Nick Lachey has sparked confusion among Perfect Match viewers after he spoke of the passion in his “own relationships”.
Lachey recently returned to his Netflix dating show hosting duties for season one of Perfect Match, the streaming service’s latest reality TV dating competition.
During the show, Lachey helped guide singles chosen from a number of other Netflix reality shows as they sought to find their “perfect match”.
However, during the season finale of the new show, Lachey, who is married to his Love Is Blind co-host Vanessa Lachey, compared the passion shared by one couple to his own relationships, prompting some viewers to question why he’d used the plural “relationships”.
Warning: spoilers below.
During the season finale of Perfect Match, Lachey listened as the five remaining couples revealed whether they truly believed they’d found their perfect match.
As he was speaking with Joey Sasso and Kariselle Snow, who formed a relationship from day one, he learned that the pair had had to overcome some hurdles, but ultimately agreed that they were meant for one another.
The pair then revealed that they’d actually gotten engaged during their final date, prompting congratulations from the cast and Lachey.
Lachey also took the opportunity to reflect on his own relationships, with the Netflix host telling the couple: “Awesome guys, congrats.
“You guys have such a fire, you know what I mean? That’s passion, man. It reminds me of my own relationships,” Lachey continued, before adding: “I appreciate you guys so much.”
Although Lachey may have misspoke in the moment, viewers took to social media to question his meaning, with one person tweeting: “Did Nick Lachey say ‘That’s passion. It reminds me of my own relationships’… as in maybe he’s referencing not his current one?”
The tweet prompted agreement from another viewer, who also revealed that they’d spotted the moment.
“I thought that was weird too,” they wrote, to which the initial viewer replied: “Okay! So I wasn’t hearing it wrong. He definitely worded that strangely lol.”
In response, the viewer asked: “Is he including or excluding his wife,” along with a laughing face emoji.
Others also agreed that Lachey’s wording was curious, with someone else writing: “Nick Lachey said ‘hot passionate, you guys remind me of my relationships’. Like relationships? Plural?”
As for what Lachey actually meant, he told Today that Snow and Sasso reminded him of his relationship with his wife Vanessa, as he noted that, like the couple from the show, he’d also felt like he’d had “unfinished business” with his now-wife before they got together.
Snow and Sasso revealed early on in the show that they’d previously dated, but that it hadn’t worked out due to “commitment” issues.
According to Lachey, the rekindled connection reminded him of his own relationship. “(Sasso) had a past with her. As soon as you saw her come in it’s like: ‘Okay, I’ve got unfinished business with this person,’” Lachey said. “They were genuine with things right out of the gate.”
As noted by Today, the Netflix host and his now-wife met for the first time in the early 2000s on TRL.
However, Lachey, who was married to ex-wife Jessica Simpson from 2002 to 2005, didn’t pursue a relationship with Vanessa until after his divorce, when the former TRL host starred in his “What’s Left Of Me” music video in 2006.
The couple began dating that year, before tying the knot in July 2011.
“They were challenged along the way, but they really did stick together. I guess what reminded me of Vanessa and I in watching them was just their fiery passion,” Lachey clarified. “That’s kind of how she and I are as well.
“We’re both Scorpios. We’re both really hot-blooded, fiery people. We’re passionate people. We love each other and I got that same kind of vibe from the two of them.”
As for what it was like to host the show solo, Lachey previously told the outlet that he really missed his wife, who also co-hosts The Ultimatum, and their children, 10-year-old Camden, eight-year-old Brooklyn and six-year-old Phoenix.
However, he noted that it was “really cool to be able to step out and do my own thing”.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Lachey for comment.
All 12 episodes of Perfect Match are streaming on Netflix now.
