Marissa
Appearances
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
I am Marissa. A lot of us would either walk downtown from our neighborhoods and then, you know, work and like grab a ride with one person or two people or whoever, like kind of cram in the car. Nora was always the one who drove, because she lived in a different part of Olympia. So she always drove downtown versus, I guess, like walking to downtown to work.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
And she would take us home most of the time. We like valued that too, because it's like that time to decompress. Ich lebte auf Rogers Street, auf der westlichen Seite von Olympia. And our other coworker lived, I think it was Foot Street. And it was like not even two blocks down south of Rogers Street.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
And so we would like go up to the west side of Olympia, like drop one person off and like just scoot around. And it was when I could walk to this person's house in five minutes. We're really, really, really close. And we would just kind of scoot around. And we've done that a bunch of times.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
In the neighborhoods in Olympia, everything is like a grid usually. And some streets have alleys in between them. That alley and most of them in that neighborhood, it's even more open than the neighborhood because it's like everybody's chain link fence and backyard and it's open.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
And like maybe there's a tree and maybe there's somebody's rose bush and there's like a little shed or a garage lining that alleyway. für die Häuser dort, aber ja, wir können es normalerweise umdrehen und das nehmen. Es ist keine sehr lange Straße überhaupt. Es ist einfach nur ein kurzer Durchbruch. Ein voller Moment klingt verrückt.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Ein voller Moment des Fahrens in diese Allee, oder sogar, wenn wir umgekehrt sind und zurück in die Straße gegangen sind, ein voller Moment klingt wie viel zu viel Zeit, bevor man an der intersektiven Straße kommt und, weißt du, ein Recht und ein anderes Recht macht.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
She turned and we were in dark... Es war so furchtbar. Es war einfach so furchtbar. Es fühlte sich wie...
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Wir waren einfach sauber. Und es fühlte sich so an, als ob es für immer war. Es war unverzweifelt und hübsch, aber wir haben nichts getroffen. Wir haben nichts übernommen. Es gab nichts, um uns auszulösen oder uns auszulösen, wo wir waren. Unter uns war die Sensation, als ob wir auf völlig unabhängigem Boden waren. Wie ein Schlauch in einem Auto auf unabhängigem Boden.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
No, there isn't, which is why it was so crazy. Nor I drove a lot. She drove a little boxy Scion, very low to the ground. Did she tell you this? I don't know if she did, but she drove a navy blue, older, little boxy Scion. Stick shift. Really low to the ground. But it got darker. Es gab Dinge, die sich gegen die Seiten der Sight-View-Mirror befanden. Und es war so unabhängig und so schmutzig.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Es war einfach schwarz und wir konnten nur einen Weg gehen und das war es. Und es fühlte sich so lange aufzuhalten. Das Fahrzeug nach der Allee sollte nicht mehr als 45 Sekunden dauern. It felt like forever. It felt like it was happening forever. Whether it was because we were scared, I don't know. But it wasn't the kind of forever where we could understand and be like, why is this taking so long?
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Because we were not asking each other questions when this was happening. We both just had this sensation afterward. We realized we both had this sensation of like, Wann wird das stoppen? Vor allem, weil es keine klare Richtung gab, wo wir gehen wollten. Wir konnten nicht sehen, was passiert ist. Aber es fühlte sich so an, als ob wir aus Olympia rausgekommen wären.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Wir waren nicht irgendwo am Westen, auch nicht in der gleichen Stadt. Es fühlte sich wie eine Eternität an.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
All of a sudden we were just kind of on the road where we were supposed to be. We were just out, like that was it. I just kind of remember hitting more things with the side view mirrors and then like being out. And then being like, what was that? Like, what was that?
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Wir waren in Unglaublichkeit. Wir dachten uns, was war das? Und wir haben darüber geredet. Ich glaube, wir haben einem unserer Mitarbeiter gesagt, haha, ihr seid okay. Das klingt gut. Und das ist, was passiert, wenn du eine solche Geschichte erzählst. Besonders, weil es keine... We didn't have like an encounter with anything. It was just like we were supposed to be one place.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
We immediately were in a completely different, what felt like a different world. It felt like forever. But when we got back to where we were supposed to be, it had only been a minute or two. You know, it had only been like, I didn't get home super late. It wasn't like, oh, now it's five o'clock in the morning. Like, where were we? It was kind of exactly where we were supposed to be.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
have gone back i think nora has too i have gone back in that neighborhood since then and i've driven mike home too because like we've gone home together and i've been like well maybe if i turn down here or like maybe if i'm here like maybe it was like you know maybe i was like in someone's backyard like were we in someone's but it wasn't it's because it's not enough people who have lived in that area or like in a neighborhood like it like there's no way that it could have been like that so i've gone back several times and have tried to find
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Wir haben beide das auf unserer eigenen Zeit und in unseren eigenen Autos oder was auch immer an verschiedenen Zeiten besucht haben. Wir konnten es nicht herausfinden. I've never heard anyone else tell a story like that and I choose not to share it with everybody.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
I've been with my partner for a couple of years and I told him for the first time when Nora told me that she was doing this podcast and he just was kind of like, all right, okay, wow. He pulled out his extra special map app and was on his phone and trying to see and I was like, I've done this. I've done this before. I've revisited this. I've tried to check everything.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
So, yeah, he was kind of like, well, this is here. And I'm like, yes, but we would have hit trees and rolled if we ended up somehow ended up beyond a guardrail. And I don't think we would have just driven out. What I perceived was that we were where we were supposed to be and it just turned into something different. That's how it felt like. That's like what my.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
But we have been trying to tell ourselves that we must have just turned somewhere else. Aber sie ist dort geboren und ich lebe dort und es gibt nirgendwo zu gehen.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Ich habe meinen liebsten Freund, der auch da ist. Sie weiß, wir haben uns. Wenn ich alleine wäre, wäre ich wirklich, wäre ich eigentlich verrückt? Ist da etwas falsch? Ich denke, ich würde Angst haben, dass etwas mit mir falsch ist. Aber ich bin glücklich, dass ich jemanden mit mir gehabt habe, als das passiert ist. Es macht mich so ungewöhnlich zu denken. Und ich werde Nora im April besuchen.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Also ja, in zwei Wochen werde ich sie besuchen. Ich habe sie noch nie gesehen. Ja, ich habe sie noch nie gesehen in ein paar Monaten. Und ich würde gerne, dass wir... um wieder zusammen zu versuchen. Ich glaube, es ist nur richtig, dass wir das wieder versuchen. Und ich bin sicher, dass das gleiche passiert, wie es mir passiert ist.
Otherworld
Episode 110: Never Ending Road
Als ich zurückging, dachte ich mir, es gibt wirklich nirgendwo, wo ich gehen kann, ohne auf diese Schutzstraße zu treten oder in dieser Person's Backyard zu sein. Es macht einfach keinen Sinn.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
Hi, thank you for taking my call. My husband and I are working on baby step number two and realized that we might be paying some stupid tax. We started at $133,000 in debt about six months ago and have paid off $16,000 already. However, my husband and I disagree about what we should do with our lease vehicle. Our original plan was to finish paying off our lease and then purchase it outright.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
That would be $42,000 in total. My husband thinks it's a good idea to get rid of the car by selling it back to the dealership and paying the difference of about $9,000. Doing this would help us get out of debt eight months sooner, but I'm worried it would leave us in a vulnerable state because we would only have my husband's old truck, which needs about $5,000 in work and has 440,000 miles.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
So my question is, should we get rid of the leased car to get out of debt sooner?
