know. I know. Good night.

- [Emma] Good night.
- [laughs]

I really like Mike.

We are developing feelings for each other,

but you have to take
so many things into consideration,

and it's just…

It's a wild ride. [laughs]

[Connor] Maybe I've
told girls what they wanna hear,

but I don't wanna just do that to you
or to anybody else, honestly, in here.

But every single time we come here…

- [Emma] Yeah.
- …nothing else matters.

I don't even think about
you talking to other guys.

I know it's happening,

but I'm confident in what we have so far.

Yeah, I just, like,
really trust where we're at.

[Emma] You are starting
to mean something to me.

[Connor] Yeah.

[Emma] The banter is easy,

but it has felt very surface-level.

I just see parallels
to my first relationship.

Yeah.

[Emma] It was easy. It was good,

and we never dug into anything
until we were drunk,

and it just felt, like, mediocre.

I did not come here
to have a mediocre relationship.

Me and you are not mediocre,
but I just get so scared that, like,

if both of us are afraid to open up
and both are afraid to push each other,

like, I am just…

reliving what I've done,
and like, I don't want that.

[Connor] And I don't want that either.

[Emma] A lot of the relationships that…

Oh f*ck.

…I have had have stemmed…

from not feeling good enough,

and, like, the people
that I try with are the ones

that leave.

[Connor] So are you scared
of getting hurt again?

Yeah.

[Connor] Well, I tell ya…

I feel that
on a bunch of different ways and levels.

It's happened.

- You love somebody.
- Mm-hmm.

[Connor] And they can
leave like it's almost nothing?

I want to let you know I'm not gonna run.

You're never gonna feel
a lack of effort from me.

You're not gonna feel like,
"Is he into it?"

- I'm not gonna leave.
- [Emma] Yeah.

I will never abandon you.

You have given me everything
that, so far, I could ask for.

I don't think you give yourself
enough credit for that.

Thank you.

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ Ooh-ooh! ♪

♪ Playing to the rhythm of my soul… ♪

The journey that
me and Connor have been on

has been very lighthearted and easy,

and today, he was able to open up to me,

which was a great turnaround.

So I have mine and Mike's relationship
and mine and Connor's relationship.

- What's up? What's up, dude?
- Hi!

And then Steven.
Steven is a silly, goofy boy.

What are you wearing right now?

[Emma] I'm wearing brown leather pants,

white heels and, like, a periwinkle,

off-the-shoulder, long-sleeve sweater.

I'm wearing a nice cream
multi-textured button-down

with a red crop-- not even "crop top."

It's shorter than most shirts,
but it's not a crop.

If you were, like, a magazine,
what would you be?

Ooh! GQ.

- [Emma] That's a good one.
- Yeah.

I would say Men's Health, but that's
more like I'd have to be topless for it.

[Emma] Yeah.

[Steven] It's a lifelong goal of mine
to be a Hanes underwear model.

- It just gives me the ick.
- I'm just being a silly goose.

I know. You are such a silly goose.
I do like our dates.

- I do too.
- Um, but you can only pick one.

- Yeah, that is the thing.
- [Emma] I cannot have brother husbands.

And, like, if you were my husband,

what I am nervous about,
in serious situations…

- Like, "Can you not joke?"
- Yeah.

[Steven] I know I joked about
Hanes underwear model.

I definitely think I know the appropriate
time to be funny and silly.

I'm really deep.

Okay, I'm still trying to figure out…

Like, what makes me tick?

Yeah, I want you to be able
to get vulnerable and open up.

And, like, I'm not asking you to cry.

You wanna see Sad Boy Steve?
You wanna see the Sensitive Sensei?

Eww, okay, I'm leaving.
That was such an ick.

I have a playlist on my phone
called Sensitive Sensei.

- [Emma] Please don't. Steven.
- It's all Sad Boy songs.

I can't with you.
I'm icking. I hate that word.

- "Sensei"?
- Yeah. I don't know. It's weird.

Not to put a mirror up to you,

but do you feel like you can have
hard conversations

or, like, confront me
without beating around the bush?

Yes. It'll be uncomfortable,
but I am ready to like--

Kids might not be in your future,
and that's cool with me,

but do you feel like
you could fully open up?

