The Love Is Blind Season 5 reunion may not have been live, but the drama was delivered right on time. 

So, what did we learn when the pod squad got back together for the first time? Well, Izzy has no problem kissing and telling, as he admits to smooching both his ex-fiancé Stacy and ex-pod flame Johnie post-filming. JP (and his American flag socks) doesn’t give Taylor the closure she’s been looking for, and she leaves with even more questions about their makeup-fueled breakup. Lydia and Aaliyah, meanwhile, finally come face-to-face to address their unprecedented love triangle with Uche, who chose not to attend the reunion. And, while Lydia is in the hot seat over how she joined the experiment, Milton readily comes to his wife’s defense — and, of course, drops some 24-year-old wisdom in the process. And then there’s Chris, who shocks just about everybody, including co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey, by coming clean about cheating on Johnie.

But the story isn’t over just because the cameras stopped rolling — this season’s cast has much more to say. Hear from the happy couple and the singles below to find out what life looks after the reunion, who’s moved on to new romances, and how Love Is Blind changed the way they think about relationships for the better. 

Lydia and Milton have “each other’s back.”

Over a year later, the couple that said I do this season is stronger than ever. “Marriage has been great. It’s so nice to have that person, that best friend who is going to be there for you,” Lydia tells Tudum. “We have each other’s back and that is something that you cannot put a price on.” That, of course, came in handy during the reunion, as both had to answer to the rest of the cast about the twists and turns of their journey. Milton and Lydia stand by how they responded during particularly “intense” moments: “We handled it with grace and maturity and we tried to put our point across without hurting or speaking ill of anybody,” Lydia says.

Now they are focused on their future and building a life together as husband and wife. The first step? Navigating career changes, as both have landed new jobs since the wedding. Milton has stepped into a managerial role at a new company, which provides a better work life balance (and pays for his graduate school education). “He started school this week and he asks me, ‘Babe, do you think this is right or not?’ He knows, yes, my wife is smart and she can help me, which makes me feel fulfilled because I can be useful.” Lydia, meanwhile, is also making career moves in a new job where she can flex her social skills. “I’m a social person, so having that human interaction is key on my motivation aspect and career development,” she says. 

But what hasn’t changed is the rock-solid foundation of their relationship now that it’s been tested time and time again. “[Milton] loves me purely for who I am, as I love him,” Lydia says. “The other day I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is a lot,’ and he told me, ‘Don’t worry, at the end of the day we got each other.’ ” To learn more about Lydia’s Love Is Blind experience, check out our candid interview with her here. 

Izzy is “dating with the intent to get married.”

Since we last saw him, Izzy has been working on himself (and his credit score) — and he’s making progress on both fronts. While his Love Is Blind journey didn’t end in marriage, he feels the experiment was transformational nonetheless. “I don’t want to give up on love,” he tells Tudum. “A lot of people might be jaded from the experience and not want to get married, but I’ve learned that I go into everything 100% and give my full effort, and that’s something I never want to change about myself.” That doesn’t mean, however, he’s walking away from the experiment without regrets, particularly when it comes to his heated conversation with Johnie at the barbecue. “I was just disgusted with my behavior and how I delivered that message,” he says, adding that he’s becoming a lot more aware of how to express his emotions. 

Now, Izzy is all about “being present” and starting the next chapter of his life with a new woman by side — yes, the same one who accompanied him on the unexpected double date with Stacy. “[That moment] was when I realized the quality I need in a girl is someone who’s just cool and calm,” he says about his now girlfriend, who’s helped him navigate the intense social media attention. “If it wasn’t for her, I would probably be a wreck right now,” he says. “[This experience] definitely made us a lot stronger and I’m very appreciative of her.” As for Stacy, the exes have managed to navigate life post-altar as friends (besides that kiss, of course) and speak to each other almost every day. “We are just a really good support system for each other,” Izzy says.

And Stacy at least would be happy to know that Izzy has made major career moves. Since the show, he’s returned to his former job in business sales with a “huge salary increase.” But, at the end of the day, his priority is maximizing what truly makes him happy in life, starting with travel and quality time with his new love. “I definitely am dating with the intent to get married,” he says. “That’s where I’m looking to go with this girl. It’s still kind of new, but we’re on the same page and that’s the end goal.” And, to set the record straight, she has yet to pay for a single meal on their dates. 

