The Truth About Natalie And Shaina's Relationship On Love Is Blind
There was never a dull moment on Netflix's "Love is Blind." The sophomore season of the hit reality dating series was an emotional rollercoaster, filled with drama. Multiple love triangles, surprising breakups, and explosive arguments colored each episode of this dating experiment. That doesn't cover the engagements we didn't see on the show. Of the relationships featured on the show, Natalie Lee and Shayne Jansen's breakup sparked the most conversation.
From the beginning, Natalie and Shayne's chemistry was undeniable. In and out of the pods, they seemed to have a real connection that made it easy to root for them, despite the major hiccups they faced — namely Shayne's connection with Shaina Hurley, per Page Six. Their subsequent breakup (and the shocking, unaired argument that led to it) came as a surprise to many.
The reunion revealed that after the dust settled, Natalie and Shayne's castmates were convinced something was still there between the two, as reported by Showbiz Cheatsheet. Natalie told Life & Style that their communication styles were vastly different and that made it harder to resolve issues between them.
Shaina's relationship with Natalie is equally as complicated. People reports that when the reunion dropped, there was a lot of tension between the two. So where, exactly, does Natalie's relationship with Shaina stand today?
Natalie had no idea that Shayne and Shaina had a strong connection in the pods
Natalie Lee shed light on her and Shaina Hurley's relationship after the show. In an interview with Us Weekly, Natalie revealed that she didn't realize how close Shayne Jansen and Shaina were in the pods until after watching the series and therefore didn't feel threatened by it. However, Natalie admitted that she was wary of Shaina's intentions while filming.
The outlet reports that this uncertainty stemmed from Shaina trying to convince Shayne that he and Natalie weren't compatible after their engagement. Natalie told Buzzfeed that she was unaware of the full extent of Shaina's conversation with Shayne at the beach. "I did reach out to her the day after that scene to get her side of the story, Shayne told me what she had said," she explained. Natalie admitted that Shayne only partly told her what they discussed and that Shaina's anger came as a surprise to her when she played back that scene. Shaina later apologized for the conversation, Buzzfeed reports.
Shaina tried to set Natalie up with her friend while she was engaged to Shayne
In an interview with ET, Natalie Lee opened up about Shaina Hurley's actions off-camera while they were filming. Natalie revealed that after the couples' retreat in Mexico, Shaina called and covertly asked for updates on how their relationship was going. Shaina then crossed the line by telling Natalie that she had a "millionaire" friend who was interested in her if they broke up. The dating series touches on the aftermath of this comment during the infamous beach conversation, as reported by Screen Rant.
Natalie told the outlet that she thought nothing of this at the time since she was unaware of the extent of their relationship in the pods and that Shayne Jansen was visibly upset when she brought it up to him. "I didn't understand it at the time," she explained via ET. "And I was like, 'She doesn't know us. I think she just said it out of the blue,'" Natalie added. "But now I understand why he was irritated by that comment."
Shaina blamed the cringey beach bonfire moment on a lapse in judgment and third-party rumors
Shaina Hurley had a completely different take on her phone call with Natalie Lee after the beach bonfire. Shaina confessed to ET that her inappropriate commentary on Natalie and Shayne's relationship was sparked by her own connection with Shayne Jansen and rumors that the two rehearsed scenes.
After Shaina recalled questioning Natalie and Shayne's chemistry in comparison to hers with the real estate broker, she claimed that "there were some things behind the scenes where people would say things like, 'Oh, it was rehearsed.'"
Ironically, that is not the first time that Natalie and Shayne have been accused of rehearsing their exchanges. During a March 30, 2022 appearance on former "The Bachelor" lead Nick Viall's podcast "The Viall Files," Shayne claimed that Natalie suggested they rehearse their lines while filming. Natalie immediately denied the accusations in an Instagram story, reports People.
Natalie was adamant that Shayne purposely misconstrued her requests for privacy and boundaries on what they shared about their relationship on screen. "Specifically I asked him to not drink alcohol before 'serious' scenes and to not share in-depth details of our intimacy out of respect for my family," Natalie's post read in part, via People. "I know he found this frustrating; the latter is what led to our fight in Mexico."
Natalie also rejected Shayne's claim that she avoided confronting Shaina on the beach, and revealed that they spoke but it was cut from the show.
Natalie and Shaina's relationship today is amicable
Natalie Lee appeared on the podcast "Tea With Publyssity" to set the record straight about where her and Shaina Hurley currently stand. After reaffirming Shaina's apology, she was adamant about putting it all behind her — but admitted that hearing Shaina's perspective/portrayal of what went down in interviews was frustrating. "I think what she said in interviews is like 'yeah it looks like that but it's not, you know, it's edited like that,'" she recounted before questioning Shaina's comments that she had received a cruel edit on the show.
Today, Natalie and Shaina are in as good of a place to be expected. Natalie told Us Weekly that they are no hard feelings. "In terms of where her and I stand [now] — we're cordial with one another," she explained. "I see her often at gatherings with the cast and she's only been very kind to me."
Shaina's relationship status today
Per Meaww, when the reunion first dropped, eagle-eyed fans were convinced that Shayne Jansen and Shaina Hurley got together post-show based on his behavior/body language when asked about his relationship with her. They both immediately denied it. Shayne previously refuted rumors of their relationship in a February Instagram post. In that same post, he wrote a heartfelt tribute to his ex-fiance and shared that he would never forget their time together.
Fast-forward to March, where Shaina revealed that love is in the cards for her again during an appearance on "The Viall Files." Shaina told host Nick Viall that she is currently dating someone she met outside of "Love is Blind" and that he has been very supportive of her. She added that "he's been great throughout the whole situation" and that she's happy.
During the podcast, Shaina also joked about the timing of their relationship and admitted that she's been getting DMs since the reality dating series aired.