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
Yes. So the forty two will be altogether. It'll be twenty six thousand after the lease period.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
So we reached out to the dealership. Originally, we tried to try one of the lease swap options. We've had the car for just a year, but we've already used $2,000 worth of miles because we planned on purchasing it. The dealership did offer us $28,000 to basically get the car back. And again, we would have to pay the $9,000. We do have 9,000 saved. So we're kind of stuck there.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
My husband also works from home and he has a work vehicle as well in the event that he needs to travel or go anywhere.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
Yes, ma'am. And my point of view of it was like, you know, why would we get rid of the car? You know, we're already on plan to get out of debt in two years. The car is already factored into that. But my husband is like, oh, well, Dave would say get out of the car because you're going to, you know, save $42,000. And my kind of question.
The Ramsey Show
There’s Always a Way out of a Financial Spiral
So it's. It's $160,000 yearly. I don't work. I'm a stay-at-home mom. I have three boys. Just had a set of twins a year ago. They're 18 months. So it's only his income. He makes, again, $160,000 yearly, and after tax, it's about $9,500 monthly. You know...
WSJ What’s News
Boycotting Target, Part 2: Is Its Business Paying a Price?
I have the boycott. You have?
WSJ What’s News
Boycotting Target, Part 2: Is Its Business Paying a Price?
Honestly, like, If I get it at the bodega, it's going to cost three times the price. And I mean, I can't afford that. So it is Target. Yeah. Target's got the stuff. Fair enough. So the price is more important than like the other stuff going on with the company. I mean, I'm not going to say it's more important, but my financial well-being is most important to me.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I'm sorry, I never even recognized that you were carrying— The whole race. Yeah, you were like, you are the block couple. And I guess I never even thought about that. Because to me, I don't look at you and that person and go— The one black girl. Whatever she does, that's us. That's like my space. I feel like that's kind of how I've grown up in general.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And so I definitely wish I had a little bit more time to compose myself because once they started talking to me, it was like straight tears for me. And I didn't want to cry. I think it was just everything changed. I don't think y'all understand, like, the audience was silent. Like, it was just silent, and you were just pouring your heart out. Like, my heart was breaking, like, watching that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The one black girl in everything that I've done. It's just the spaces that I occupy, the things that I end up doing. And for it to show up on the show like that was actually bizarre too. Because there were so many black women, so many black men. It's Charlotte. It's Charlotte. And it just, it's still Charlotte. So I could see why a lot of the girls in my pods were like, no, no.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Can we just talk about the black men in general? On reality TV shows in general, dating, the sigh, the audible sighs.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, because, you know, I really had a lot of, I was being DeLulu, too. I was hopeful. I was very hopeful that, no, they're kind of fine. Like, a really good bunch. No, they didn't. And not saying that it was their fault. I think just the men that went for the show.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I want to sit in on a casting call. Like, I just want to be in the back. And I want to hear what these men are saying that's allowing them to sneak through that crack. Because that wasn't even, like, a good example of, like, the DMV men. Really? I wouldn't think so. If you look at the black men in our community, being vulnerable is not necessarily like, that's still such a stigma and such a thing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So it's like the people, the black men that are applying to these shows are going to kind of be towards a specific archetype in a sense. Versus like women, I think we're a bit more diverse in our personalities and careers and things. But like black men are still overcoming this stigma of always having to be vulnerable and be strong and all these, or sorry.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Always having to be strong and not being vulnerable. So maybe that's why we don't see, like, you know.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But everybody also has a security clearance in D.C., so they also probably didn't want to lose their job. I'm crying.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
There are a lot of people without security. I don't know. I mean, it's a hard thing to go on shows, but I think it's too much of a vulnerable thing. Well, there's this, like—
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't know this kind of like rhetoric all over the line it's like whenever a new season comes out it's like black women stop going on Love is Blind stop going on Love is Blind and then there was a whole montage we were all in it we were all featured this one girl you saw it I saw it just like black girl after black girl after black girl being embarrassed embarrassed I'm just like why you gotta put me in it were we
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
How did I get in a home? Were we embarrassed? Like, we just went through, you went through a breakup. Real life shit just on TV. Exactly. I wasn't embarrassed. Like, I went through a breakup. Well, I was embarrassed. I'm not going to hold you. Oh, okay.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Were you embarrassed? Yes. Am I the only one not embarrassed? You don't have to be. I mean, I wasn't embarrassed because I just felt like I was just, like, it's not my fault the man broke up with me. Like, it's not my fault I had such big emotions about it. I never felt, like, I've never looked at either anyone on the show and said they should be embarrassed of themselves.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, it's more or less, I think, coming from these men are embarrassing black women. That's it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And they're not protecting. Yeah, and they're not protecting us and they're not... But we're going, bending over backwards, protecting them.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Protecting them. I think that was like the storyline where I'm just like, you know what, sis, you're right.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Hashtag stop protecting. That was my mainstay. Should we start a trend? Hashtag stop protecting black men?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, no, no. The protecting. You're over the protecting. Yes.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm not saying I'm done protecting, but I'm done protecting where it's sacrificing me because it got to the point where I was self-sacrificing. You definitely were. To make sure he was...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
looking good and his ego was stroked and he just got everything that he wanted but for me I'm like oh I can handle it but in the end it backfired tremendously yeah oh I don't protect any black men I don't think so probably why I've had single I don't think I do and that's okay I don't stroke you guys I don't protect them all right noted Marissa does not protect black men you don't protect alpha
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, it was not fun to watch. It was not fun to, like, be sitting there. I think knowing that everyone in that room had also seen the breakup scene, you feel very self-conscious, and I just felt just very exposed in that moment. Yeah. Yeah. Do you guys still talk at all? No. What's the update with that? We do not talk. We should... No. No. Have you... We do not talk. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I protect those who I love. Okay. I protect those who I respect and those who, you know, respect me and show up in my life in a correct manner.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Wait, get into it. She's not protecting Tim anymore. Okay. Wait. Hold on, hold on, hold on. I'm going to mind my business because I get yelled at every time I don't mind my business. You don't get yelled at. Is there something we don't know about Tim? I just feel like this is a great segue because we're talking about protecting black men.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And, you know, we go on this show and everyone knows about Alexandra who covered this man's mouth. You know, nobody knows really the true full story. I was at the reunion again and I'm sitting there. Mind you, I don't know you two ladies at all, but I'm sitting. We were in close, pretty close proximity. Yeah. And the tyrant that he went on was just... So long. So long.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And, like, during that speech, we just kept locking eyes. And I just kept feeling, like, in my soul, I was like, she is biting her tongue. Like, I just kept feeling like, what is she not saying? And I wanted to be like, bitch, speak. Bitch, talk. Like, this is the time. But we kept looking at each other, and I'm just like...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And you were like, and I was like, okay, like that unspoken, there's more look. Do you feel like, because time has passed, you've done a few interviews, you've kind of, you know, was able to say your piece on the reunion. Do you feel like you want to tell us what actually happened that night? Because there's still so much confusion. Like, did you, what, what, what happened?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, well. What I will say is words matter, and I think I chose the wrong words that turned into people were saying some of the most horrible things, unlike me saying cover your mouth as in she mushed him, she punched him, she pushed, like, no.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And that's one of the things that I wanted to make very clear on the reunion was, like, I'd never gotten into any physical contact with him, which is what he agreed on, too. Mm-hmm. But I can't say the same was with him. And that was the whole issue that we had. So the whole thing was when we got in the room, he was, of course, very upset that I wasn't speaking to him.