'Cause I feel like I could just,
like, spill tea about myself.

Yeah.

Do you feel like you could tell me about
the deepest secrets you're hiding?

[Emma] I mean, that's my hope.

Like, at the end of this,
I want someone that knows me for me.

I'm gonna try to come up with some stuff
to let you know and share.

I'm not scared to share these things.
We can get deep.

Yeah, Steven,
it's six days, boy, until our ring.

- We gotta shape up.
- [Steven] I know. I know.

Oh, it'd be fun.

It would be fun.

[laughs]

I have such strong connections

with all three of the guys
I've been talking to.

I did not imagine going into this,
like, this is the position I would be in.

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ I'mma be all right ♪

[exhales] Oh my gosh, how cute.

A little candle.

It feels kind of like a real date.

- [both laugh]
- It does.

I feel like each day I talk to you,

I have a little bit better
of an outline picture of you.

Yeah?

Obviously, I wanna see you
and see your face, and I wanna touch you.

- But I really wanna smell you. [laughs]
- [Vic] Fair enough.

[Christine] You know what
I'm excited about in Mexico?

- What's that?
- Coffee tequila.

- Oh, I never had that.
- Oh my gosh.

Tequila was always trouble.

Do you smoke?

No, I don't. I don't.

- What about yourself?
- No. Mnh-mnh.

[Vic] Have you ever smoked?

I mean, I have before,
yeah, but I'm not, like, "a smoker."

- Same.
- No, I used to smoke a bit in high school.

- Have you ever?
- Yeah, I have.

Tried it in high school.
It wasn't my thing.

Tried it once or twice again in college.
Still not really my thing.

I got a misdemeanor
when I was 18. [chuckles]

Did you? For what?

For having weed on me.

I had to get a lawyer
and had to get it expunged. It was a mess.

I also had a misdemeanor
that got, um, expunged.

- Really?
- [Vic chuckles] Yeah.

- For what?
- Possession of marijuana. Yeah.

Well, look at that!

[laughing]

Match made in heaven.

That's hilarious.
Any other run-ins with the law?

- Nothing crazy.
- Okay.

[Vic] But some parts of my adolescence,

I was attracted to and involved in, like,

just knucklehead behavior in my community.

[Christine] How old
were you when you started to…

- Fourteen. Around age 14.
- [Christine] Okay.

Okay.

By the time I was maybe 18,
going off to college,

like, things were
already changing by then.

But I felt guilty
perpetuating a way of living that

we don't need to be normalizing at all.

I think my issue is, like,
the fear of having guilt in the future.

My mom is tricky
because she's never had much,

and she's never been taken care of.

She's been through some really,
really, really traumatic things,

literally her whole life.

So when that time comes,
I'm afraid that I'm gonna feel guilty

that I didn't do enough,
or I couldn't do enough.

But also she's created trauma in her kids
and her grandkids.

And you play a role in your own life too.

Yeah.

And, uh, so,
unfortunately, my mom's not healed.

[Vic] Mm.

[Christine] Been trying
to push her to therapy.

She's like, "I don't know
how many years I have left."

"I don't wanna spend my last five years
bringing up all this awful stuff."

[Vic] Mm.

I think it would be really beneficial
for everybody

to see her at least try.

- You just wanna love on your mama.
- [Christine] I do.

It's tough. And similar with my dad.

My dad was not, uh,

not the best dad when I was little.

One of my really prevalent memories,
I was maybe ten or so,

driving home from somewhere,

and I remember him swerving.

I remember him, like,
falling asleep while driving.

Okay.

Somebody called it in and said,
"This car is swerving."

- "There's a child in the car."
- [Vic] Yeah.

When we got pulled over, my dad gave me
a pill bottle to hold and to hide.

- sh*t.
- [Christine] And it's sad, because…

I think deep down,
my dad's probably a decent human.

It's just he's been affected
by so much stuff his whole life.

- Right.
- And it makes me sad for him.

He missed out on my sister.
He missed out on me.

I mean, look how you turned out though.

Yeah. And my sister's incredible too.

Have you forgiven him? No?

Yes?

I don't know.

- I don't know. Probably not. [laughs]
- [Vic] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

- And that's all right. That's all right.
- [Christine] Mm-hmm.

