Love Is Blind is back for its fourth season, with contestants already forming strong relationships both in and out of the “pods”.
In the first five episodes of the reality dating show, which Netflix released on 24 March, viewers watched as 30 singles from Seattle dated one another from their respective pods in an effort to find their perfect matches.
Once the couples formed strong enough relationships, their unions progressed to engagements, with five couples getting engaged in the pods and advancing on to the in-person Mexico vacation.
Marshall Glaze, a 27-year-old marketing manager, and Jackelina Bonds, 27, a dental assistant, were one of the couples to get engaged, with the pair seen strengthening their relationship and enjoying one another’s company in Mexico.
However, during episode four of the season, viewers watched as Bonds broke down in tears during an emotional moment in the pair’s hotel room, after she’d opened up about commitment to her meaning loving her family in a confessional shown earlier in the episode.
During the scene, Bonds could be seen crying hysterically and locking herself in the bathroom as Glaze attempted to comfort her from the other side of the door. Although Bonds did not specify why she was crying, she noted at one point that she has “so many people to take care of” and was worried about having to “go back to that sh**” at home.
Bonds eventually opened the door to allow Glaze to comfort her, which he then did.
Bonds has since revealed that the emotional moment was due to family matters, as she told Entertainment Weekly that her father has cancer and that she helps care for him and her family when she is home.
“My father, he’s sick,” she told the outlet. “He has cancer, so I have to take care of him when I go home every weekend. I make sure that my parents are good, the bill is paid - my dad can’t work no more. I have a lot of family stuff that I have to tend to. Family always comes first.”
Bonds also revealed that her brother was recently released from prison, and that it has meant having “another person to take care of”.
While opening up about the emotional ordeal, Bonds admitted that her family issues made it impossible for her to focus entirely on her vacation with Glaze.
“My life is not for someone who can’t be up to par in supporting me, and just making sure that you understand my life and knowing that this is always going to be a part of me,” she continued. “That was an emotional moment for me because I didn’t feel like, at that moment, Marshall was up to par and ready for all of the reality that I have back home.”
Bonds also spoke candidly about the scene on her Instagram on Monday, where she shared an excerpt from the Entertainment Weekly article and added in the caption: “Making sure my family is good before I’m good. My father at the time was fighting stage two head and neck cancer, had a feeding tube in his stomach, had the back of his tongue removed and had 11 cancerous lymph nodes removed from his neck a few months before I filmed the show.”
In the post, Bonds reiterated that she comes home every weekend to help her family by cleaning, paying the bills, and caring for her mother and father.
As for why she broke down in tears during her and Glaze’s vacation, she said it was because she felt “guilty being happy”.
“I felt guilty being happy and enjoying my time in Mexico because my family deserves time away,” she continued. “My ‘mental breakdown’ in Mexico was all the emotions of being head of the house, having my family depending on me and having the weight of my emotions and feelings all colliding at once. I will always take care of my father, cancer will never take him from me.”
Bonds’ post has sparked an outpouring of support from viewers and fans, with many applauding her for her strength and for taking the opportunity to share her side of the story.
“You are so strong! I love you and thank you for sharing your story to the world,” one person commented, while another said: “All valid emotions! I’m glad you had Marshall there to lean on. Thank you for sharing.”
“It’s courageous of you to share what you’re going through because you really don’t owe anyone an explanation. We all have our moments and should be able to express our emotions. You deserve time away and to enjoy yourself as well,” someone else wrote.
In addition to Glaze and Bonds, Brett Brown and Tiffany Pennywell, Kwame Appiah and Chelsea Griffin, Micah Lussier and Paul Peden, and Zack Goytowski and Irina Solomonova all got engaged in the pods.
The next three episodes of Love Is Blind season four will premiere on Friday 31 March. Episodes nine through 11 will drop on 7 April, followed by the season finale on 14 April.