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Now, I could have probably communicated better on that. I just want to be alone right now. But my issue wasn't with him. And he's like very... like I would say just like drunk from, you know, being out and whatnot. We had been out for a really long time. And I just feel like he wasn't fully aware of his, just his actions, his emotions, just how his demeanor was towards me.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And he is bigger than me. So being put in like us in the bathroom talking and whatnot. And I'm just like, Babe, just calm down. And it's like, this is literally... Because he's like yelling at you. Literally yelling at me. And I'm just like, I need you to calm down because literally production's outside. And I don't want them to come in here with cameras. That's protection. Okay. First time.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And instead, like me doing like that, pushing my arms down and just being like, no, you're going to listen to me. And I'm just like, I don't want it to get to the point where it's going to be a physical altercation. It went so left. And he was saying things that we were all like, what is happening? Like, it was like he was spitting out trauma. That he had.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like military and all that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah. He was like, you know what I've been through. And I'm like, I don't actually. It was like, it took us all by surprise. All because you didn't want to talk to him? It was, I don't know what it was. And it was like scary, not saying that I was scared of him. Yeah. But scary to see that emotion come out. And I don't recognize him. Right.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, I mean, I will always have love for Ramses, but... What's done is done. Yeah. Yeah, what's done is done. Why are you making that face? It's done. I'm glad it's done.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But at the same time, just like he had said at the reunion, I hate that this was our story. I didn't want this to be our story. And we also didn't know if we were going to get married or not at that point. But if we were, I didn't want this to be something that we'd look back on and be like, oh, but we did have that horrible fight or whatever.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And so I remember I was talking to my production team and I was just like, I'll just take the blame for it all. I'll take the blame because I know he's not going to be able to handle it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But when they had left, they left us. We like, you know, said our good nights or whatever. We calmed down. Everybody's like, okay, we're good. He had gotten upset again because I had told production it's getting physical to get them to come in. So he took that as you're telling them I put my hands on you. I'm like, I'm not saying that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm saying that it's getting intense and I need someone else to calm me down because I can't do it. I don't have the capacity to do it. And so because of that, he then throws a temper tantrum and it accelerates and accelerates to the point where, you know, call him out his name. and then he leaves. But at that point, I'm just like, yes, I shouldn't have done that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
At the same time, there was a lot of things that had happened to escalate to that point. We don't get to pick and choose which parts of a fight or an argument are unfair, and the whole thing probably shouldn't have happened. So we don't get to pick and choose, like, you shouldn't have covered my mouth, and you shouldn't have called me out on my name.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, there's some things that I can pick and choose that you shouldn't have done. When you're battling, everything is... You know, like nothing is safe. No one is safe. And I think the fact that those are the two things that we know of that argument is that you covered his mouth and called him out of his name.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But that was, again, like everyone's like, oh, she she said this. So that's why he got upset. It was over an hour of like. arguing and literally me just sitting there and he's arguing with himself at this point.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And it's not like he's just like having a car. It's like yelling at you, like being belligerent.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It was like we had a balcony in our room and there was like a daybed and he would be like, I don't like that you said that. I'm sleeping on the daybed. And he goes outside and then five minutes later, but we can't go to bed angry. You said you don't ever want to go to bed angry. I'm like, okay, let's talk about it. Okay, well then speak. Okay, well now I feel belittled.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, I think everyone... I feel like we all went through that breakup with her.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And so it's just like a back and forth support. I'm like, I can't actually, I don't know what to do at this point. And now... So he ended up leaving. That night. Yeah. Just that night. Right. And then came back. And that's where we saw...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, I agree. No, they really did. Like, after behind the scenes, like, just after the show, after we got done filming, the... I was exhibiting. I was just all over the place.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But the thing is that was very frustrating is what I felt with our breakup is that he was holding on to that that entire time and waiting for his moment to embarrass me. But we had talked about it so many times. Talked about the fight or breaking up? The fight.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And where can we... make sure that we're good. Is there anything you want to clarify? Is there anything that you want to talk about? The very next night, we were good. We, like, overly talked about it to the point where I was like, okay, we had our first fight, couple's fight. Right. This is literally my first night being with him. So we're figuring out what buttons push, whatnot. But I think...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Even though I was protecting him and he was so adamant like, oh, we got to protect black people and black women and black men. When I was getting dragged on social media, she put her hands on him. She pushed him as long as she keeps her hands. Even my job was saying, so did you actually? People were starting to question my character.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And people that know me are like, you've never gotten a physical fight in your life. You're not a... a fighter or anything like that. So this doesn't even seem like you. And not once did he clarify online because he was ranting online, but not once did he rant and say, hey, she didn't do that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Does he recall the story the way you just told it the same way? He should. Like, would he ever be like, yeah, actually, I did like swap her hand out of the way.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He knows what happened. Yeah. He knows exactly what happened.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You can see the mark on the camera.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You can see it in the scene.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And she had called it out when we were watching it. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I was like, I called her and I'm like, I see the mark for when, you know, I obviously know about this, you know, what happened and where he, you know, pushes her hands out the way you could see it in the scene. And so it's like. I'm like, why aren't you saying anything? Like, say something.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And my thing is also, yes, we did this show. And stuff like that can ruin people's lives. And I would never want to ruin his life. Well, you wouldn't have ruined it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And the girls were seeing that and having experience. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Correct. Off of something that... happened in a moment where he was inebriated. So I know.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So they were like, but what I think a lot of people, maybe people have caught on to that, but that was literally your first breakup, like a heartbreak. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, do you regret taking the fall for all of that? Or do you think that it should have been dispersed evenly? Do you think he, like, how do you feel about it?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I just would have never said covered your mouth. I would have never said that because that turned into something else.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I would have just said exactly what happened. But to be fair, I think if I would have told the story of what it was, we wouldn't have left Mexico together. I think our relationship would have ended right then and there.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I still actually even believe if she had told the story based off the public's reception of us. I don't think she would have been as embraced as she should have. I mean, Monica was cheated on. And they still call her, you know, make her the issue out of that. So I think about that with, you know, the men kind of getting off the hook in this situation.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's like that was her story to tell when she was ready to tell because at the end of the day, women aren't always believed. And then even if they are black women— Might be believed, but might not be even listened to, to be believed.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
There's just no room for error for us. Yeah. No room. Like I said, no grace is given, nothing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
