‘The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On’ Season 1: Which Couples Are Still Together? (PHOTOS)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Season 1 Episodes 1-10.]
The name of The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On‘s game was chaos. The first eight episodes of the latest series from the Love Is Blind creators dropped Wednesday, April 6 on Netflix, with the finale and reunion special dropping April 13. And if you can believe it, it’s even wilder rise than its sibling series.
Also hosted by Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey, six people issued a relationship ultimatum to their partners: they either get married or move on from each other for good. To figure out their answer, the six couples broke up and started dating the other newly single participants.
The singles reluctantly dove into the dating pool head first to see if there were, indeed, other fish in this extremely small sea. And at the end of the week, they chose a new person to be their trial spouse for three weeks. After living with that new partner, the couples switched back to their original partners, giving them the chance at a trial marriage.
At the end of it all, the OG pairs had to either get engaged or say goodbye. And you can bet that no one left this show without enduring (or causing…) their fair share of emotional turmoil.
The brave couples were Shanique and Randall, Lauren and Nate, Madlyn and Colby, Rae and Zay, April and Jake, and Alexis and Hunter. Here, check out which of the original couples were still together by the end of the season. And be sure to check out TV Insider’s other recaps of The Ultimatum Season 1.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Episodes 1-10, Streaming Now, Netflix
Alexis and Hunter
Alexis issued Hunter the ultimatum after dating for two years. Hunter wanted to move in together before getting engaged, as he was ready to get married but wasn’t sure if Alexis was the one. Alexis didn’t want to live together unless they were engaged.
During the dating week, Alexis had a difficult time connecting with the other men. The only one she was interested in was Colby, but those feelings weren’t reciprocated. Hunter showed signs of interest in April, and April chose Hunter as her first choice for the trial marriage.
But everything changed during the choice ceremony. Alexis declared her love for Hunter, saying she couldn’t imagine doing the trial marriage with anyone. In a lovely turn of events, Hunter said the dating week was enough for him to make his decision, and he proposed to Alexis on the spot. She said yes!
Alexis returned later in the season for her bachelorette party. And in the reunion special, they were still engaged and planning their wedding, set for this June.
Lauren and Nate
Lauren and Nate were together for two and a half years before Nate issued their ultimatum. They were at an impasse about having kids. Nate wanted them, but Lauren didn’t.
Her hesitance was rooted in the fact that Nate worked so much, she feared she’d end up taking care of the children largely by herself. She wanted more equity on that front that she wasn’t sure Nate could provide, but Colby could.
When Colby chose Lauren in the choice ceremony and none of the women chose Nate, Nate said screw it to fixing their relationship problems and proposed to Lauren, who surprisingly said yes.
The proposal came off as very disingenuous to the other participants, and everyone called them out for it. Nevertheless, they left the show engaged.
Notably, Lauren didn’t return for Alexis’ bachelorette party or to have her own later in the season.
They returned in the reunion still engaged. After going to couples therapy, they’ve agreed to have one child “for now,” but aren’t starting to expand their family just yet.
Shanique and Randall
Shanique and Randall were dating for nearly two years when Shanique issued their ultimatum. Randall’s hesitancy to get engaged was rooted in financial concerns, but Shanique wasn’t buying it.
Randall ended up connecting with Madlyn during the dating process more than he and his OG partner expected. He and Madlyn chose each other for the trial marriage, and Shanique and Zay chose each other.
Shanique was much more resistant to letting herself connect with Zay while living together, but Randall and Madlyn didn’t have that issue. After learning more about their bond in Episode 4, Shanique asked to meet with Randall, and the evening led to a difficult fight.
Shanique admitted she wanted Randall to “sit in a corner” and miss her while he was living with Madlyn rather than take an honest part in the experiment. Randall said that was “the dumbest thing” he’d heard all day, and Shanique went home without giving him anymore of her attention.
When it came time to move in together for the second trial marriage, Shanique admitted she never expected Randall to catch feelings for somebody else, but that the trial marriage experience made her more accepting of the possibility of whatever happens, happens than ever before. Randall learned he needed to be more expressive and proactive about his feelings with Shanique and that he could be more affectionate.
By the end of Episode 8, Shanique and Randall were still together. And in Episode 9, they got engaged! But at the reunion, Shanique wasn’t wearing her engagement ring.
Fret not: they’re still together. But they did break up for six months after the show before getting back together. They’re happier than ever now, although not engaged, and are taking things slow as they continue to learn and grow as a couple.
Jake and April
Jake and April were dating for two years before April gave their ultimatum. Because of her feelings for Jake and her struggles with infertility, April was in a rush to get married and start a family while she was still young.
Prior to the show, according to April, she and Jake acted like a married couple already. Jake bought her her “mommy car,” they actively tried having a baby, and more.