Less than six months later, Izzy is back on the market — and hitting the beach for Perfect Match Season 2. Ultimately, he wasn’t exactly successful at making connections in the villa, including some noble attempts at flirting with Love Is Blind Season 4 star Micah. But Izzy’s been much more successful back at home. “I’ve been dating a girl this entire time,” he tells Tudum in the official Perfect Match Season 2 status update. “It’s getting very serious, so I’ve just been very present with her. She went through the ride with me after Love Is Blind, and it’s really just been progressing. We’ll probably get engaged at the end of the year.”

Stacy wants a Love Is Blind “support group.”

“Falling in love and getting married” are still on the top of Stacy’s to-do list, but for now she’s staying quiet about her current relationship status. Given the specificity of the Love Is Blind experience, however, Stacy says dating at times “felt almost impossible” over the last year. “There’s been people who want to know more about the experiment, and you don’t really know what their intentions are; and then there’s the people who are terrified and want nothing to do it,” she says. But that hasn’t deterred Stacy from seeking a soulmate, as the experiment only clarified her desires. “I’ve never been more sure of what I want as far as a partner in marriage, and that freaks some people out because it’s very direct.”

And while she at least left the experiment as a single woman, learning to speak her mind is the ultimate takeaway. “When you get used to opening up quickly [in the pods], it definitely makes you more comfortable doing it outside in a normal relationship,” she says, adding that her connection to her own father has become stronger as a result. “That was always where my struggle with communication and emotional openness came from, and through the experiment our relationship grew so much.”

But when it comes to communication, she still struggles with a certain pod squad member. As the final batch of episodes aired, Stacy says she felt “completely misunderstood,” particularly by viewers who weighed in on her conflict with Johnie. “She’s just been straight mean, running my name through the mud and talking poorly about me while I’m sitting there,” Stacy says. “So it’s frustrating to see the comments and getting harassment about me bullying her or being a mean girl when it’s the complete opposite.”

With the experiment and all the drama in the rearview, Stacy is looking forward to keeping it simple. “I’m just trying to keep my feet on the ground and my eyes off the internet,” she says. For the meantime, she’s also pressed pause on work. And, for those asking, she only drops into the Pilates studio from time to time, but has a full-time job working for her father’s oil and gas company. But now, she’s focused on her new “side hustle,” a professional styling and closet organization company. “So for all those people that say I live on my dad’s payroll, they can go suck it,” she says. When everything does start to settle down, she’d love to connect with fellow Love Is Blind-ers from past seasons: “Once you go through it, especially when it airs, it is a lot, so I feel like I should start a support group.”

Believe it or not, JP is starting to “open up.”

Once JP left Mexico, life went back to normal — that is, until his co-workers at the firehouse caught wind of his time on Love Is Blind. “They put it on and were making fun of me and having a little laugh,” he tells Tudum. While he didn’t tell his fellow firefighters about joining the experiment, he was fully transparent about the experience with the new woman in his life. Yes, JP has been dating someone for almost a year now and he let her know early on about his Love Is Blind journey.

Luckily, she reacted positively and the two have been together ever since. “She’s just super sweet and really understanding. She likes dogs and football. She’s really down-to-earth,” he says. “We just have fun. We can just giggle and laugh at each other, and it’s a really good time.” As for his takeaways from the experiment, JP says he’s “evolved a little bit” when it comes to his perspective on marriage. “I found that I was actually ready to settle down and go through marriage and all that stuff,” he says. “I’m more open to the whole communication thing because of it.” And his new relationship is all the better for it. “Being able to open up, it’s a little easier,” he adds. “I trust her, so it’s easy to open up to her. She gives right back to me and we just help each other out.”

Taylor is healing after “real heartbreak.”

Picking up the pieces of her relationship with JP wasn’t easy, but now that there’s been some distance, Taylor is confident that it was the right decision for both of them. “I knew it was best to leave, but part of me wanted to stay and try to see it through,” she tells Tudum. “I was heartbroken and it took me months to get back to my normal self. I remember feeling just like a zombie.” In the immediate aftermath of the breakup, Taylor moved back home with her parents to start the healing process. “I was like, I cannot be alone right now, so I’m coming back.” But with the love and support of family and friends, she slowly “got back to [her] old self.” Now, she’s returned to the classroom and is teaching first grade and readjusting to life after the experiment. 