What's up? Can I just say we look like the Powerpuff Girls?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So you did kind of mention that, like, you stayed quiet post-reunion while he's posting, posting, posting. And, girl, I can relate. Like, I was a house mouse. I was quiet. I said nothing. I think we dated the same person.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You know what?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Aren't they both Virgos? Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't know what that means.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, on that level, yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But why was it important for you to stay silent? And did you think that him posting all that kind of helped unravel his true identity?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, I think he revealed that... what was really going on himself. He kind of told on himself with the spiraling out. The spiral. That's exactly what I called it. I was just like this. He was losing it. He was posting our text messages. He was posting screenshots of my face on saying this is what a liar looks like. He was adding me and things.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I feel like a lot of us might have already gone through that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I just had to block him on everything because it was becoming harassment. But I just let him do that because I said, okay, well... You're letting everybody see who you really are because you can't, like, contain yourself. Me over here just making funny TikToks. Literally TikToks about taking naps. What else can I do? I mean, it happened. And the thing is, it happened a year ago.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That was your first heartbreak. So I've had heartbreaks, but I've never had anyone break up with me that I truly loved and wanted to be with. So Ramses would have been the first. The other serious relationships I've been in, they were needing to end, and I ended them. So this was the first time. kind of, wow, someone doesn't want to be with me because of me type of situation.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I wasn't angry anymore. All I wanted was what made me upset was reliving it and him not having my back. Not supporting you. Right. As much as even at the end of the breakup, he's like, I don't have any hate for her. I don't have any hate for her. And he would tell our friends like from the show. Oh, I don't have any hate for Alex. Couldn't tell on that reunion stage.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He would speak so highly of me to friends like, oh, you know, I think Alex is a great person. But then on the reunion, it's like, you're still so upset. But the only reason why I was upset is just I'm getting dragged for doing something I didn't do.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And that was genuinely the first time y'all spoke.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I wasn't going to reach out. But I know he had asked a few castmates if he should reach out. But my response is he shouldn't have to ask you guys if he should reach out. It should be on him.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Right. So you cleared, you know, the air with the whole situation, which I appreciate it. And I think everybody will appreciate that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
A little more clarity.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Have you talked to Tim at all?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Oh, no. He's literally blocked on everything. Okay. No. No. Lovely. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The bare minimum. He didn't even have to support you. All he had to do was be honest.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And that's honestly all I wanted. Because even, for example, you and Ramses, you guys, even though you guys had a horrible breakup, he was able to take accountability and apologize and just acknowledge what happened. Yeah. Even as hard as it was, I was gaslit on that stage with a podcast bro mentality. Y'all want, y'all women want. And it's like, who is y'all? Yeah, that was a lot.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
y'all want a man this? Yo, and that came out of his mouth. Who is y'all?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Who are you talking to?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So it just, it felt like a performance.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It felt like... Very calculated. So looking back in the protection that you gave that man, how do you, one, feel about that? And what are you going to do moving forward in relationships?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I learned my lesson when it comes to protecting someone that I feel doesn't fully respect me. Um... Yeah, it got to the point where I remember Ashley had even said, like, your light is gone. I was dimming my light for his to make him feel comfortable. And I feel like at any moment. If there's a point where I'm in a relationship where I'm not myself, I'm uncomfortable, I'm just not doing it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I just don't have the patience or, yeah, I'm just not doing it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And maybe for once it's not up to us to protect them. Maybe it's up to them to stop putting themselves in positions where they need to constantly be protected and knowing that we are the backbone of the way this world even rotates. And it's just like maybe stop putting that pressure on us. Maybe stop being like, you know what, she's a good one and I know she's going to have my back.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Maybe stop doing that. What is the stigma that we have to go through so much pain to find like... Jump through hoops. To find actual love.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Literally jump through hoops. We have to put up with... Yeah. You have to get dragged before you're worthy of being loved.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Oh, okay, he cheated. Oh, okay, he did this. Oh, he might not have a job. Just be a support system. It's like, why do I have to go through that? Don't want to. Don't want to.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Hashtag. Don't say it. That is not the hashtag. What is the hashtag you're about to say? The hashtag, stop protecting. Oh. That is not the hashtag. Those men. So, that's not the hashtag. She's like, please do not have this hashtag associated to me.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like, AD said stop. No, I didn't say stop.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think it's just be more mindful. Because I think when you are in
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
like a non-healthy relationship black white or any other thing there's a level of protecting that we want to do but like there are healthy relationships that deserve you know men deserve to be protected and black men in particular like the the term like protect black men and protect black women doesn't really derive from relationships and we all know that there's a bigger bigger bigger meaning as to why we say protect black men and black women and we bring that
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And just like she was blindsided, so were we.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
sentence into our relationships where it's like, maybe black men protect me. How about that? Yeah. Because when we're outside, I'm protecting you. I'm having your back. I'm your blind spots. And that's what you offer me. But when we're in the relationship, protect the relationship. Protect us. Protect what we have. Like, don't make me look crazy. Don't make me look stupid. Don't embarrass me.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, I think we all were. All of us. But you know what's something that I feel like we can relate, and I think all three of us, but, like, mainly us, I got kind of labeled a, like, red flag chaser and, like, how come I didn't see the red flags? Like, everyone could see it. Like, why is she so blind? Like... One, did you see the red flags? Do you think you ignored the red flags?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I think because we are so strong and resilient, we're just forced into the role of protecting. Where it's just like, I don't want to do that. I don't want to protect my relationship. I don't want to battle you every day. I don't want to battle for what we have for the public to deem us as okay. Don't want to do that. Exhausting.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Speaking of relationships, were you like seeing someone at the end of the reunion? No.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, men. We're just here. Yeah. I feel like I don't know what is your type. I don't know what my type is either anymore. We know what your type is not. Correct. If you had to say like right now, like what would like your ideal man be like?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Someone who is... Okay, I'll say this. I think what I went for was someone that was very like... I felt secure, but more like a security guard, like protected in that way. But that kind of turned into controlling.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So now I go for someone that's a little bit more comforting and just compassionate and just understanding. Someone who's softer with me. I'm just a girl.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm just a girl. I'm just a girl. Do you feel like you went on Love is Blind, both of you, like with your same dating past history and kind of went towards the person that you would have dated on the outside and now outside of the pods you're looking for someone different? I went for somebody different.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I went for somebody who was really choosing me and ignored all the red flags. I went for the same guy.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The same guy. Like, the blueprints. Like, I took it in with me and was like, ooh, you gotta be, you have to have 12 red flags or it's a no. Like, I literally went in for the same thing. And I thought I was doing something different. Like, you know, I was in that little love triangle with Matthew. So that was different. And he was so nice and sweet.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But I just, I feel like I failed myself by going in there thinking that I wanted something different and then falling for the same thing that I always fell for.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, I felt like when I chose to be with Tim, I was like, I feel like I have to do this. Not in a way where I'm forced, but it was more so like, he's choosing me. Don't turn this down. Yeah, like the man that's picking you. Exactly. Like, don't miss out on an opportunity of a good man trying to, you know, choose you when in actuality, that's not what it was.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That is scary. That's so scary. Because behind that wall, you don't get to see mannerisms. You don't get to see how dead someone's eyes are when they're talking to you. You don't see any of that. You're just going off vibes and whatever the fuck we went through. Having a good time. Just having a good time. Oz was such a good time. I missed the pause.