I never thought I'd be emotional
over anything, and I thought, uh,

I thought I had
a pretty good grasp on things,

and obviously, I don't. [laughs]

[Vic] You do. You've got a good grasp.

You're getting emotional 'cause
you're human. That's it. You're human.

- Yeah.
- [Vic] Yeah.

In my household,

I had a stepfather that was,
you know, around when I was young.

He always had an alcohol problem.
I didn't think too much of it.

And I remember one night, I heard, like,

you know, fighting or something
coming from the another room,

and I went to the door…

My mom, like,
kind of cricked open the door.

And I remember
seeing, like, a hand grab her hair,

and then the door closed.

It was, like, one of the scariest things
I've seen in my life.

And I was young. I didn't know what to do.

I felt weak, you know?

I'm the only boy in the house, right?

The man of the house, essentially, right?

I remember running to my sister's room,
and I'm like, "Deidre! Deidre!"

Deidre don't play.
She's a little pit bull.

She protects those
who she loves, for sure.

Man, she got to that door,
got in there, and all types of,

"What I will do to you if you ever
put your hands on my mother again."

Even with all that,

like, I forgive that man.

I forgive that man.

Do you think your mom is…
healed from that?

- Yeah, she is.
- [Christine] Yeah?

Yeah, my mom is strong.

Got him out the house,
ran him up out of there.

And much time has passed since.
Much time has passed since.

I know she's healed.

Everybody in your life sounds…
really good women, really good people.

- [Vic] Yeah. You'll get along with them.
- Yeah.

So today, I was reflecting.

I wrote, "I can't see her."

"But I see her. This invisible woman."

"She's God-fearing."

"She's intelligent. She's nurturing."

"She's resilient."

"She's kind, loyal, confident."

"She's a good vibe."

"She's a big softy."

- "She has great musical taste."
- [laughs]

[Vic] "She's warm, beautiful."

"She deserves the world."

"She's Christine."

- ["Thinking Out Loud" playing]
- ♪ Darling, I will be loving you ♪

♪ Till we're 70… ♪

- That was really beautiful.
- That's what I think about you.

[Christine] Which I really appreciate,
'cause I think dating in the real world,

guys might quote-unquote "fall for me"
because I'm, like, good on paper,

but they don't love me.

- [Vic] Mm.
- They don't know me.

It's crazy how after
such a short period of time,

I feel like you really know me,
and you get me.

Yeah.

So it means a lot
to hear you say those things.

Of course.
You make it easy to say these things.

[laughs]

♪ People fall in love
In mysterious ways… ♪

It's funny how hard it is to find somebody

who has to check the same morals as you.

Also, like, a good job.

Family-oriented or educated
or whatever it may be.

It's like, how hard is it to find somebody
that has the things that you want,

is ready for the things that you want,

at the same time as you are?

- Right.
- But then also the energy is there.

Like, the connection is there.
The chemistry is there.

Like, that spark is there.
The love is there.

It just seems almost impossible,
but it's feeling really real.

I mean, it is real.

I don't wanna be corny, that
"you were made for me" kind of thing, but…

- You could say that.
- [both laugh]

[Christine] It does just feel…

I don't know. It's just incredible.

I agree completely.

♪ Maybe we found love right where we are ♪

♪ Maybe we found love ♪

♪ Right where we are ♪

- Question.
- Yeah?

[Steven] Are you talking to Emma?

- Okay.
- [Alex] Are you?

[Steven] I didn't know
if that was your number one.

No, it's not. It's not.

- Yeah, that's my number one.
- It is?

- Yeah.
- Got you. Got you.

I feel like Emma
is really energetic, really bubbly.

I appreciate her wanting
to peel back, like, another layer of me,

and maybe she doesn't want kids,
but you're here to find a wife.

You're not here to find,
like, a baby factory.

[pop music playing]

- [man] Let's get it.
- [Steven] Good luck, boys.

[vocalizing]

What size ring do you wear, by the way?

- You'll figure it out.
- Okay! So mysterious all the time!

No, but it leads to things.

- [Steven] Okay.
- No, I have small hands.

Okay, that's where it leads me
to another conclusion, but…

So… you're like, "We're not getting deep."

- [Emma] Let's go there.
- Are we ready to go there?

