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Love Is Blind's Paul Reveals the Cast Member He Dated After Micah Breakup

In an exclusive interview with E! News, Love Is Blind's Paul Peden revealed the season four cast member he dated after his breakup with ex-fiancée Micah Lussier.

By Daniel Trainor Apr 18, 2023 1:08 AMTags
Watch: Paul Peden Admits He Dated WHO From the Pods After Love Is Blind

Paul Peden didn't have to look very far for a rebound.

After the environmental scientist turned down fiancée Micah Lussier at the altar in the Love Is Blind season four finale, Paul reignited a flame that burned brightly during his time in the pods.

"There was another girl Wendi, the aerospace engineer," Paul exclusively told E! News. "I talked to her a lot. I had an insane connection with her."

Wendi Kong, a 29-year-old from Seattle, didn't get much airtime on the Netflix reality series, but once Paul connected with her out in the real world, he says they were "never exclusive, but went on dates."

However, Paul explained that he and Wendi were almost too compatible to make anything work.

"It's almost too much," Paul told E! News' Erin Lim Rhodes. "I like myself, but I don't know if I like myself that much that I want to marry myself. We were really similar."

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What makes Wendi's story even more interesting is that she actually got engaged during filming of season four, though Netflix decided not to include her story on the show. Wendi and 29-year-old Cleveland native Jimmy Forde got engaged in the pods, but split after roughly three months together, according to Netflix's Tudum website.

It was after their split that she and Paul tried dating.

As for why Love Is Blind doesn't follow every couple that gets engaged on the show, creator Chris Coelen told People, "I think really what it comes down to is how people get there in the first place. We're looking to tell the most genuine, most authentic stories that we can and that's really the criteria by which we judge what stories we're going to follow, and the stories we're going to then tell on the program."

Paul also revealed that he got in touch with Amber Wilder—whose strong bond with Paul played out for the season four cameras—once they were outside of the pods. 

"We had a cordial moment of a no hard feelings kind of thing and an acknowledgment of the connection that we had that was real," Paul explained. "But we didn't date or anything like that."

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Ultimately, Paul is thankful for his experience on the show—and the tools that it's equipped him with as he moves ahead.

"It clarified for me exactly what I'm looking for and what I can tolerate and what is vital in a relationship and what cannot exist in a relationship," he noted. "You need admiration. You cannot have any degree of contempt. For me personally, I need somebody that I see my best self reflected in them and I want to be that for them."

Love Is Blind season four is available to stream on Netflix.

For a status check on all of the season four couples, keep scrolling.

Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown

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!

Jackie Bonds and Marshall Glaze

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." 

Micah Lussier and Paul Peden

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.

Kwame Appiah and Chelsea Griffin

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.

Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi

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.

Irina Solomonova

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."

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