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The pause were fun though.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The pause were lit. They were lit. So Alex, what's next for you? What do you have going on? What are we up to?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, I started my own clothing brand called Lexara that's coming out in September. Staying sane, figuring out what works best for me. I think the reality TV world definitely made me have tougher skin and definitely gave me a different perspective on You know, what I want out of life. And yeah. Would you do another dating show? I've considered it. I said no, no, no. Like so many times.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And were the people right? I do not think I ignored red flags. I think that what everyone saw were really big conversations that needed to be had. But they weren't fatal to our relationships as much as everyone wants them to be. They didn't see the culmination of the conversations and how we came to a compromise or came to an agreement.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But now I'm like, why not?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Do it. You know what you're getting yourself into now better than ever. Yeah. If you weren't in a relationship with you. Yeah. Period. I would love Island Bay Beach. I'm going to go have some fun. Too hot to handle. Oh, you want to turn up.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's like not a marriage show.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You're trying to have fun.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
We're not putting the heart on the line again like that for the public. No, I would go and have a good time. And I would probably fall in love.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
My DeLulu self. Because we're Love is Blind coded like in our core. We're just lover girls. Yeah. Honestly, I feel like you can go through Love is Blind. You can go through any show.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Are we all caught up on Love is Blind season eight?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like give me your 10 second hot take. Ooh, 10 second hot take. I have favorites and I have those I just don't think about. And so I have Meg is one of my favorites. I think she's very, I liked the way that she came across. She was very authentic to herself. I really liked Sarah. I thought that she also stayed true to her morals and values and stood strong. Honestly, I love all the women actually.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
With some exceptions.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
exceptions but sarah stayed true to her morals and values but she did i think she's no she didn't me and him talked about this i think she has we keep going back and forth on this i'm like she's trying to be understanding and she's in love and she's trying to understand she's gonna tell that man no we all know she's gonna tell him no all ben has to do is say oh it's not true okay
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like, it's like, what?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She did her research with the church. He told them that they didn't believe in that queer, the anti-queer stuff. She did her research and watched the sermons.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And still went down the aisle.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
We coordinated, but we got the memo. Y'all look stunning. I love it. Stunning, stunning, stunning. I haven't seen you since Reunion. Yeah, since the Reunion. And I saw you a few months ago in Charlotte, turning up. Yeah. We had a night. I love Charlotte now. Now I have to come to D.C. Yes. Oh, yeah, you do. Yeah. Yeah. And you guys have to show me. Show you a good time.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And still put on that wedding dress. What do we do when we're, like, you know, you try to understand. You try to get people's eyes off the doubt. We do, like, crazy shit when we're in love, for sure. But when it goes against your values, your morals, your family, your ideals of life. Like, how adamant she was. I don't even know what color those flags are. Did he say he was against it?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, I'm not a Ben fan, but I'm just saying. I think in the pods, he was very, um. I didn't love his answers in the pods. That's what I'm saying, in the middle. So obviously we didn't hear the conversation of him clarifying that I do accept equality. I didn't like the way he was like, I have friends that are like that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That are like them. That are that. That are them. It's like somebody saying I'm not racist because I have a black friend. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I just think it's fair I don't think he I felt that she is staying open-minded like he's staying open-minded and giving him the opportunity to grow and learn because we could automatically shut someone out for having the worst opinion about something or maybe being closed-minded about something but to me I felt like I didn't really like his responses but I felt that he was could get there and it's not her responsibility to get him there but I think it was just taking her time I feel
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
like he's right where he want to be okay he's right where he needs to be he's grown and he knows what's happening in the world around him this is marissa what are you talking about this is when marissa gets a little too green and naive to certain things and i have to it's not that i just think that he knows his room to grow and i'm not he didn't sit there and say i am against these you know he even said if he had a queer child there was no he never said anything negative about that
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Imagine the cameras in your face. How would you feel if you had an LGBT? But we've seen people go on TV and say.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So I don't think I ignored red flags, but I definitely recognized in myself that I... accept people fully for who they are, which is okay. I do that, too. I do that, too. Too much.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, but I think he's just saying that to save face.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So you guys are just, you think he's just completely proud. He's a grown ass man and he knows exactly where he stands on everything.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So what exactly bothered you guys? Everything that he said.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Everything that he is.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So what did he say? And she also was like, I'm not compromising on this, but she compromised.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, she's not going to marry him. Compromising.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She is trying to work through it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Even to let it get that far for me was a lot. I felt that his answers were not close-minded and just to the point like I'm anti for her to be like, okay, I think her gut was telling her something's a little bit off, but I think it's fair for her to explore it. Yeah. And she's doing her research. She's not just listening to his work. I think it went too far. I think it went too far as well.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think she explored it for too far. I think it went too far.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think you guys need to be nicer.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It was plenty of times of... too many things kept coming up like out of respect for her like she is so strong and powerful and beautiful and like she knows exactly who she is and then she gets with a guy who doesn't know one right from left, up from down, what's happening in his own city. He doesn't know. No, that is true. What are we talking about?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And it's like, do you not know what's happening? Or are you choosing not to talk about it? No, that's true. So I'm not quite sure. As a grown man, stand on something and stand on it boldly. Don't sit there and be like, I don't talk about that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I was like, eh. But I'm hoping she'll learn. She'll watch this back and she'll reflect and she'll never... I mean, maybe she'll do it again. But, like, the great thing about the show is you have time to reflect and realize, like, she's too accommodating.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I will literally give people a clean slate, every single person. And I kind of, in the past, would lose the lessons that I learned. And I would be like, this is a completely different person. I'm giving them a clean slate. But when I would wipe the slate, it would wipe away every lesson I ever learned, anything that I ever thought. I was just like, this is a new person. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, hopefully people will hold him accountable and he'll... I feel like she saw...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
ability for growth there I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt of why she went so far yeah and again there's conversations that they had that she said that he was able to clear up and make her feel a level of comfort that we don't know so good for her she didn't like roll over is what I'm saying no but at the same time she also she got in a bid literally every night she backed down she didn't she didn't put pressure on him