[Emma] I'll start here.

- I was adopted at the age of three.
- Okay.

[Emma] So when you were talking
about adoption, I was like, "Hello!"

- But I--
- You should have spoken…

- That was a perfect intro to be like--
- No, but it wasn't.

'Cause I don't want it to be a fun fact.
My parents are my family.

My family is my family, and I…

don't feel the need to figure out
where I came from.

Are any of your siblings adopted
with you or is it just…?

No, it's just me.

I feel like obviously,
it's gonna identify something about you

that maybe you haven't shared with me yet.

I'm a little mentalist, by the way.

I don't like that you try to guess.

You don't like that I guess?

I don't like that you try to guess things
about my appearance.

- It's not about your appearance.
- [Emma] Is it not? No, I--

[Steven] I'm trying
to get to know you fully.

I've kind of been taking this process…

Like a shy girl? Like, hiding?

Dude, you know how I feel about adoption.

Do you feel like you have,
like, the desire…

I know you're like, "I don't know
if I want kids," but if you did have kids,

do you feel like you would
sort of wanna, like, adopt a kid

just because, like,
you know how it's like?

Yeah, I think if I wanted kids,
I'd like to adopt.

Yeah! There we go.

The whole point is not to hide things
from the other side of the wall, right?

I wanted to go on this show

'cause I really like the idea

of the physical,
like, being kind of removed from it.

[Steven] Do you feel like people have
been just about the physicality of it all?

[Emma] Yeah, and so…

- You there?
- Yeah, I'm thinking. I'm just…

- [Steven] Processing.
- I'm processing.

So when I was born,

I was actually born
with a birthmark covering my whole arm.

Okay.

It had a high chance of melanoma,

so I had about ten surgeries,

um, before the age of, like, seven

to remove my birthmarks.

The biggest one was on my arm, um…

But I have birthmarks,
like, all over my body that

I have to get checked, like, every year.

And I think this was something that

I struggled with, like, growing up,

'cause it just felt like
an elephant in the room.

It's not anything hindering
my, like, abilities to do anything.

But I do think it's impacted
the way people see me on dates,

impacted the way, like, I am perceived.

When you're growing up, and…

- [Steven] Going to the pool or something?
- Yeah.

Yeah, it's just something…

Those two things are kind of
a part of me that both have--

- [Steven] Affected your…
- Affected my life, but I don't know…

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Are you getting sad over there?

[Emma] Yeah.

I feel like you don't wanna be
asked questions about it right now.

I can get you out of this funk, girl.
You want me to get you out of this funk?

I'll tell you how far I'm willing to go
to share details about my life.

Let me tell you about my first kiss.

- Ready?
- Okay.

So I went to AMC
in eighth grade with this girl Fallon.

- Okay.
- [Steven] We saw a movie.

I was so nervous 'cause
I've heard all my friends at this point,

sixth grade, seventh grade.

They'd be like, "Oh my God, I just
made out blah-blah-blah behind the park."

I was like, "What?"
I felt like I was a late bloomer.

But we went to AMC,

then we went
to Barnes and Noble next door.

And we were listening to music,
sharing headphones.

Both had braces,
super probably ugly to see.

Then we turned to each other. She's like,
"I like you," and we kissed each other.

- Cute.
- It was very cute.

Tell me about your first kiss.

[Emma] Not memorable.
I was in high school.

Oh wow!

Yeah, it was high school,
and it was with a…

with a boy, and…

- It was not memorable.
- [Steven] "High school with a boy."

- Nice. So deep.
- [Emma] Yeah, it was just like…

[Steven] Are you comfortable telling me
about how you lost your virginity?

Yeah, I lost it in college.

Ooh! I thought I was a late bloomer too.

- God, you're beating me.
- I don't like this.

I don't like the comment "late bloomer."

I think everyone is on their own journey.

Yeah, no, I just felt like
I was behind all my friends.

Yeah, I didn't date in high school.

I wasn't a huge dater.

Um, so in college…

Um…

It wasn't romantic.
I, um, started talking to this guy.

We liked each other, and we just…

- We just… did it.
- [Steven] Did it?

Was it early in college,
freshman year type thing?

I was just like… "I got…"

"It is what it is.
I like this guy. He likes me."