Jake had just gotten out of the military and wanted to explore the world more before settling down. He was also concerned about his and April’s relationship issues. But neither of them expected to find someone else they wanted to marry on the show. They both went into it thinking the relationship would strengthen thanks to the time apart.
Plot twist! Jake ended up deeply connecting with Rae, making him realize there were people out there who could give him things April couldn’t just by nature of their different personalities. April lived with Colby for the trial marriage, but her feelings for Jake never faltered.
Jake and April fought immediately after moving in together. Multiple issues made Jake lose his trust in April, and the time apart made him realize just how little his emotional needs were being met with her.
Jake and April were still together by the end of Episode 8, but Jake’s feelings for Rae were still very strong.
Ultimately, Jake and April broke up in the Episode 9 finale. After their split, Jake chose to leave with Rae, offering her two plane tickets to anywhere in the world.
The reunion revealed Jake and Rae didn’t stay together after leaving the show. In fact, Jake and April continued living together for four months out of habit.
But April is now in a serious relationship with a partner she lives with who’s older and eager to get married and have kids. Jake is still single and friends with Rae.
Zay and Rae
Zay and Rae had been dating for two and a half years when Rae issued the ultimatum. What she was clearly feeling but couldn’t express was that she wanted Zay to prove she could trust him by making the commitment to get married.
Zay knew he wanted to marry Rae. That wasn’t an issue. What was holding him back was Rae’s inability to express her feelings and be vulnerable. Whenever he asked her to explain how she felt, her sentences were short and unrevealing. Zay wanted details, and Rae was too afraid to be vulnerable because she was scared of getting hurt. This was surprising, given that Zay was very expressive about his feelings for Rae. In fact, he was surprised she issued an ultimatum at all.
One of their issues was that Zay (a club promoter with lots of social media attention) had never posted about Rae on social media their entire relationship. This made Rae feel insecure about their bond. And it was one thing she and Jake connected over, as April was a social media influencer who had apprehensions about making their relationship public online as well.
Zay connected with Shanique, but was still committed to Rae like Shanique was with Randall. Rae and Jake, however, were seriously considering leaving together. Rae and Zay’s fights after moving in together resulted in them breaking up in Episode 8, leaving her available to explore with Jake, which she did choose to do in Episode 9.
Rae revealed in the reunion that she and Jake decided not to go on the trip, fearing it would be “insensitive” to their exes and everyone else on the show. They remain friends.
Zay and Rae actually got back together briefly after the show, but ultimately broke up again. Zay is now single, and Rae is now dating a woman and exploring her bisexuality more. She said she was more fearful to explore those feelings in her life before the show, but she’s learned the benefits of opening up more.
Colby and Madlyn
Madlyn and Colby had been dating for one and a half years when Colby issued the ultimatum. They were also one of the few couples who lived together before going on the show.
Madlyn wasn’t sold on being with one person for the rest of your life. Colby was eager to lock Madlyn down. And if there was ever a perfect example of a couple who shouldn’t be together because their personality quirks drive each other crazy, this is it.
Madlyn loved her time with Randall and seriously considered leaving with him at the end of the show. Colby lived with April, but it was more of a friendship vibe (outside of one kiss their last night together).
Halfway through the season, Colby’s true colors came through. During a boys night out, Colby said Zay made a woman kiss him at the club one night, which Zay vehemently denied. Based on what they said, it was clear Colby simply made out with a woman and then orchestrated a narrative that would blame anyone but him for it. This was Colby’s defining personality trait for the rest of the season.
Madlyn confronted Colby about the kiss when they moved back in together, and he said it was just a one-time thing. Turns out, it very much wasn’t! Colby’s phone history revealed he was in constant contact with the woman from the club the entire time he was living with April. They texted, talked on the phone and over FaceTime, and Colby — the one who gave their ultimatum — said he and Madlyn were in an open relationship. He also vented about the entire show and Madlyn to this woman. April was none the wiser.
This reveal led to a huge fight between Colby and Madlyn, where he blamed Madlyn for everything, saying she “forced” him to act this way. Yeah… OK. That’s totally what happened. He later told Madlyn that she deserves better than him, but that all of their relationship issues were still her fault entirely. Yes, it’s as infuriating as it sounds.
When out with Madlyn and her friends, Madlyn brought the issue up again, and Colby gaslighted her throughout the whole conversation. Her friends were in complete disbelief of the delusion they were witnessing and later told Madlyn she was being “brainwashed” by Colby’s dishonesty.
Eventually, Madlyn said she couldn’t be with someone who couldn’t accept responsibility for their actions and that she’d have no self-respect if she married him. Yes, girl! Dump him!
But alas, they were still together by the end of Episode 8. And in Episode 9, in the truly most shocking moment of the season, Colby proposed, Madlyn said yes, and they got married on the spot.
The reunion revealed Madlyn is pregnant with her and Colby’s first child, a baby girl.
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