When season 1 of Perfect Match arrived on Netflix last year, fans of the streaming giant quickly learned that the dating series is the place for less-known stars of the Netflix reality TV universe to shine through. In Perfect Match season 2 (which premiered June 7 and will reach its finale June 21), no cast member gravitates to the spotlight as much as Tolú Ekundare. The Houston-based marketing whiz (and winner of The Trust: A Game of Greed) was the first to arrive in the Perfect Match villa and quickly became a fan favorite with her many meme-able quotes and her bubbly yet no-nonsense approach to finding love.
Since not everyone has time to go back and watch The Trust themselves (though it's highly recommended), read on to learn more about the Perfect Match scene stealer.
Tolú Ekundare is a Nigerian-American influencer and marketing manager.
Ekundare, 27, is a Nigerian-American influencer who describes herself in her Instagram bio as "Thee Main Character" and a "Naija babe taking over LA." According to Netflix's Tudum, who released a bio of the star when she appeared on The Trust in early 2024, she worked as a marketing manager before her reality TV debut, and she was originally based in Houston, Texas. Her Instagram and TikTok are filled with fashion, beauty, and travel inspiration, as well as fun videos featuring her mother and father. Ekundare also previously acted in the "We Not Humping" music video for rapper Monaleo.
Tolú Ekundare won over $70K as a finalist on 'The Trust: A Game of Greed.'
Ekundare first appeared on a Netflix show earlier this year, as a member of the first-ever season of the social-strategy competition The Trust: A Game of Greed. (She's just barely the newest reality star in the Netflix universe to appear on Perfect Match. Jessica Vestal has her beat just narrowly, since she appeared in Love is Blind season 6.) On The Trust, 11 strangers are brought together to decide how to split a $250,000 prize pot, as they face several alliances, betrayals, and brutal eliminations.
Despite a period where she was at risk of being kicked out by a bigger alliance, Tolú survived on the show until the final episode, where the remaining five contestants split the pot and each got $48,600. She also picked up another $25,000 from the pot before it was split and walked away with $73,600, the second-most money of all the show's contestants.
Tolú Ekundare initially had a rocky time on 'Perfect Match,' after pairing with Dom Gabriel.
In the Perfect Match season 2 premiere, Ekundare shared that she was looking for her ideal partner, and was ready to get married and settle down. (A tall order for any dating show.) She initially partnered with Love Is Blind alum Izzy Zapata, and the pairing seemed promising, with Ekundare appreciating that he expressed being ready to settle down. However, Ekundare was quickly sent on a date with Perfect Match season 1 winner Dom Gabriel, who returned to the show for a second round after his pairing with Georgia Hassarati fell through.
Ekundare was immediately smitten, as she had seen Gabriel on season 1 and he had been her favorite cast member. However, Gabriel seemed less invested than she was, and though they paired up at first (bye-bye, Izzy), Gabriel eventually showed interest in Alara Taneri when she entered the house. Taneri matched with Stevan Ditter, so Ekundare and Gabriel stayed together and even won the next compatibility challenge. Still, once they arrived in the boardroom, Ekundare confronted Gabriel and said that she felt "played from the jump," and believed he did a complete 180 by showing interest at first and then closing off.
Following the season 2 premiere, Ekundare spoke with Today about the end of her and Gabriel's flirtation. “(My) eyes started opening after that first night that we were matched, when he went from, like, you know, funny and charming to doom and gloom,” she told the outlet, calling Dom's energy "draining" and claiming he told her he was "conserving [his] social battery" whenever she tried to talk to him.
“It was really depressing. It made me feel like maybe I was too much. And I had to mute myself down because I genuinely felt, like, I don’t think this dude likes me as a person. Like, it’s obvious he doesn’t like me romantically,” she added.
Dom has not shared his thoughts on the situation, but he didn't show any regrets about his time in season 2 in his final confessional. "It feels bittersweet leaving because I did come here to find my person, but I made the decision that led me to here. And that’s okay, you know. That’s on me. I’m not trying to throw a pity party for me or anything," he said at the time.
Tolú Ekundare and Chris Hahn became a surprise couple on 'Perfect Match' season 2.
In a loose example of maybe the person for you was in front of you the whole time, Ekundare found a surprising match later in the Perfect Match season with Dated & Related alum Chris Hahn. Hahn entered the show on episode 3, but his initial attempts at romance didn't work out, and he ended up in a friend match with Elys Hutchinson. However, after Ekundare broke things off with Gabriel and set herself up on a date with The Ultimatum alum Jake Cunningham, Hahn revealed that he was interested in Ekundare via a racy lap dance.
Ekundare was impressed that Hahn was clear and forward with his interest in her, and she chose to match with him rather than Cunningham. Throughout episodes 5 and 6, she repeatedly says, "We are literally the most unlikely couple in the house." Still, they seem to be one of the stronger couples in the house.
However, they're also not immune to the chaos when the unmatched Perfect Match cast members return for a second chance.
While Ekundare had a simple conversation with Izzy, filling him in on how well her match with Hahn was going, Hahn admitted at the boys' day that, since he'd paired with Ekundare, he'd been "guilty of not exploring more" connections. "My relationship with Tolú isn't as strong as I perceived it to be," he said. He also subtly made a pass at Xanthi Perdikomatis, saying that she was the only other girl he was interested in.
Of course, Perdikomatis (who also came into the villa on day one) is friends with Ekundare, so Ekundare eventually learned what he had said secondhand and became upset. She wondered whether Hahn liked her, or just saw her as the "last option" and was keeping her around to make it to the finale.
By the end of the night, however, Ekundare was also clear about how much she liked him. "I can't stop thinking about you, but at the same time, it hurts to hear that you've painted me as a last resort option when I don't look at you like that," she told him. An emotional Hahn apologized and agreed to stop the "testing our connection, keeping-s--t-open s--t," and the couple matched once again.
We'll have to wait until the June 21 finale to see whether they'll last outside the show.