"Let's just see how it is."

So like 19, 20.

Mine's, like, beautiful.
It's sort of like Notebook- esque.

I dated this girl for, like, a year.
Loved her.

I just remember
we were watching, like, a love movie.

A bunch of light was coming in.
We were laying on this floor.

I just remember she's like,
"Hey, I just wanna say I love you."

"And I really appreciate you just, like,
waiting for me and not pressuring me."

[Emma] Yeah. Yeah.

[Steven] She gave me a kiss.
And she's like, "I'm ready to have sex."

Oh!

Then we had sex. It was beautiful.
It was like The Notebook.

I literally feel like
I had The Notebook Virginia scene.

And then, yeah, the morning after,
we had sex everywhere. But--

- I actually have never seen The Notebook.
- [Steven gasps]

- Come on.
- [Emma] No, I actually haven't.

[Steven] You never saw
the abandoned house scene?

No.

The creaky wood floor
where they just lay her down…

- [Emma] Nope!
- Rachel McAdams can't deny him.

No, I actually didn't.

Come on. You gotta add The Notebook.

I can't believe you never added it before.

No girls have talked about it
in high school?

I think every girlfriend I ever had
watched The Notebook with me.

- Never seen The Notebook.
- [Steven] Just to set the expectation.

Just to be like, "This is what I demand."

I march to the beat
of my own drum, Steven.

I don't need people to

tell me what to do.

Who's telling you what to do? [chuckles]

I feel like
you've been walled off from me.

I feel like you were like, "Go deep."
I'm like, "Okay. I've gone deep."

First kiss, even virginity stories.

When I ask you,
it's like, "A guy in high school."

A guy in high school.
It was a guy in high school.

I feel like your first kiss is different
than a kiss in college with a random guy.

Yeah, but I don't think
my first kiss was special.

And that's my story.

No one wanted me in high school.
No one wanted me up until college.

- [Steven] Okay.
- You think you…

can latch on to the first person
that cares about you.

And

those boys didn't care about me, and I…

I don't think they were…

worth painting a picture of.

[Steven] Okay.

- Sorry. I'm listening.
- [Emma] I feel…

I feel like this is a conversation
for another one.

And, like, the…

the comment about

being a late bloomer.

Like, these are comments
that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

And, like, just the interrupting.
I think it was…

I don't… okay.

I feel like I didn't interrupt,
to be honest.

It doesn't have to be put back on me.
"You did something wrong."

- I'm sorry, but this is what I am feeling.
- It could be, "I'm just not feeling this."

[Steven] Yeah. You can't
see how I'm reacting.

- [Emma] No.
- I was very, like, intent.

- And I was, like, really taking it in.
- [Emma] Yeah.

[Steven] And I feel now like you're trying
to paint it like I reacted wrong.

No!

[Steven] I feel like
I had a great response to all this.

- I don't think…
- [Steven] You're gonna get there?

…I'm going to get there.

And I just believe that my connections…

[both] Are stronger with other people.

[Steven] And that's like--
yeah, that's fine.

I just don't think
we're the right people for each other.

No, that's fine.

Okay.

- ["Dangerous" by Laney Lynx playing]
- ♪ …is dangerous ♪

♪ Dangerous ♪

♪ The way that we do it so… ♪

[Steven] We're done.

[Keya] Hi, babe.

Oh no!

- Oh, my love. Mm.
- [Emma sobs]

It's not gonna work for me.

Jesus Christ!

[Emma] I open up to him about…

[sniffles] …my story,

and, like, I'm not

victimizing myself, but I know…

- You didn't do anything wrong!
- I know my worth. I know I didn't.

You did exactly
what you were supposed to do.

- You opened up about your story.
- [sniffles] I did my way, but…

You did nothing wrong.
You did it Emma's way.

Oh my goodness.
I'm sorry that was your experience.

Now I'm f*cking afraid
of going into the next one.

- ["Start to Heal" by Kate Diaz playing]
- ♪ 'Cause I just wanna know ♪

♪ What's in your heart ♪

♪ So I can let you go ♪

[Vic] I feel blessed that
I found Christina in this experience.

I'm in awe,
and I'm excited, and I'm in love.

I was in a pretty severe car accident.

