Netflix's divisive reality show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is returning for its second season (or third, if you don't count The Ultimatum: Queer Love as a separate show). Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the streaming giant's "love experiment" follows a group of couples at an impasse: one wants to get married, the other doesn't, hence the ultimatum. The show's solution is to break the couples up, have them move in with another cast member in a "trial marriage" and then go back to their original partner before eventually there's either a proposal or a breakup. Season 1, which debuted on Netflix in April 2022, raised the bar on the amount of inebriated conversations and blow-up fights that can fit into a dating reality show, quickly taking a turn for the bleak and ethically questionable. (Queer Love was at least a bit lighter, thanks to Xander and Yoly's honeymoon period).
Now, a year later, the streaming giant will introduce five new couples to make viewers question whether marriage is really worth all of this emotional turmoil. Read on to meet the participants of The Ultimatum season 2.
Kat and Alex
Travel nurse Kat, 28, and software sales rep Alex, 32, hit it off on Hinge and soon became official IRL, with the two outdoors enthusiasts traveling around the country together. However, Kat avoids conflict and tends to defer to Alex, while he wants to be challenged by a partner who speaks their mind. Now Kat’s giving Alex the ultimatum, but his “logical and practical” mindset has kept him from proposing.
Lisa and Brian
This couple has dealt with an ultimatum before; they became an official couple after VP of Clinical Services Lisa, 32, put her foot down following months of casual hook ups with financial analyst Brian, 29. They've now been together for a year and a half, and Brian has bonded with Lisa's ten-year-old daughter, but he's still hesitant to take the next step due to their jealousy and communication issues. If he isn't ready to get married, then Lisa's ready to move on.
Riah and Trey
Server and model Riah, 25, and area manager Trey, 29, have been together for two years, but the romance in their relationship has dimmed. She feels he has been slacking on date nights, but he has trouble matching her sky-high expectations, which have been influenced by social media. Though ultimatum giver Trey is ready to create a life like his parents' 30-year marriage, Riah has never "seen a happy, healthy marriage," so she can’t say whether that's in her future.
Roxanne and Antonio
Entrepreneur Roxanne and freight broker Antonio have been together on-and-off for the past four years. He feels that marriage is the next step in their relationship, but the founder and CEO is laser-focused on her career and wishes her partner would match her income and ambition. While he admires her focus, he also wishes she'd pay him more attention and show more affection. Now Antonio's giving the ultimatum because he believes "that kind of pressure needs to be applied for her to think seriously about marriage."
Ryann and James
Radiologic technologist Ryann, 24, and grad student James, 24, are high-school sweethearts who started dating at sixteen. However, the growing pains in their relationship have come with communication and trust issues, which got worse while he finished his education in another state. Ryann is giving the ultimatum because she believes he "should know for sure" that they're forever, but James says he "finds it hard to believe in a one true love."
