Spoilers for the Love Is Blind season 8 finale ahead. Unsurprisingly, a show that asks its stars to get engaged sight unseen and married just a month later is usually filled with twists and turns. That’s why nearly every season of Netflix’s hit reality dating series Love Is Blind tends to have a “golden couple” to help weather all the onscreen drama it serves to audiences (think: season 1’s Lauren and Cameron, or season 4’s Brett and Tiffany). Minor hiccups aside, this couple tends to have a solid relationship throughout, often using their position of relative stability to comfort fellow cast members who might be having rockier journeys.
Love Is Blind is back this Valentine’s Day with season 8, set in snowy Minneapolis, Minnesota. Come on: Did you really expect a “Midwest nice” installment of this show to not have a “golden couple?” They seem to come in the form of 27-year-old digital marketer Monica Danús and 34-year-old physician associate Joey Leveille, who quickly form a tight bond even as their peers navigate slippery slopes. Still, in a season where family expectations loom, even Monica and Joey face obstacles on the way to the altar.
In case you’re behind on Love Is Blind season 8 or need to catch up on the season before the March 9 reunion, here’s a quick refresher on all things about Monica and Joey’s relationship—and whether they may still be together after the show.
What happened between Monica and Joey in 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
From the beginning, human “Golden Retriever” Joey and Monica—who claims her loved ones would describe her as “secretly really weird” in her cast bio—hit it off thanks to their shared goofball quirks and strong family ties.
Joey’s easy-going demeanor and passion for swing dancing belies a strong sense of responsibility. He grew up with three sisters, one of whom died when he was 16. Joey tells Monica that although he received several football offers from Division 1 schools, he chose to stay at home and go to college nearby to help support his mom and younger sister in the aftermath of his parents’s divorce. He admits that his mom has had money troubles, prompting him to prioritize financial literacy and open a separate retirement account for her.
Likewise, although Monica might joke about her love for Sound of the Music, she shares that she left her last job to help care for her grandmother, whose mind she says is “not all there.” Monica gets choked up when she tells Joey how her grandmother insists on kissing her husband goodnight every night even though she often forgets his name. Afterward, the two agree that this is the best date they’ve ever had, either in or out of the pods.
Did Monica and Joey get engaged in 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
Yep! In episode two, Monica and Joey seemingly became the first Minneapolis couple to get engaged (although it’s unclear whether this is simply due to editing). This is consistent with past Love Is Blind “golden couples,” who tend to meet before anyone else.
“Hopefully, [Joey] likes a tall lady,” Monica quips before their first face-to-face meeting, while Joey remarks that “so far, I do believe love is blind.”
Set to Belinda Carlisle’s “Mad About You,” the couple’s official reveal is as warm and goofy as their pods banter. Giggling in excitement, Monica remarks that her new fiancé looks like Tarzan, thanks to his long locks. Although Monica and Joey only share a few chaste kisses at their first meeting, Joey gushes that it’s the best first kiss he’s ever had.
Do Monica and Joey make it to the altar on 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
Monica and Joey are still an adorkable, light-hearted couple during their time in Honduras. Monica is happy that her 5'10'' height won't be a problem with 6'1'' Joey; Joey reveals that he went through exposure therapy for his severe OCD, Monica is attentive and understanding. We don't see much of the pair's vacation, but when they return to Minnesota, they seem to be on the same page.
Cohabitation can test even the strongest of couples, and that may be where Monica and Joey are the least compatible. One's a maximalist and the other hates knickknacks. Joey constantly cleans, and Monica has a horror story involving a spider and floor laundry that would scar even the mellowest arachnophobe. (Joey also hates folding laundry, but it sounds like it still gets done.) Monica grew up with a communal sock bin, and Joey (and probably most of America) has never heard of such a thing.
Monica still lives with her family, who are very similar to her: loud, fun, and a bit unorthodox. Family approval is really important to her, and her parents seem to easily vibe with Joey. He even joins in on a "fam jam," a group dance party with various instruments. (Yes, there is a cowbell.) However, he and Monica's sister Nicolle do not get off on a great foot. It turns out that Nicolle's boyfriend was interested in Monica first before Monica set him up with Nicolle, and Joey makes a joke saying that the boyfriend was still trying to get to Monica. It didn't seem malicious, to be fair, but still not the best joke to make.
When they talk in private, Nicolle tells Monica that she doesn't think Joey is her type, and that his personality doesn't seem like a good match. Nicolle is also concerned that Joey seems like a "good actor" who may say what people want to hear. Monica and Joey recap the family meeting a few nights later, and when Joey says it's fine if Nicolle doesn't like him, Monica responds that it's not fine. Monica also admits that Nicolle usually doesn't think Monica's boyfriends are good enough for her, and Joey shrewdly points out how jealousy could be a factor. (He didn't even hear the beat where Nicolle pointed out that she thought she, the older sister, would get married first.) Joey's pretty chill about the potential lack of approval, but when he tells Monica that it isn't necessarily "make it or break it," she doesn't seem to agree.
