Netflix has officially released the third season of Love is Blind: After the Altar. The three-part episode series dropped on Friday 10 February. The After the Altar special picks up almost a year after the season three finale, when some couples said “I do” and some were rejected at the altar.
Now, the cast members have reunited for the After the Altar special, as we finally learn which season three couples are still going strong.
The third season of Love Is Blind, which premiered in October 2022, was full of relationship ups and downs after five couples left the pods engaged. Alexa Alfia and Brennon Lemieux were the first couple to get engaged in the pods, followed by Nancy Rodriguez and Bartise Bowden, Raven Ross and SK Alagbada, and Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett. Matt Bolton also proposed to Colleen Reed in the pods.
Beware, spoilers ahead.
By the end of season three, only two couples actually tied the knot: Alexa Alfia (now Lemieux) and Brennon Lemieux, and Matt Bolton and Colleen Reed. Despite getting hitched, even the married couples had some issues to work through – like blending their two very different families or their living situation, respectively.
Meanwhile, Raven Ross and SK Alagbada revealed at the reunion that they were dating, although the two did not get married in the season finale.
For couples like Nancy Rodriguez and Bartise Bowden, and Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett, their differences ran deeper. Bowden and Rodriguez disagreed over their abortion views, and Barnett’s family refused to meet Jaffrey until they were married. An infamous “Cuties” scene also tore both Jaffrey and Barnett apart.
The After the Altar special follows season three’s couples as they prepare for Alexa’s birthday party, which took place in late September. During an interview with Bustle, Alexa and Brennon Lemieux said filming took place “around the time of the reunion.”
A representative for the show also clarified that After the Altar “filmed up to and shortly after the reunion.”
So, where are our Love is Blind season three couples now?
Alexa and Brennon Lemieux
Alexa Alfia and Brennon Lemieux formed a genuine emotional connection in the pods from the very beginning. In the season three finale, the two exchanged heartwarming vows and both said “I do” at the altar.
Since then, it seemed the couple had fully embraced married life after Alfia changed her name to @mrsalexalemieux on Instagram, where she often posts loved-up pictures of the two.
During the reunion special, the Lemieuxs seemingly took on the role as marriage counselors and dolled out relationship advice to their fellow cast members.
The first episode of After the Altar begins with the Lemieuxs, season three’s success story. The two are seen gathering their families together for a Shabbat dinner, as Alexa talked about becoming a family of three.
Nancy Rodriguez and Bartise Bowden
This Love Is Blind pairing had their fair share of ups and downs throughout season three. From differences over family planning to Bowden’s physical attraction to ex Raven Ross, it wasn’t smooth sailing for Rodriguez and Bowden.
That’s why it didn’t come as a surprise when Rodriguez said “yes” to marrying Bowden, but he said “I do not”. The rejection also led to a tense fight between Bowden and Rodriguez’s family members outside the wedding venue.
In After the Altar, it appeared that the two had overcome their differences. Bowden revealed that he’s seen Rodriguez quite frequently since their wedding day and the pair have tried to remain friends. However, Rodriguez ultimately decided to put herself first and place boundaries on her relationship with Bowden, even if it’s platonic.
“I don’t want to have friendships that don’t help me grow, that don’t support me, that dont love me,” Rodriguez said during the episode. “Although we have a past, although we had some good times, I want someone to be obsessed with me and love me for who I am and what I offer.
“In the long run, the benefit of him being in my life is minute, so he should go.”
Raven Ross and SK Alagbada
Viewers were stunned when SK Alagbada told Raven Ross he couldn’t marry her during the season three finale. Although Alagbada returned to California to pursue his education, and Ross was based in Texas, the two revealed during the reunion special that they decided to date long-distance.
All seemed to be going well for the couple. They decided to move in together during Alagbada’s summer break, and he even re-proposed to Ross in After the Altar. However, it was revealed last November that they had broken up after multiple women on social media had claimed they were in a relationship with Alagabada while he was engaged to Ross.
Although After the Altar was filmed in early fall, filming picked back up for Ross in November 2022 as she was seen reeling with the cheating allegations.
“Since then a lot has changed,” she tearfully said at the end of the three-part series. “My world is completely different because SK cheated on me, and now our relationship is over.”
“I still believe in love and I’m so happy for my friends who have found that,” she added. “They are, like, my biggest inspiration and I know it’s coming for me.”
Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett
Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett were the biggest wildcard relationship of season three. The two had many ups and downs, insecurities, and blowouts leading up to their wedding day. In one shocking moment, Barnett even called Jaffrey bipolar because of her “attitude” and criticism of him.
In the season three finale, Zanab Jaffrey rejected Cole Barnett at the altar, but not without giving him a piece of her mind. Things got more heated between the former couple during the reunion special, when Jaffrey accused Barnett of controlling her eating habits.
Now, both Jaffrey and Barnett revealed in After the Altar that they have not spoken since their wedding day. Barnett poked fun at the infamous “Cuties” scene in the first episode of the three-part series, and stressed that he never made disparaging comments about her appearance.
In the final episode, the two finally came face to face and sat down for an intense conversation. Barnett apologised for the hurt he caused Jaffrey, but explained that he was confused by her comments when she rejected him on their wedding day. Still, Jaffrey told Barnett that they weren’t compatible and the two decided to bury the hatchet.
Colleen Reed and Matt Bolton
While Colleen Reed and Matt Bolton were the second couple to get married during the season three finale, their relationship was still thrown off by their constant miscommunications.
During After the Altar, Reed revealed that the two had a number of disagreements for the first six months of their relationship, but were currently in the honeymoon phase after working through their issues.
It was revealed during the reunion special that the two don’t live together, and it seems their living situation has remained the same in After the Altar. Although, Bolton did maintain that the two are working towards finding their forever home…together.
