Spoilers for Love is Blind season 8 episodes 1 through 9 ahead. Many Love is Blind couples have a quirk that will define them in the Netflix reality show's canon (hopefully one based more on cute similarities than drama). Of season 8's Minnesota-based cast, 32-year-old colonoscopy nurse Taylor Haag and 30-year-old sales account exec Daniel Hastings were quickly dubbed the Christmas couple, as their shared love of the holiday fueled their sight-unseen romance in the pods. By the time they got engaged, Daniel and Taylor were solidly among season 8's most meant-to-be couples... until an episode 6 cliffhanger teased that their connection wasn't as wholesome as it seemed.
If you’re behind on Love Is Blind season 8 or need to catch up on the first nine episodes before your next watch party, here’s a quick refresher on all things about Taylor and Daniel’s relationship—and whether they may still be together after the show.
What happened between Taylor and Daniel in 'Love is Blind' season 8?
Taylor and Daniel technically have the fastest proposal on record in Love is Blind history...if you count self-proclaimed short king Daniel jokingly getting down on one knee during their first pod date. The pair get along great from the start, and their dates go well, though unfortunately, Taylor loses her voice after the first day. She's a Christmas stan who once fit four trees into a one-bedroom apartment, so she's totally down to dress up as Mrs. Claus for his over-the-top annual Christmas cards. He's willing to get a matching lip tattoo of his favorite fast-food (her Taco Bell, him Chick-fil-A.)
They're also very compatible and supportive with the deep stuff. Taylor admires Daniel's relationship with his sister, who was born blind, and she says she feels very "at home" when she talks to him. Meanwhile, when Taylor shares that she may have to leave the pods to see her dad, who has cancer, Daniel says that he would find her in the real world. She replies, "I’ve been waiting for you to find me."
While Daniel seems very sure of Taylor from the start, Taylor's admittedly a big overthinker. She mentions a few times that she'd had doubts about whether she would find her person, and she expresses a fear that Daniel's too good to be true. However, she points out how secure he makes her feel, so it seems these thoughts only pop up during downtime in the lounge.
On their penultimate date, they open up about their body-image issues and thoughts on social media (more on that later). Taylor and Daniel also share meaningful gifts about (what else) Christmas. Taylor already owns the scarf Daniel gifts her, and she gives Daniel one of her mom's homemade Christmas ornaments. After, Daniel says that he and Taylor were "meant to find each other," as they both begin to cry.
Finally, in episode 6, the future Mr. and Mrs. Claus read romantic letters to each other. Daniel recalls getting down on one knee for their first date, and Taylor says, "I knew something incredible was waiting for me on the other side before I even opened the door." As Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" plays, Daniel goes on one knee again and asks Taylor to marry him, to which she responds yes.
Did Daniel follow Taylor on Instagram before 'Love is Blind' season 8?
Taylor seems subdued after she and Daniel meet for the first time. 24 hours later, according to a show caption, she reveals that something was off when she first met him. "When the doors first opened and I saw Daniel, I thought, 'He’s so familiar to me.' But I couldn’t place it," she says in a confessional interview. "I have this overwhelming feeling that when the doors opened last night, that was not the first time that he saw me,” she said.
Taylor explains that she remembers one of Daniel's Instagram photos, where he's "in front of a Christmas tree in a chair with his leg up with a drink." She says she believes that Daniel followed her not long before the show and that he knew things about her from her account. "I really care about Daniel and I've grown to love him in the pods. But I also can't ignore gut feelings. I believe he knew exactly what I looked like the entire time we were talking through the wall."
Taylor and Daniel then meet downstairs at their hotel. Daniel tells her that he doesn't follow her on Instagram and that he "doesn't know why" he would've followed and unfollowed her. When Taylor mentions a specific photo of him sitting in front of a Christmas tree, he says that he does have a picture in front of a fireplace but none in front of a tree.