In episode 10, Joey has another chance to win Monica's sister over, as Nicolle gifts them an engagement photo shoot. The couple are adorable throughout, and Nicolle notes that she couldn't even give them direction because they were too busy with their "flirty shit." The sisters have had several offscreen conversations between the family dinner and the photo shoot and Monica expresses again (for the viewer's benefit) that she was frustrated that Nicolle was so quick to judge the literal stranger Monica brought home. Nicolle recognizes that she was being harsh and apologizes to Joey. She also admits that she can see Joey becoming part of their family now, which is a win for the couple.
Considering they're a pair without a pod love triangle (at least onscreen), Joey and Monica sail through the pod reunion party. Their last date is dinner in a gorgeous conservatory, as they reminisce about their time in the pods and the music date that made them lock in on each other. They also discuss how they've approached their different love languages, like how Joey has actively tried to be more physically affectionate in small ways.
Monica's big problem pre-wedding seems to be a certain level of affirmation. In a confessional, Monica is "spinning." She hasn't heard Joey say "I'm 100 percent in," so she's still holding back out of fear he could say no at the altar. After Joey gushes about how much he loves their communication during the date, and how she's an "amazing, caring, empathetic" person, he says, "I have a lot of love for you." Monica admits that she's an overthinker and that she needs Joey to bring her back down to earth (sounding similar to Taylor and Daniel at some points), and the fact that Joey perhaps hasn't straight up said, "I love you, I am in this," may be weighing on her. (Take it from another overthinker: When it comes to scary life changes, the smallest things can make you spiral.)
As for Joey's side of things, he says in his episode 11 suit fittings that he's taking things day by day, and he won’t fully have an answer about whether to marry her until the wedding day. However, he also quickly says, "Yes, absolutely," when his cousin asks if he wants to drop everything for Monica.
Do Joey and Monica get married on 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
Despite their strong start in the pods, Joey and Monica are one of the more unpredictable couples heading into the season 8 finale. In my Sara and Ben recap, I wrote that it was disappointing that we didn't get any cute moments of their relationship on screen, to help viewers wrap their heads around why they decided to get engaged in the first place. It turns out Joey and Monica may be the opposite, where their pod time was so quick and adorable that the pairs' early "golden couple" status kept us from seeing the real cracks in the foundation.
Joey's groom's suite and Monica's bridal suite have very different vibes before the ceremony. Joey is fairly chill; after longboarding into the venue, he admits that he calmed his nerves a bit that morning before filming. Most of his wedding prep is playing catch with his supportive friends—who describe Monica as "down to clown"—before the women in his family come in and say how much Joey is a standup guy. He does admit in a confessional that he's still hesitant about Monica's sister Nicolle, and the show cuts to Nicolle basically going, "Right back at you." In the last scene before the altar, Joey reiterates that whether he says yes or no is going to be "in the moment."
Meanwhile, Monica describes her state of mind ahead of the wedding as keeping her expectations low. (According to Nicolle, that's a trait shared by generations of Danús women.) The bride is still feeling conflicted without emotional reassurance from Joey. She says, "It's a little uncomfortable for me to really trust in his words, rather than seeing his emotion." His lack of touchy-feeliness is still an issue, but Monica trusts that they'll get there eventually. The big thing is that Joey still hasn't told her "I want you 100 percent." Before walking down the aisle, Monica admits that she's basing her decision a bit off his decision, which by the laws of reality TV means she'll probably find herself answering first.
Finally, Joey longboards down the aisle, and Monica makes it to the altar once her mom and dad calm her down a bit. They both say in their vows how they wouldn't want to have the experience with anyone else but each other, but Joey doesn't say anything particularly romantic. That need for reassurance still seems to be there, so when Monica is asked the big question first, she answers, "I don't right now."
"I'm gonna start crying," she says as tears begin to fall. "But in this moment, it's at 100 percent, or it's... And I just feel like we're not quite there. You're amazing, and I love you."
"That's totally okay," Joey responds. "We both have a tremendous amount of love for each other, and that's apparent, but... I agree. I don't think think I would be ready. I need to be 100 percent, and to be completely 100 percent honest, I'm also not 100 percent at this time."
After a long hug and a speech thanking the guests, Joey and Monica walk back down the aisle hand in hand, happy that they're on the same page.
After Monica walks back out to the car in the snow, the mood gets a lot sadder. She says in a confessional, "I would have liked a different outcome, but I want to be chosen. I deserve to be chosen. It's sad that he doesn't feel as strongly for me as I would hope. I was hoping he would be my person for the rest of my life."
Meanwhile, Joey theorizes that Nicolle's hesitance and their physical affection issue could be parts of why she said no. But he also realizes that Monica had never said "I love you" to him until she did at the altar. Love Is Blind can never show the entirety of a couple's relationship on the show, but it's a bummer to be left at the end of a couple's journey, after dedicating brain space (and however long this recap is) to them, and still have so many unanswered questions. Well, I guess that's what reunions are for?
Are Monica and Joey still together after 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
We won't get the full story on Joey and Monica, including whether they possibly continued dating after saying no at the altar, until season 8's March 9 reunion. However, the chances don't look promising by the end of the finale. When the show checks back in with them, Joey says, "I don't have any specific anticipation for any future at this moment with Monica. It was never my intention to go into this to just date."
Meanwhile, Monica says, "I want Joey to be my person. It's not going to be easy moving forward and just figuring out life after this. I don't know where we go from here. I don't know."