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, that part.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You don't think so? No.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm looking at this from the lens of we don't get to see the full conversation. Think back to their conversations.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That's what I'm thinking about when I watch this. However, when they are talking, though, from what we are seeing, she is very much like, okay, like, this is a problem, but it lets him explain, and it's like, okay. And just, like, sweeps it under the rug.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Okay, for now, let me process. Maybe we'll talk more about it off camera. Maybe we'll bring this up later. Yeah, that's a possibility. But that's not what we see. What we're seeing, so... Well, I like Sarah. We love Sarah. No, I know we all love Sarah, but I'm just saying, like, I like the way that she approaches. And then the other thing is I really like... Taylor, and Daniel.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Can we just talk about how she's a Pisces and he's a Taurus and then Taylor and Garrett from our season are a Pisces and a Taurus. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So is that the magic?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't know what it is. I just thought about it. Sorry, I'm all in the astrology game.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And they both have families that are similar with strong marriages from both their families. It was very similar. They're both weirdly into Christmas. Yeah. Yeah. I like them. Well, I mean, like, they both brought Christmas things.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like, it was so cute. Wait, how did y'all think about the fact that she thought he saw her before that he knew who she was and, like, going through the Instagram?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I wanted to go on his Instagram, see if there was an actual photo of him sitting by the Christmas tree with a glass in his hand.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think it wasn't him.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah. I don't know. Do you think it was him?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
What was that about? That was very strange.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She looked at the follower list.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, but it was very strange.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You know what? I really like Brittany.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Love Brittany. And I think that's who Devin should have ended up with.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No, I don't think Devin deserves her. Why? Well, there we have that. I love Brittany. I thought she was very powerful. I thought she was very strong, very beautiful, very, like, opinionated, very much living comfortably in her skin. She really stood for herself. And I don't think he handled her well, personally. I don't think he was horrible, but I love how she didn't like
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
the way that he responded and I love how she just said I want more for myself I just was like I was kicking my feet like Brittany and it also made me sad that like we're still in this realm of society where I was telling her this earlier just you know just your past relationship with a specific gender or contain something that I thought Devin and Brittany had a really good connection like it seems so it was so
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I got to bring the lessons with me. You got to bring the lessons forward. And so that's what I'm doing now. But definitely you can accept and love somebody. Doesn't mean you have to have them in your life and doesn't mean they're your person. But I'm delusional enough. I think I would have made it work. I am. I am a delusional. We love it. I accept it. You know, are you still delusional?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Because I heard one more basketball. Everything is basketball. Yeah. I was so over the basketball. God dang. Yeah, it was basketball.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The hoop dreams.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm sorry. But they let that one thing get in the way. Like, that's one. No, I could not deal with the hoop dreams anymore. No, not the hoop dreams, but the gender thing. Like, her being. Yes, yes. She's a coach and everything. He's a coach. And not that they had just let that go. They would have been great together, but.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's because of the stigmas. And it's like, if he had just let that go, he could have had a really good life with her. We don't know that, but I'm just saying, like, we get in our own way. Yeah. I'm going to get woo-woo on you guys, but I just feel like society really just gets in our own way in that sense.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, okay, if you really think about it, if you kind of fast forward to the last few episodes that we saw, he also has some strong political views that he was hesitant to talk about. And I feel like I haven't seen politics and... sexuality and, you know, as much as I've seen in these past few seasons, like it's become a thing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I feel like when I was kind of watching him in bed while she was, while Virginia was kind of talking about like abortion rights and stuff, he was kind of clammy. And so I feel like in that pod, he probably wanted to be like, not my thing. Don't accept it. Don't accept equality. Like, and I'm just, these are my words.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He never said that, but I just feel like the way he kind of clammed up and was like, While she's talking about it. I don't know. I feel like he also has some very strong views.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, I was saying to her earlier, I was like, well, notice how Virginia was saying, I think women should have rights to do what they want with their own bodies. But then he's like, I think a man should also have a say. And I'm like, we're not really talking about a relationship. We're talking about sex. people in office having rights over women's bodies. So I don't know.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think he was trying to dance around it and then say, oh, well, my family is conservative.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So I was just like, okay, just say... It's like this fear of being left out of the conversation, left out of like... It's like we're not talking about men's choices when we're talking about women's body choices. For some reason, this need for them to be in the conversation is just like... I think there's just a lack of awareness with him.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I think that plays a lot of the reason why he did not pick Brittany. Because on paper, before she said that, they were fine. And it's not like, oh, you're going to leave me for a woman. That wasn't the issue. It was, you dated a woman. Yes. That's the issue.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Which is fine. It's fine.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't think it's fine. But speak on it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't think it's fine. I'm sorry.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
You don't want to date someone that's fine. I just don't. I don't think it's. I mean, I know everyone has their own preference, but it's like. But that's what I'm trying to tell you. It's not a preference thing. He's standing firm in his political and religious beliefs. That's not the preference.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He's not, it's, he, I don't think he's for people that are. He doesn't see it as being okay. No, I know, I understand that. No, I got that. I don't think he's for the community for that. I think it was bigger than just her being with another woman. Oh, I see what you're saying.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah. Oh, I didn't get that. I mean, I didn't get that from that conversation with Brittany. I thought it was kind of what we saw with like Carlton and what's her, Carlton in the first season. Oh, in Diamond? Diamond, like kind of what we saw that, but just like the reverse. No, he was actually, oh, well, again.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Well, no, I mean, not the same reaction, but I'm saying as far as just, like, processing it. Yeah, he didn't do it there, and he'll probably never admit it. And these are also words that we're probably putting in his mouth.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Unfortunately, she'll tell you, but in the best way.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But what I gathered with the brain that God gave me, when he was in the bed talking to Virginia, he has some deeper rooted things that he was not going to say to that girl in the pods. And he probably spared her. And he's okay to have his, you know, religious and political views. And I think he spared her, but I think it slipped out. with Virginia. Lauren and Dave. Oh, I cannot stand it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I feel like she was just trying to state her case and he wasn't trying to hear it. And it's just like, for me, I'm only going to have that argument once or twice and we moving on or we moving on. I'm not going to keep reiterating that this is something that I did. This is way before you, none of your fucking business, to be honest.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And you're not going to keep dragging me and try to belittle me and take me off the pedestal that you put me on. You came in here not having sex. That's not... On me? Yeah. Allegedly. Allegedly. Because as we know with these love is blind, somebody's going to come out and be like, well, actually. Well, actually. I dropped him off at the airport. I dropped him off at the airport.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Just wait. Just wait. Right. Damn, Daniel. I just don't see the chemistry between them. Like, I know, to me, I see someone.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah. I just, I like to live my life positively. And like, I do like to believe everyone is a good person and coming. I'm the same way. I'm the same way. I literally just see the best in people. I'm like, Oh, you're not going to hurt me. Oh, why would you hurt me? I would never hurt you. So why would you do that? Exactly. I would never treat you that way. So why would you do that to me? Exactly.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But I think it's more complex than that. I think, like, you bring in his... I think he has, like, mother issues that he needs to work through and, like, his need to have this approval from his sister who is, like, I guess stepped in as his mother figure. And it's like he wants to be loved so bad. He wants to love someone. He doesn't know how to do it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And then he finds Lauren who's, like, a naturally nurturing person. Like, he talks about how she's so motherly. And it's like he's seeking that in her. But I'm like, what are you seeking in him, Lauren? Because I don't see... what it is about him that she likes. Like, I never really got it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And that's why I was like, I feel like she just really wanted to get married because I don't really see...
