‘The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On’ Season Finale: Brace Yourself for ‘Ultimatum Day’ (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Season 1, Episodes 1-9.]
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On‘s final two episodes debuted Wednesday, April 13 on Netflix. In The Ultimatum Episode 9 finale, “Ultimatum Day,” it was time to face the music. The original couples met to either get engaged or break up. And forget what you thought would happen after Episode 8 — because The Ultimatum Season 1 finale is full of unexpected surprises.
Those who’ve seen the first eight episodes (released April 6) know that three of the original couples didn’t make it to “Ultimatum Day.” Alexis and Hunter got engaged in Episode 3, as did Lauren and Nate (much to everyone else’s chagrin), prompting them to leave the show before the trial marriages began. Alexis later returned for her bachelorette party, but Lauren notably did not. (We have a feeling the reason for that will be revealed in The Ultimatum reunion special hosted by Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey, currently streaming on Netflix).
On the other side of the coin, Rae and Zay’s relationship ended in Episode 8. Rae shockingly hit Zay off-camera after he returned from being out all night long with his phone and location turned off. He went out after another painful conversation they had the night prior, and Rae was angry that he ignored her while out all night. After another conversation where Rae could barely express her feelings (she was literally silent in response to Zay’s pleas to open up), they called it quits, leaving Rae available to leave with Jake if he and April broke up.
Shanique and Randall, April and Jake, and Madlyn and Colby were the only OG couples left when Ultimatum Day arrived. Here, we break down everything that happened in The Ultimatum Season 1 Episode 9, sorted by the order in which the couples answered their ultimatums. Try not to scream when you find out what some couples decide.
Shanique and Randall
Netflix
Shanique delivered the ultimatum to Randall at the beginning of the series. Randall felt a connection with Madlyn and enjoyed their time together. Still, he still seemed mostly committed to Shanique, but was no longer willing to accept the things that upset him. The same went for Shanique. She was shocked and hurt to see Randall connect with Madlyn (and Madlyn’s incessant bragging about their time together surely didn’t help), but realized she needed to curb her habit of completely ignoring Randall after hearing something she didn’t like.
Of all the people who issued ultimatums to their partners, Shanique seemed like the only one who learned how counterproductive they can be. When the couples reunited in Episode 6, “The Changeover,” Shanique said she realized the error of her ways and would accept whatever happened next.
“This whole thing, honestly, I can just laugh at myself,” she said in Episode 6. “I’m the one who brought him here, he is obviously having a good time, and maybe this is exactly what our relationship needed. Whatever that means.”
the time has finally come. Did your favorite pairing make it to the Altar? Find out TOMORROW!💍 #TheUltimatum pic.twitter.com/0EbCK1hswu
— The Ultimatum (@TheUltimatum) April 12, 2022
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” she continued, “but I brought this on myself. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more at peace about the possibility of whatever happens, happens as much as I do right now.”
The Episode 9 make-or-break moment was filled with tears from both of them. They talked about their experience on the show and what they learned, and at first it seemed like a breakup was forthcoming. But then, they started expressing their love, and even more tears flowed.
“I wanted you to be my wife since the day I laid eyes on you, and I just didn’t know how to show it,” Randall says. “This experience has taught me that, ’cause I was just scared that I was going to lose you.” Without further ado, Randall got down on one knee and proposed. She said yes, and this was all before the episode’s title card even played! Talk about an opening scene.
“Coming here, I thought this was probably going to be the most stupid thing I’ve done in my life. I didn’t think it would do anything but cause more drama and issues in our relationship,” Randall said after proposing. “Going through it, I was seeing the effect that it was having on me, and I think it’s something you didn’t know or appreciate at the time because it wasn’t with you or around you. And then, moving in with you and having our weeks together, I gained an appreciation for Shanique’s words and the challenges she gave me throughout this experience. It just translated into showing that love and affection for you in more ways than I could have thought.”
