Imitation might be the most sincere form of flattery, but that's not what happened on Love Is Blind.
After Zanab Jaffrey turned down fiancé Cole Barnett in the Love Is Blind season three finale, saying he "singlehandedly shattered my self-confidence," she earned comparisons to Deepti Vempati, who rebuked Shake Chatterjee with a similar message in Love Is Blind season two.
Deepti has heard the rumblings of fans who claim Zanab was simply looking to follow in Deepti's footsteps for the sake of a positive edit—but that's not exactly how she sees it.
"There have been a lot of comparisons," Deepti exclusively told E! News at the 2022 API Excellence Celebration. "I think our situations are so different. Cole and Shake are different people. There's a side of Cole that's a little bit immature. He's young, but hopefully he can see himself and it seems like he's growing and learning from it, honestly."
Zanab previously clarified that their weddings were filmed about a week apart, so she hadn't seen Deepti's powerful speech on Netflix before delivering her own.
Since season three aired, Deepti said she has actually been in touch with Zanab, but she's giving her some space after the explosive season three reunion, saying, "I just want to give her some time to get through all of the things that she's getting through without us bombarding her with messages."
As for her own love life, Deepti said she has been "dating a little bit," but is mostly "focusing on Deepti and it's been amazing."
She was previously dating co-star Kyle Abrams, as they confirmed during Love Is Blind's After the Altar episodes, but announced their split on Sept. 19.
"I understand many of you are curious as to where Deepti and I stand today," Kyle wrote on Instagram. "Since After the Altar was filmed, we had decided to go our separate ways in early summer."
Through her very public trials and tribulations, Deepti remains firm in what she's looking for in a partner.
"Somebody who's not a narcissist," she said. "I'm looking for somebody with self-awareness and high emotional intelligence. My favorite quote ever is, ‘Spoil me with loyalty. I can finance myself.' And really, I'm living by that."
All three seasons of Love Is Blind are available to stream on Netflix.