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm like, he's not being sweet. Like every time in Honduras when he would, everyone's talking about their couples, he kept talking about negative things with her, how she slept, how she did this. And again, that could be an edit or whatever, but it just felt like, you know, where is the connection here? Like I didn't feel that. There's not an ounce of humility in that man.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I think we saw a glimpse of it at the pod party, whatever it's called, when he was just like fucked up one. Was he? Yeah. His mouth was moving in slow motion. Two times speed. Two times speed. I thought he looked like a wounded, sad, trauma boy. Girl, that made him, like, drunk and full of regret. Full of regret. No, yeah, no, absolutely, yeah. I saw that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm like, he looked like a sad, kicked-down boy. I'm like, you need to go home and fix yourself. Wash your face and drink some water. Yeah. Did y'all feel bad for him in that moment? No. I feel bad for everyone on the show. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You guys, humans are complex, we're not one dimension. So it's hard for me to be like, this person's evil when I'm only seeing one dimension of them.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, definitely not calling him evil, but what you're not gonna do is play in Lauren's face, break her down, have her crying. That girl hadn't smiled since she left the damn pods. Every scene she's crying and he's breaking her, breaking her down. Literally. Making her question her character. It's like, she's allowed to hook up with somebody the night before the show should she choose.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That conversation should have been dead. Like, he should have done and dead. Dead and done. But the deed is done.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
They're broken up. And she's not going to take that man back. What are we talking about? This is a prime example of mass manipulation. Yeah. He's manipulating her. He's trying to... Kind of like narcissistic behavior.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He's trying to manipulate her. I don't think he is successful at doing it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't think it's working. No, it's not working.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And that's why I think I really like this cast of women because we are seeing them like, we're seeing some tactics on them, but I am seeing them process through it and work through it and make the right choice at the end. But at the same time being very people pleasing. That's their process.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
A lot of them are people-pleasing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Let them process.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Sarah was people-pleasing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Let her process. She's going to watch back.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Lauren was people-pleasing. Virginia was people-pleasing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think you're right. I think you're right. But I think that's their process of getting to where they're at. And at the end of the day, they made the right decision for themselves. Like, they're going to say no.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
who's gonna say no Sarah's gonna say no Lauren already walked away and when he came back to her at the all cast party she was very it seemed she was very like nah I think all of them are gonna say no except for Taylor and Daniel yeah so if you were on season 8 of Love is Blind which men from the season do you think you would have vibed with the most in the pods look at your face she's not even letting me get it out I'm vibing with everyone I'm just kidding none of them Daniel not one why
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Oh yeah. That's tough. I'm more cynical now, I think, just slightly, and I think I'm less, like, dreamy. Yeah. I miss that side of me sometimes, but I think it's for the best, to be honest. Yeah, it's giving me better discernment with people. Reality TV gave us reality check. Yeah, we had to catch. It really did. I don't know if I needed that, but here I am. So you did have, like, a lot of, like,
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He has a presence about him that's so very calming and stable. And he seems so very genuine. And I gravitate towards that. He's very sweet.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Just seems so sweet. And so I think I would have talked to Daniel. Probably talked to Joey. Yeah. Just for the fun of it. No. No, like think of, Joey's like Bowden. That's going to be, you just want to go have fun. And then you're going to be the Monica. Girl, bye. And then probably, that's it. Yeah, what about you? That's it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The face. I guess. My name twin, Alex, is probably the closest, maybe. Alex.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I liked him. I do like him a lot.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I liked his perspective on a lot of things. I do, too. He had some hard boundaries. He did. He's like, that's not going to work. His boundaries made sense, though. Yeah. And it wasn't like... He was not a people pleaser. He questioned everything.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That would have been a bad, bad, bad batch for me.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I'm not even going to hold you. That would have been a shit time. I would have made it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
No. Imagine if they stuck our cast... Into like, no. There would be... There'd be no engagements. Maybe one. Maybe. Yeah, no. They're very PG and I don't know. The whole thing is PG. The whole show is... Okay, fine. It was very G. Very G. Very white, too. Very white. Extremely white. Like, if we can talk about a majority black cast, we can talk about, my God, that's the show to watch.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But I feel like Minnesota's pretty diverse, no? Yeah. I couldn't tell you. All I know about is the Vikings. Even if it wasn't diverse, like their conversations and even just like the couples in general, I just feel like it was very superficial for the most part. Obviously, there were deep conversations, but they weren't really going there. They weren't. And I feel like Virginia was like trying.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She'd be like, is there anything else you want to talk about? Is there anything? And he's like, nope. I was waiting for her to drop something.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Girl, why are you trying to tell this man? But I just felt like overall, it was just kind of, White bread.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Just vanilla ice cream. Yeah. Just. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like even I think at one point Dave was like, yeah, we're just two regular people. And I'm like, we know. We know. We are here for it.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Very regular. We're here for it. We're watching y'all be normal as fuck. Y'all are very nice. They seem very kind. That's why I said people pleasing. Okay. So y'all, that was amazing. I just kind of want to just like recap a little bit.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Something that resonated with me the most was just how we were all able to relate as black women on one in reality TV and this space and this industry and being in relationships with black men and how... It's not, you know, everything that glitters isn't gold. And this whole black love stigma and people think black love equals perfect love. And that's not it at all.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Like love is hard and hurts for everyone. We all feel it. And I think being in a space where we can kind of dismantle that black love is regular love. It's just with two black people. And it's just like y'all argue, we argue, y'all fight, we fight.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I think being able to kind of show that on TV and then survive and find new love and be strong and be proud of who we are, I think that's something that resonated with me the most. I'm proud of y'all. You guys have been amazing. Thank you so much for joining me. This has been a wonderful, wonderful conversation. I love when we can get real and kiki. I love that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
huge conversations with Ramses.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
So thank you so much for bringing that lovely energy. And I also want to thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of What's the Reality. I love you guys. Be sure to join us every Wednesday. I'll have some really amazing guests and we can all laugh and kiki together. Follow me on socials at What's the Reality Pod and I'll see you next Wednesday. What's the reality? What's the reality?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Let's talk about somebody that's not overwhelmed by all that she is.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Your man, your man. My boyfriend. Your boyfriend. How's that? It's going well. How long have y'all been together? So we met in November, but we've been- Of last year. Yeah, last year. November 2023. Yes. And we started officially dating in April. Wait, you met in November 2023? Okay, yes. Run it back. Yes, okay. Me and Ramses break up in the beginning of November 2023.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I meet my boyfriend at a bar and I am not interested in him.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
literally it was weeks later and I'm we call it tequila Thursday night I am like really drunk and I actually happened to be coming back from Ramses' house crying upset you know just going through breakup woes Uber drivers yelling at me to stop crying over some boy I get to the bar that we were at Barcelona in DC and my boyfriend is with knows some mutual friends with my friends and he goes oh my god who is that girl and I was just like ugh
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I don't want him. I want Rancis. Oh my God. I ended up talking to him all night and we had a really good time and it was the first time I just kind of felt like at peace for a minute. So we went on a few dates over the course of a couple months and at one point I was like, I can't. I was very transparent where I was at. He knew where I was at.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She'll show you a good time. I'll tag along. I'm like, yeah, I'm new to DC. I know. What did you tell me that you're like the ambassador for nightlife? Not the ambassador, but I definitely know my way around. Yeah, okay, bet. She knows her way around. Okay, good. So, Marissa. Hi. Hello. Hi. I'm not going to hold you, girl. Last time I saw you was at the reunion. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But we got to a point where I was like, I can't do this. So we took a break. We stayed friends. And then April, we gave it a real chance. Of 2024. Okay. And still going strong. Still going strong. Like ups and downs, like any relationship, I'm learning a lot. Okay. They just moved in together. Just moved in together.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Yeah, we just moved in together down in D.C., so it's doing good. Oh, my God. So we're happy. We're happy. We're doing a lot better since the show is out and over. Okay. Well, I do want to congratulate you. Thank you. Miss Variety's 30 Most Powerful Women on Reality TV list. Thank you.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Girl, like, first of all, who would have thought that your vulnerability and how strong and powerful you were would show up and manifest in that way? So congratulations.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
