There are spoilers for Love Is Blind Season 5, Episodes 1-4 . Unlike other dating shows that bring together contestants from across the country, Love Is Blind has always had a uniquely local model: bringing together singles from a specific city or metropolitan area. In theory, this makes it easier for newlyweds to settle into the practical realities of living together — but it also means some singles have had opportunities to mingle before.
Love Is Blind managed to avoid that risk in its first four seasons. But in season five, which premiered on September 22, it was revealed that contestants Lydia Velez Gonzalez and Uche Okoroha dated before the show began. On the first day of the experiment, Lydia responded with a panicked "F*ck!" when she heard Uche introduce himself in the pod opposite. It took Uche a while to recognize Lydia's voice, but a moment later it dawned on him.
Lydia wonders if this is a sign that they should restore everything and "start from scratch," but Uche refuses, saying: "It ruins the experiment... I think empirically it's not true. Because we Already know what each other looks like.”
As Uche explained to his new Pod contact Aaliyah Cosby, he dated Lydia for several months at his home in Houston. "I just didn't feel like we were a good match. So I ended things," he said. "It hurts me because she deserves someone who has complete confidence in her. I really hope she finds that."
Uche also told Aaliyah that Lydia blocked him on Instagram, indicating that it was a difficult breakup. "I think if she opened social media and saw my pictures, those memories would probably be too much for her," he said.
As of this writing, Lydia and Uche have not yet followed each other. Neither of their Instagram pages seem to reveal much about their time together, but in February 2022 (after Lydia and Uche were last seen together in January and before filming began), she posted a selfie with the caption Don’t be too “I am”, I am just the right amount of me. As Lydia told Aaliyah, she believes that when they started dating, Uche "felt like he had to take on too much." Of course, it's unclear if the article is actually about the breakup, but like Hashtags like #loveyourselfmore and #walkawayfrombadvibes seem to make sense for a post-breakup, love-is-blind mentality.
Back in the Love Is Blind lounge, Aaliyah and Lydia admit it's a strange situation - and Aaliyah expresses concern, specifically, that if Lydia stays in her life, she'll have to "be careful ". Lydia also keeps sharing what she knows about Uche's life, but Aaliyah doesn't appreciate it. “I really don’t want to know too much,” the ICU travel nurse said.
Aaliyah also told Uche that she felt uncomfortable with him spending time with Lydia recently, just months before the pod emerged. They seemed to be able to beat the odds — until, of course, the final moments of episode four, when Love Is Blind producers had to tell Uche that Aaliyah had left the experiment.
