Paul Peden and Micah Lussier gave their relationship a real shot in the real world.
After the Love Is Blind stars saw their potential marriage crumble when Paul turned down Micah at the altar in the season four finale, the pair exclusively explained to E! News how they tried making things work away from the cameras.
As Paul tells it, he hadn't closed the door on marrying Micah even after the altar debacle, saying, "I still retained that hope. Going into it, I was like, 'Maybe we're not there now, but that doesn't mean we can't get there in the future.'"
However, once the opportunity presented itself, things still fell apart—and Paul is still sorting everything out.
"We did date for a little bit afterwards," he told E! News' Erin Lim Rhodes, "but ultimately the distance between us was too challenging. That seems to have been the primary motivator. But there might be more to it, honestly. There might be a reason why I said no, there might be a reason why we're not dating. That's a little unclear at the moment."
In a separate interview, Micah confirmed that she and Paul gave their relationship another go outside of the pods.
"We took some time to process everything that happened and then we did resume dating," she said. "In the end, it felt like the foundation wasn't steady enough to continue."
The 27-year-old marketing manager, who splits her time between Seattle and Arizona, also confirmed that distance likely played a role in their breakup—but insinuated that she didn't leave Seattle until after she and Paul split.
"At that point, I decided to go back to Arizona," Micah continued. "It just didn't feel like we were both all in. We just had a lot of hurt from what had happened in the past."
During the April 16 Love Is Blind reunion, Paul said he "visited [Micah] in Arizona briefly," but that things "ended pretty quickly after that."
But at the time of their interviews, which were filmed before the finale aired, both Paul and Micah said they still had love for one another.
"We've always had this thing where we want to support one another no matter what is happening," Paul said, "whether it's going well or going bad for us, we're still there for each other." Micah expressed a similar sentiment, admitting, "Paul will always have a special place in my heart."
Love Is Blind season four is available to stream on Netflix.
For a status update on all of the season's couples, keep scrolling.
Status: Married
Come on, not since season one's Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed has an LIB pairing seem so meant to be! The oldest couple in the experiment—Tiffany was 36 and Brett was 37—exchanged vows, even though Brett had a sartorial emergency when his pants did not fit properly on their wedding day. (Shout out to seamstress Lucia, you're a real one!)
Since filming wrapped, Tiffany and Brett moved to Portland and are still perfect! Phew!
Status: Didn't make it to wedding day
Fans watched with dismay as Jackie chose to give Josh Demas, the other man she connected with in the pods, a second chance, meeting up with him before ending her engagement to Marshall. However, during the reunion, Jackie set the record straight on the timeline of events. "I broke up with Marshall before I met Josh at the coffee shop," she said. "It looks like I'm a cheater. I am not a cheater."
Jackie then addressed the end of her relationship with Marshall, saying she "can take accountability" for her words and actions, but "I hope that he would do the same. We just weren't meant to be." As for her romance with Josh? They were still dating and living together in After the Altar, released in September 2023.
Unfortunately for Marshall, who was hoping for some closure with Jackie, he was unable to fully express his feelings to his former fiancé as she chose not to attend the live taping, conducting a pre-recorded interview with Nick and Vanessa Lachey. But in an interview with E!, Marshall revealed he briefly connected with fellow contestant Kacia after the show.
"We tried," Marshall explained, "But I wanted to just distance myself from all of that from that experience. It was going to be difficult to try to make a relationship with Kacia."
In After the Altar, Marshall revealed he's been dating girlfriend Dr. Chay Barnes for one year and wants to spend forever with her. "Chay is the perfect woman for me. She's the yin to my yang," he said. "Opposites attract. She's quite literally my opposite and we mesh so well. That's what I love the most about her."
Status: Separated
Opposites seemed to attract all season for this pair...until they got to the altar. Sensing Paul's hesitation, Micah asked him to give his answer first and it was a pass on marriage for Paul. "I literally feel like a disaster," Micah said. "If Paul would have wanted to marry me, I 100 percent would have said 'I do.'"
At the reunion, Paul apologized for his comment in a confessional about not being able to see Micah as a mother. "I think I phrased that really unfairly toward her," Paul explained. "I think the better way to phrase that would be that I can't see us as parents."
While the duo briefly reconciled after filming, they ultimately weren't able to make their relationship work, with Paul explaining they broke up for good when he visited Micah in Arizona.
In After the Altar, Paul revealed he is dating a new woman who enjoys traveling and his cooking skills.
Status: Married
Despite Kwame's mother refusing to attend the wedding and his arguably inappropriate conversations with Micah, whom he also connected with in the pods, Kwame and Chelsea were one of the three couples to exchange vows at the end of season four.
During the reunion, Chelsea revealed she has since met her husband's mom and Kwame offered an apology to his wife and her family for his behavior, saying his talks with Micah were "not the best representation." The couple is living in Seattle with their beloved dog Rocky.
Status: Married
Sure, they say love is blind, but occasionally it needs a little bit of time—or proposing to another woman—to realize you made the wrong choice. Which is what happened when Zack initially got engaged to Irina Solomonova, only for the couple to break up during their trip to Mexico. After asking Bliss for a second chance, the pair defied the odds (and Bliss' dad's wishes) and both said "I do" at the altar. (And, no, they did not sit it out, enjoying that all important first turn around the dance floor to Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," the song that bonded them in the pods.) After the finale aired, Zack shared a photo of the couple on Instagram with the caption "Eternal Bliss."
Since filming, Bliss revealed, Zack and her father have become "best buds," one of the many reasons Vanessa predicted they would be the first Love Is Blind couple to have a baby.
Status: Sorry
Deemed the villain of season four due to her mean girl antics in the pods and for the way she treated Zack before their breakup, an emotional Irina showed up to the reunion ready to take accountability for her behavior.
"My intention was never to hurt anyone," she said, "but my impact did." Irina added that she had offered private apologies to the female cast members before addressing Zack.
"No one deserves to be treated like that," she told him. "I completely belittled you and made you feel so small. I was going through a lot mentally. That does not mean that was an excuse to do that, but looking back, I'm sorry."
As for Zack and Bliss, the couple said they have "100 percent" forgiven Irina, though Bliss did reveal Irina sent her a direct message on Instagram while the pair was in Mexico, telling her she "dodged a bullet."
Irina has since been focusing on herself, sharing her one-year fitness transformation from July 2022 to July 2023. "So proud of my body," she said. "Making little choices that just help me feel better inside & out."