That's so powerful because a lot of us as women, we're not recognized for being vulnerable. It's like you're weak or you're whatever they want to call us. But like the fact that you got that title because of who you are, which was considered powerful. too much.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And now look at you. So congratulations. That's so dope. Thank you. I was very shocked and just happy to be on that list. Yeah. You know, to be recognized in that way. You deserve it. You're a beautiful person. Okay, y'all. Let's talk about black women in reality TV.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, this is a great platform to talk about just like the DC cast in general, like what we went through as a primarily black cast and how... we've noticed a difference in how the public embraced us versus other cast and how a lot of the vitriol and a lot of the negativity was coming from people within our own house and how that The call came from the inside. It really did. It did, yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And, you know, us girls, we've talked about it. And, you know, a lot of the sweet messages we get are not from people who are looking like us three. The mean messages we're getting are from people who look like us. And it was really disheartening because I felt that this season was going to be phenomenal because it was so black.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And this show had the opportunity to really show people the different types of black love that we all have because we all come from different experiences and life challenges. And I felt that it got lost in all the drama, unfortunately.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Hello, everyone. It's your girl, A.D., and welcome back to What's the Reality? Y'all, I am so excited. I got my two girls here, Marissa and Alex, from season seven of Love is Blind. Hello. Hi. And welcome.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And ironically, I think that a lot of the people who were in our DMs and comments and the black women and the black men who were so harsh, so vocal and so demeaning and harsh on us, maybe, you know, In a way, I hope they saw themselves in us. I think that's what it was. That's what it kind of was. And maybe they don't feel the ability to express themselves that way.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And so my feelings behind, you know, everything that happened with the show and the public opinion with it and how our cast was embraced, I just think that hopefully all those people out there who had all those things to say were able to, like, look back at our season and say, like, you know, they expressed themselves in the way that was appropriate for them.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
She didn't need to bawl and cry during her breakup with Tim. She handled it in such a beautiful way, in a way that I handled my breakup differently, in the way that Monica handled her breakup differently. And I think it shows strength in all of us. And I think that kind of got lost.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I think it's also, like, a cultural difference with, like, women in D.C. Yeah. And I feel like we're too strong, kind of. I feel like that is just a black woman's story in general. Correct. But see, in that bubble over there, it's... we're very independent. We're very career driven. We're very like, I can do everything on my own, but also with a man.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I, you know, there's so much that was not shown, obviously, as we know, from the reunion. Like, so much was cut out. But sitting in that audience was tough. Yeah. Tough, tough, tough. I mean, I'm so happy to see you sitting here smiling. Yeah. But, like, take me back to that moment, one. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And it's like, the man gets the best of both worlds. Like he gets a woman who doesn't really need for him at all. But then also like, he's still being able to provide as well. Cake and eat it too. Exactly. And I feel like a lot of the people that were coming for us come from a different type of cultural background where they're used to, you know, women in the kitchen and not really.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Before the spring.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Exactly. And so I feel like a lot of the comments were like, oh, you know, you didn't, you didn't do the dishes or something. Like they were like agreeing with him. And I'm just like, we have to be like, we, This can't really actually be the real thing that we're focusing on.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's a vulnerability to go on this show and to do what we did. And at least my sentiment that I always got was, you know, why are you crying over a guy like that? Why are you showing such expression?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
We're not given much grace.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
We're not given grace to just be human.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's like I was, I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit envious of you guys' season because there was so much black love displayed. Whereas on mine, it was up to me. Mm-hmm. to show the world what black love looks like. And it's just like, I feel kind of like what you guys are saying, like the call came from the inside.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
The way I was tore apart by women that look like us that have gone through similar things. And it didn't, it's not like... The hate was dispersed. It was poured onto me and my relationship, the way I looked, the way I cried, the way I spoke, the way my hair was, the way my lashes were dangling. Like, it all came from.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's like damned if you do, damned if you don't. Damned if you don't. Because they would literally say, some people have said to me, like, you were the most authentic. Yeah. But then also some people were like, you were too authentic.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And it's like, which one do you want?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Do you want me to show you exactly who I am, unfiltered? Like, when I went to that, on that show, I really didn't, like, prep. for like who I was going to be. I'm like, I'm going to go on the show. Authentically me. It is what it is. But some people were like, it was too authentic. You were too, I don't understand.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But we see what happens when the community supports you. you know, their person. We see Taylor's Asian community really backed her during this season. And that was seen all over social media. And that was... That's, like, just from my season. Yes. Like, it's... Like, didn't even make it out the pause.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
In the amount of love and support. Yes. And I'm not saying, like, she doesn't get hate. We all get, you know... Yeah, of course. But it's just, like, the difference is astronomical. The amount of hate that I got was strictly from black women. Yeah. Yeah.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And same here. It was so unfortunate. It's really sad. Like, dragging.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I was like, if you just supported us the way that we're seeing other castmates and their communities support them, like, we would all be winning here. Like, Taylor can win. Alex can win. I can win with the Hispanic. You know, all of us could win. And it really, but again, I hope people take away that we were able to show them it's okay to be vulnerable.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
It's okay to express yourself however you deem fit. And that, Having big emotions or quiet emotions is not a bad thing.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I mean, honestly, if I can go back, it would change some things that I did and not the things that most people probably would expect. But I mean, it was a difficult time. I had just watched my breakup scene and then boom, I'm on the stage with the guy who I just had this most traumatic breakup with.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I think that's another thing is like people have their own version of what it looks like to be vulnerable. And I think even with my breakup, because I was just so, okay. It wasn't that I wasn't. But you were so poised. And I remember being like, wow, I wish I could be a little bit more poised like that.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
But in the same, at the same breath, I wanted to be cared for or just the way that Rams has handled you.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I would have wanted that. I was handled with such. You deserve that. I was handled with such like, I'm good. Whereas, which is why I gave the, you're not getting an ounce of it. tear from me at all. But you, at least you were able to cry in his arms, and he was able to comfort you. Even, no breakup is gonna be good, but he still handled you with care.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
He gave me the space to really express myself in a way. Like, if I were in your shoes with Tim, I... crash out, hard crash out. Like, I don't think I'd be... I had crashed out enough at that point. Yeah, but... Like, you handled yourself so well and it was beautiful. And I wish that he did handle you in a different way so that you could have expressed yourself fully.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I was actually exhausted by that point.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
Girl, when were you not? When was my girl not sleepy? Honestly, I didn't know you sucked up. You never sucked up that much, did you? I did. Oh, did you?
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
I was up 24-7. But you know what I've noticed, though? I think because I am a little bit... out from my show, the hate has dwindled. And it's like the people that really loved and resonated and kind of could empathize with my situation are still here. There are some true core riders that are like, no, AD, we got your back. We love you. We support you.
What's the Reality?
The Call Came from the Inside with Love is Blind's Marissa & Alex
And I feel like maybe you guys are not there yet because it's still a little bit fresh. But I promise you like all of that negativity, not all of it, because there's always one. Or two. Always. But it will start to dwindle, and the women that resonate with our stories, they stick around, and they root for us, and they cheer for us, and they love us.