I broke my neck
and my back in many places.

So I went and got angel wings
on the very top of my spine

to signify my…

my protection and my blessings.

- Grace of God, right?
- [Christine] Yes.

Wow.

Do you still follow your exes
on social media?

My ex ex? No.

[laughs]

What does that even mean?

There's a handful of guys I've dated
in the past couple years, but no.

- Do I get to reciprocate?
- My answer is very quick, "No."

- [Christine] Okay.
- [laughs] Yeah.

All right, good. I like that.

People you've dated in the past,

do you feel like you date
pretty similar people?

Very feminine women. I'd say intelligent.

- How about appearance-wise?
- [Vic] Like cultural?

[Christine] Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, the gamut.

I've been in serious relationships
with Black women,

white women, Latina women.

In New York, you're exposed to so much
different cultures and ethnicities.

And it's just like, "Where is your heart?
Where are our values aligned?"

And the cultural elements,
less of a care there.

- Okay.
- Great, what about yourself?

Same, and I wouldn't
wanna date somebody who, like,

only dates this. [chuckles]

Yo, that is real.

Yep.

What pushes you to wanna get married?

The family aspect,

but then I think there's something
beautiful about merging into one.

I can just really see and feel

your genuine, like, kind, loving heart.

- You have a gift.
- [Vic] Thank you.

Are there things
you think we need to share

that we haven't shared at this point?

If it was something really important
and really critical to me,

I would have asked,
or I would have inquired already.

I think I'd be able
to complement you well.

I think I'll be able
to complement you well too.

When I don't run away
from what I think about you,

what I know about you,
what I feel about you,

there's no other way I could frame it

or articulate it
outside of, like, "I love you."

I love you too, Vic.

I love you, Christine.

I love you too.

In the pods, it's given us the opportunity

to do something we typically wouldn't do,

which is express yourself,
say what you feel.

[Christine] I have a prayer
that I wrote this morning

that I would like to share with you.

- Oh yes.
- [Christine] I'm gonna stand.

- [chuckles]
- I'll stand with you.

[Christine] "Dear Heavenly Father,

we come to you today in prayer

and ask for continued love,

patience and understanding

and an eagerness to grow deeper."

"May we open our hearts
and may we open our minds

throughout this unique journey

as we further this walk
towards a marriage."

- Amen.
- Amen and amen and amen.

- I literally wrote "amen and amen."
- [both laugh]

That was beautiful. That was beautiful.

You're like a dream come true.
You know that, right?

[Christine] I feel the same.

[Vic] I want you in my life forever.

- You hear me?
- [Christine] Yeah.

I can't see you, but I see you.

I know.

Christine Louise Hamilton…

[laughs]

…will you marry me?

Of course I will.

[both laugh]

- [Vic] Yes!
- Of course I will. [laughs]

- [Vic] Mm.
- Ooh!

This is just the beginning.

It's just the beginning.

["feelslikeimfallinginlove"
by Coldplay playing]

I love you.

I love you too.

♪ You're throwing me a lifeline ♪

♪ This is for a lifetime, I know… ♪

What up? What up?

- What happened, dude?
- I'mma have me a wife.

- [man] Hey!
- [all laughing]

Yeah!

[group exclaims]

- [chattering]
- [laughing]

[woman] Look at this!

[chattering continues]

He loves you so much.

[Ashley] Oh my God. Oh my God.

- [music continues]
- [vocalizing]

I'm a strong, independent woman.
I don't need no man!

I am worried about, like,
sleeping with a man again.

I've become so much more tooty.
I don't know if I fart in my sleep.

- Oh my God. Okay, yes.
- I just won't sleep.

[laughing]

[Elissa] Oh my God!

What do I do?

f*ck! [groans]

- [sobbing]
- What happened?

[Elissa] I cannot believe I just did that!

- [sobs]
- [medic] Okay. I know. You're scared now.

- [Elissa shouts]
- [medic] We're gonna have to send you out.

[Elissa groans]

- [sobs]
- [sirens wailing]

- [pop music playing]
- ♪ Trouble is my name ♪

♪ Don't step in my way ♪

♪ I'll declare you're not to play ♪

♪ When it's more than just a game ♪

[vocalizing]

♪ Love's more than just a game ♪