Daniel insists that he saw Taylor "for the first time" at the reveal and would've "told production halfway through" if he'd recognized her. "It's very possible that at one point I followed you and unfollowed you. It's possible. I don't know why I would've. I don't remember it. I just don't remember it. I remember faces. If I saw you, I'd remember," he said.
A producer then offers Taylor her phone, and Taylor checks an app that shows her follow history. (Yes, that is a real thing.) As she waits for the WiFi login, she and Daniel make the same "Bueller?" joke, even being cute in such a tense moment. After scrolling, Daniel's account doesn't come up in her follow history. He promises Taylor that he didn't know what she looked like going into the pods, and says that he'll follow her wherever she wants to go, either Honduras or straight to Minnesota.
"I love that he's patient and I feel really bad because I'm sure on the way here, his brain was a million pieces...It's been a very emotional experience to this point," Taylor says in a confessional. "I was scared that he knew physically everything about me and that's what the connection was built on. But it wasn't."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Taylor explained that the mix-up likely came from her seeing his Instagram on her Explore page, not her follower list.
"I can still recall the mutual followers that we had from that original profile that I was picturing of his," she told the outlet. "So I do believe I had seen his profile at one time, but I never found him in my follow list. He probably came up on my explore page and I clicked on him, and that's how I remember the things I remember. But he never followed me." (For those wondering, Taylor no longer uses the Followers app, because "it's not worth your mental head space."
She added that the "Bueller?" moment helped her doubt. "Our brains are the same brain, and it brought me back down to earth a little bit," she said. "And I thought to myself, 'Taylor, what are you doing?' I talked in my interview in the pods about, 'Don't mess this up. Don't push away a good thing.' And I think with insecurities from past relationships and too much overthinking on my end, that's exactly what I was doing."
Do Taylor and Daniel make it to the altar on 'Love Is Blind' season 8?
After she's reassured during the hotel conversation, Taylor and Daniel head off to Honduras with the rest of the couples. They agree that they have physical attraction and that their connection is very natural. Daniel especially enjoys listening to Taylor Swift while getting ready in the morning. When Taylor brings up the Instagram thing again, she says that she feels bad about how she handled the confrontation, and Daniel insists that she did nothing wrong and he understands how she handled it. On their last night of vacation, they dub themselves the presidents of the "overthinkers club" and the "grounded club," and Daniel assures Taylor that he'll always be there to calm her "spiraling mind."
Of course, once they return to Minnesota, their first big conversation is about how many Christmas trees they can fit into their shared apartment. At the start of episode 9, Daniel brings Taylor home to meet his family, and it's the first time he's ever brought a girl home. His whole family seems to love Taylor, and they express that they think the concept of pod dating is pretty cool (especially his sister Rachel, who comments that getting to know people without seeing their face is "her world." Daniel's dad even gives the pair his blessing "without reservation."
Meanwhile, Taylor's family doesn't take as quickly to the sudden engagement. Her dad says he's "easy" to convince, but her mom feels skeptical and left out of the engagement process. Still, Daniel cares about Taylor so much that he tears up while recalling writing in his letter that he wants to "make her happy and feel safe for the rest of [his] life."
And that's when the gathering has some surprise guests: Daniel's parents. Taylor and Daniel's parents quickly get along, since both pairs are in decades-long marriages and maintain big houses so the kids and future grandkids can feel welcome. (Also, divorce isn't an option for either of the families.) Soon the in-laws admit that they'll be fighting over where Daniel and Taylor spend Christmas, and Taylor's parents follow that up by giving their official blessing. It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Claus's sleigh has a clear path toward the altar.
Are Taylor and Daniel still together after ‘Love is Blind’ season 8?
We won't officially know whether Taylor and Daniel say "I do" at the altar, but we know they'll make it that far. The sneak peek at the end of episode 6 shows a glimpse of Taylor in her wedding dress. Plus, with the Instagram debacle firmly behind them, it's hard to imagine anything else getting in the way.