April and Jake… and Rae
All season long, Jake said April dragged him onto the show and that he didn’t want to be there. Color them both surprised when Jake discovered his strong connection with Rae. Through lots of tense conversations, a possible pregnancy, and April accusing Jake of cheating during the second trial marriage, the connection these two shared seemed to be hanging on by a thread.
Their many fights didn’t lead to much resolution. And it became increasingly clear there was an irrevocable shift between them. Come Ultimatum Day, Jake breaks up with April. And April seems to know it was coming.
Netflix
“I just want you to know that I do love you, and I do appreciate you for everything. Every time I look at you, the past two years just flash through my brain,” she says, later adding, “Our relationship has been beautiful. You’ve been my best friend. You have taken care of me, you have put me first. I do hope that walking out of here you do communicate how you’re feeling and truly listen to your heart and what Jake wants, and do what you want.”
“It put us through a lot. My whole life just changed in two months,” Jake says. “This whole experience is coming to an end, and I don’t know, it’s crazy. I don’t want the last three weeks to ever happen again. We still do have those feelings and the love for each other. I do love and I do care about you.”
“That’s all that I wanted to f***ing hear the last three weeks,” April says. “I just wanted to hear those words from your mouth every day. And then, having to see that you’re giving this attention to somebody else that we just met in this experience did make it cut just that much more deep.”
Jake assures April that he and Rae aren’t “running off together,” and that he tried to push “every little bit” of him to get to the point of wanting to propose to April in the end. But he wasn’t ready. They share a tearful break up, and then Jake meets with Rae.
Netflix
After telling April he’s not “running off” with Rae, Jake tells Rae he wants to be with her and takes two plane tickets to anywhere in the world out of his pocket, so they can whisk off on an adventure together. So, technically they were flying off, not running. Rae agrees to the trip, and they leave the show hand-in-hand.
As for Zay, he leaves the show on his own. And while heartbroken, he feels the experience helped him grow and that he’s better off now than he was before.
Madlyn and Colby
Where to even begin. From Episode 1, Madlyn seemed to truly dislike Colby. It was the definition of someone’s partner giving them the ick but for some reason, not thinking that’s a valid reason to break things off. Madlyn loved her time with Randall and expressed that to everyone any chance she got.
Meanwhile, Colby — who issued their ultimatum — lived with April as friends for three weeks, save for one makeout session their last night together. Episode 6 revealed that Colby spent the entire experiment connecting with a woman he met at a club while filming. They texted, FaceTimed, and called constantly, and Colby shared all the details about his self-described “open relationship” with Madlyn and the show with this person.
“Watching The Ultimatum” mood board pic.twitter.com/unAgzxhw8N
— Netflix (@netflix) April 8, 2022
When Madlyn confronted him asking about the kiss Zay mentioned at Guys Night Out, Colby didn’t share any of this information. Madlyn discovered it for herself by going through his text and call history.
One night, while out with Madlyn’s friends, Colby displayed some serious gaslighting to deflect any blame for his own actions. Her friends were in complete shock over what they were hearing and later encouraged Madlyn to leave him. Another fight ended with this exchange:
“You deserve a lot more than me. I’m not worth it,” Colby says, as Madlyn replies, “OK, you’re not worth it, but it’s still my fault that everything happened?” And what does Colby say back? “Yes.” Reader, I screamed at my screen.
Madlyn later spoke with her mother, whose advice didn’t help her make a decision. And she eventually got to a point where she said she would have no self-respect if she stayed with Colby due to his inability to accept responsibility for his actions.
Cut to Ultimatum Day, and the truly unexpected occurs. After Madlyn says she literally would not respect herself anymore if she stayed with Colby, she says yes when he proposes. And then, because he wants to lock things down before she can come to her senses, Colby asks Madlyn to marry him immediately. They get married on the spot, and I want to yeet myself directly into the sun.
Well, y’all. We made it. For better or for worse, The Ultimatum Season 1 has come to a close. Be sure to tune in to TV Insider’s recap of The Ultimatum Episode 10 reunion special, which I’m honestly scared to watch.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
