Love Is Blind Season 5 cast member Lydia Velez-Gonzalez has been called "too much" — but she doesn't agree. "I think I am who I am," she said on the Netflix reality dating series. "I'm a big personality and I love hard. I love to laugh, I love to joke, I love to dance, I'm loud. I'm from Puerto Rico, so it comes with the territory."
After turning 30, the now 32-year-old geologist knew she was "emotionally mature enough to get married" and knew the type of partner she was looking for. While her ideal partner is someone who's "tall, dark, handsome," has a "big personality" and shares her thoughts on commitment, Lydia's Netflix bio also comes with a warning: She has zero patience for men she can't communicate with, Because the key to her heart is "transparency and emotional maturity."
In the pod, Lydia bonds with James "Milton" Johnson and Izzy Zapata. But the first big twist of the season came when it was revealed in episode three that she was dating fellow actor Uche Okoroha - who at the time was is set to propose to her Love Is Blind best friend Aaliyah Cosby — months before filming begins. However, by the end of the first batch of episodes, she was engaged to Milton, and the trailer suggests they'll at least make it to the altar, although whether they actually get married remains to be seen.
Here's everything else to know about Lydia as you watch their journey unfold.
Lydia's job
According to her LinkedIn information, Lydia earned a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez in 2014, followed by a master's degree in environmental management from the University of Maryland Global Campus in December 2019. Shortly after moving from Virginia to Houston, Texas, she began working as a geology project manager at Arcadis, a sustainable design, engineering, and consulting firm. After wrapping filming on Love Is Blind , Lydia announced in August 2023 that she had "started a new position" as a project geologist for Houston-based environmental consulting and management firm Roux. "Excited for what's to come!" she wrote on LinkedIn.
Lydia's Instagram
In her Instagram bio, Lydia describes herself as a lover of poetry, and judging from her photos taken in places like the UK, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Miami, Orlando, and Chicago, she also seems to enjoy traveling. Since wrapping up filming the Netflix series in May 2022, Lydia has only posted personal photos, most of which are accompanied by various inspirational quotes and lyrics. Most recently, these have included messages such as "Things can only get better from here" on September 13 and "Life is too short to be nothing but yourself" in August.
Beyond that, the reality star, who goes by her middle name Arlene on social media, hasn't given many clues about her current relationship status, or, for that matter, whether she and Milton are still together. As of now, the two have not followed each other on Instagram, but this may be to avoid Love Is Blind Season 5 spoilers.