While Taylor still has “care in [her] heart” for JP, she’s intent on not going backwards when it comes to love. The elementary school teacher is currently dating a new guy, who’s “also introverted, but he can hold the conversation.” The main difference between this new guy and her ex? “He talks to me,” Taylor adds. “He is so open and vulnerable with me and just the sweetest person ever. I thought this about JP — he was an angel in the pods — but I haven’t had this type of relationship in a really long time.” And, for the record, she has no intention of switching up her makeup routine anytime soon — despite what JP or anyone else might think. 

Johnie is in love with a “kind” NASA engineer.

Not long after the infamous pod squad barbecue, Johnie and Chris officially went their separate ways once she discovered he’d been unfaithful. For the next few months, the Houston-based lawyer took some time to “focus on [herself] and heal” before jumping back on the dating apps. But life after Love Is Blind, Izzy, and now Chris has never been sweeter, as Johnie is now with the man of her dreams. “I’m in the healthiest relationship of my life with a kind, funny, and thoughtful NASA engineer,” she tells Tudum. As for what went down with Chris, Johnie says the “trust was broken” irrevocably. Despite all the drama, the two have managed to remain on amicable terms. “I forgive Chris and hold no ill feelings toward him. I know we both went through a lot during this experiment,” she says. 

With so many ups and downs over the course of her Love Is Blind journey, the only thing Johnie regrets is “letting other people make me question my worth.” Now, her self-confidence is unshakeable. “I know myself, and I know I’m a good person,” she adds. She’s also walking away from the experiment with an entirely new outlook on love. “I no longer confuse anxiety for passion and security for boredom,” she says, sharing that now she knows to “choose a safe, secure relationship over an inconsistent one.” As for what’s next, she’s really looking forward to a future together with her new boyfriend. “I cherish the peace and trust my partner and I have fostered in our relationship.”

Chris is “very happy” with a new woman.

While Chris felt “guilty and heartbroken” about falling for someone else before breaking things off with Johnie, he’s still with that woman today. “We currently live together and have been very happy,” he tells Tudum about the new relationship. “We both bonded over our love for animals and have dedicated two of the rooms in our house for fostering dogs and cats.” Ultimately, Chris says his relationship with Johnie didn’t work out because he “couldn't get over the feeling of being the second pick.” Plus, it didn’t exactly help hearing Izzy talk about how she “was in love with someone else” during the barbecue. “I thought asking for space from the relationship would help, but it did not.”

As for experiment itself, Chris has few regrets, but wishes he’d taken a beat before jumping into a relationship with Johnie again. “I probably should have taken more time for myself, rather than chasing what I had lost once before,” he says. But he’ll be forever grateful for how his ideas have evolved about love, which he knows is “so much more than just a physical connection.” What he prioritizes in life now is the ability to “have deep conversations as well as make each other laugh” — and that’s something he says he’s found in his new relationship.

Aaliyah is “at peace” after all the drama.

Aaliyah might not have locked down a soulmate on Love Is Blind, but she found her happy ending anyway. “I’m in a beautiful, loving relationship now with somebody who treats me like a queen and I feel that day in and day out,” she reveals at the reunion. “I think that things happened the way they were supposed to for me, and have led me to an amazing man now.” The two met while traveling solo on an R&B cruise and immediately hit it off.  “He was very chivalrous and he’s been consistent with that,” Aaliyah adds. “I’m really in a great place and at peace.”

She did give her connection with Uche a chance once they left the pods, but the two, she says, “ended for many reasons.” From Aaliyah’s POV, the Uche she fell for in the experiment wasn’t the man she encountered in the real word. “His tone with me was so very mean and condescending,” she adds, sharing that she also doesn’t believe that she’s the “type of woman he normally found attractive.” But no matter what he or others might think, Aaliyah isn’t letting anyone chip away at her self-worth. “I know my worth as a woman,” she says. “I know I’m a beautiful woman and I’m proud of who I am and how I carry myself.”