Nick and Vanessa Lachey are up to their matrimonial shenanigans once again in Netflix’s new reality romance, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On. These two lovebirds have found a sweet niche in whirlwind romances and so when they dropped the trailer of The Ultimatum in the finale of Love is Blind Season 2, they had me hooked. The fact that I don’t believe in ultimatums made it more intriguing for me.
The show follows 6 couples from Austin who are at a crossroads in their relationships; one wants to marry right now, and the other isn’t quite ready. Of the 6 couples, only 1 man was issuing the ultimatum. No surprises there, as women are known to issue ultimatums.
The show puts each of them to the test through a trial marriage with another cast member that they choose after the first few days. Once they have paired, they move into an apartment for 3 weeks, then return to their original partners for another 3 weeks before finally deciding whether they will meet at the altar, break up or move on with someone else. That someone else could be the cast member they spent 3 weeks with, during which time feelings may have developed.
I applaud these couples, all under 30 years of age and dating for less 3 years. They were brave, because I don’t know how I could ever agree to allow my partner who I want to marry, to live with someone else, sleep in the same bed, etc. for 3 weeks while I did the same, just to determine if we belong together. Whew! Hats off to them! Meanwhile, here is what stood out for me:
Marry for the Right Reason
Like many women, Shanique appeared to be caught up in the ring and the big wedding. This is not to say she doesn’t love her guy, but she was hammering the material aspects a bit too much, such that I believe she may have missed the issues afflicting their relationship such as communication. Still, she and Randall make a cute couple and their final scene together in the finale was beautiful. She is a solid young woman and Randall needs that in his life.
Physical Attraction Doesn’t Equate to Compatibility
Madlyn had her person in the palm of her hands all along, but bedazzled by tall, dark, and handsome. She irritated me a couple of times when she was bordering on desperate and trashy when she was coming on way too strong and boasting about kissing her trial partner. The spoiler for her was that Randall wasn’t as affectionate as she would have wanted him to be. Surprisingly, she grew on me later in the show.
Ensure you are Ready for Marriage
Rae issued an ultimatum but should stay away from the aisle for now. If confused were a person, it would be Rae. Her connection with Jake was rather convincing but by the time we get to the reunion episode, we realise that Rae doesn’t know what she wants. Zay is a handful and he also has issues from his past that he cannot take into a marriage. First of all, quit the temper tantrums.
A Man who is Ready, is Ready
Colby is a man who is ready for family life and has found his wife in his college sweetheart. This is sweet spot that every woman who wants to marry must find herself in! Although he issued the ultimatum, he messed up during the show and for a moment I thought they would not make it. But he found his love and apologised because he was ready, and he wanted her. The last thing a woman should do is drag a man to the altar. This is a recipe for disaster.
Love is Unconditional
Can it work if you both don’t want the same things? Lauren and Nate love each other but they couldn’t agree on the important matter of children. Still, he took a leap of faith and proposed early in the show with no guarantee that she would change her mind. He would rather have her alone than be with someone else just to have children.
Ultimatums Work…Sometimes
Alexis is not about the shacking up life, so she issued an ultimatum to Hunter. Like Lauren and Nate, these two skipped the experiment and made an early exit, as Hunter proposed. I don’t think these two would have survived the split in the experiment as Alexis would have cracked once she saw Hunter with someone else. Although he didn’t want to see her with anyone else, he also saved her the trauma, and that is commendable.
The hosts of the show also seek to validate relationship ultimatums by confessing that Vanessa had issued one to Nick when she was ready to marry him. They seem alright!
You don't have to wait Forever
I tip my hat to the young women in this series. In most instances, they were dating between 1 and 2.5 years before they began to demand marriage. And they were vociferous in doing so. They felt that 1 or 2 years was time enough to head to the altar or forget it! Truth be told, some of these men will settle into a 'boyfriend-girlfriend' relationship until eternity if too much time elapses.
The producers of Love is Blind pushed the envelope with this one. This was entertaining. I have saved some of the details so you can enjoy it too. I think I am really starting to like reality romance shows a little too much. LOL!
But I will never issue a 'marry me or move on ultimatum' to a man. I want my fairytale.
I am Suzette Campbell
Note: Originally published on April 30, 2022
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