The first season of the new Netflix reality show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move on has come to an end, as its final two episodes were released on Wednesday.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the series introduced six different couples which each faced an ultimatum, as one of them was ready to get married while the other was not.
Throughout the experiment, contestants dated other people, lived with someone new for three weeks, and lived with their original partner for another three weeks. At the end of the experience, they decided to if they wanted to marry the person they came onto the show with or walk away from them forever.
In the final two episodes, viewers saw which original couples decided to get engaged or break up. Here are the contestants’ final decisions on The Ultimatum and how their relationship statuses changed once the show ended.
Spoilers for The Ultimatum season one are below.
Shanique and Randall
At the start of the series, Shanique, 24, gave Randall, 26, the ultimatum, saying that she was ready for marriage. Randall, on the other hand, expressed how he needed more time to be financially stable.
However, when it was time to answer the ultimatum, Randall proposed to Shanique, calling her his “best friend”.
“I wanted you to be my wife since the day I laid eyes on you, I just didn’t know how to show it,” he told her. “This experience has taught me that.”
During the reunion special, Shanique wasn’t wearing her engagement ring and said that she and Randall broke up for six months after filming. “We were completely, like, broken up,” she said. “And that was the hardest time of my life, for real.”
She noted how that time apart helped them appreciate each other more, as they were back together. And although they’re no longer engaged, Shanique said that they’re taking things “one step at a time”.
April and Jake
April, 23, had issued an ultimatum to her boyfriend, Jake, 26, as she was ready to get married. But, Jake still wanted to do some travelling and focus on his finances before tying the knot.
During the ninth episode, the couple reflected on how much they loved each other and what they learned from the experience. However, April stood by her ultimatum, emphasising how much she wanted to be Jake’s wife. Jake explained that he was still not ready for that, and they went their separate ways.
“I tried to push every little bit of me to get to that point,” Jake said about getting married. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t get there. I never expected this to happen.”
Once they split, Jake had a conversation with another contestant, Rae, 24, where they both expressed how comfortable they felt around each other. He offered Rae two tickets to “anywhere around the world,” so they could be “living life” together. She agreed to go on the trip with him.
At the reunion episode, April revealed that once filming ended, she stayed with Jake for months. However, they both knew that “the relationship was over”.
She also shared that she’s now in a committed relationship with someone else, who wakes up every single day to her and says: “I love you. I can’t wait to marry you.”
Jake opened up about his experience with Rae, who revealed that they did not go on their trip and that they were not together. “I think that we came to a consensus that everybody needed more time to heal,” she explained. “And I felt like it was really insensitive to kind of be like, ‘OK, bye. F*** y’all. We’re just going to get on a plane and go somewhere.”
Rae and Zay
Rae had given her boyfriend, Zay, 25, an ultimatum, as she wanted to get married and start a family. Zay was still unsure if he wanted that quite yet.
However, during the eighth episode, she broke up with Zay, after he went out with his friends from 12am to 8am, following a fight with Rae.
Although Zay left single, Rae could be seen walking hand and hand with Jake. “We still care about the people that we came with,” Rae said. “But ultimately, I think we made the best decision for ourselves.”
During the reunion episode, Rae said that after the show, she gave her relationship with Zay another “shot” and things “didn’t work”.
Zay noted that he hasn’t dated anyone since the breakup. But, Rae said that she’s been with “one person,” who’s an “amazing” woman. However, she said that they’ve kept things “casual”.
“I’m kind of figuring out myself and my sexuality,” she said. “Because I was very uncomfortable with being bi for a very long time.”
Madlyn and Colby
During the first episode, Colby, 25, told his girlfriend Madlyn, 24, as that he wanted to get married. But, Madlyn was unsure if they should get married.
In the eighth episode, she later admitted that she now wanted to marry Colby and was ready to tell him that. However, that same night, they got into an argument about how Colby had gone to another woman’s hotel room at four in the morning.
In the ninth episode, Colby discussed with Madlyn how much their relationship had grown through the experience. He then asked her to marry him, and she said yes. “I promise to love you for who you are and what comes with you,” he said. “I’ve given you my heart and I want you to keep it forever.”
Colby then asked Madlyn if she wanted to get married that day, to which she agreed to. They said “I do” to each other in front of a wedding officiant.
At the reunion episode, Madlyn revealed she was seven months pregnant and expecting a baby girl with Colby. The couple emphasised how happy they were about the pregnancy. “As soon as we got married, I was like, ‘It’s time to start making a family,” Colby said.
Lauren and Nate
During the first episode, Nate, 30, explained how he gave his partner Lauren, 26, an ultimatum, as he was ready to get married and have children. But, Lauren said that she didn’t see herself ever having kids. However, in episode three, Nate stood up and proposed to her, acknowledging how his experience on The Ultimatum helped him realise that he didn’t need to have children as long as he was with Lauren.
The couple returned to the show for the reunion special, Lauren said that they sought out expert advice. “We did a little bit of outside work with going to therapy,” she explained.
She also revealed that they’ve come to an agreement about children, as they plan to have at least one child.
Alexis and Hunter
At the start of the series, Alexis, 25, gave Hunter, 28, the ultimatum, as she wanted to get engaged. Before choosing a live-in match, Hunter stood up and proposed to Alexis, which she accepted. He said that he realised he wanted to marry Alexis and that the only thing stopping him was fear.
They returned to the show for the reunion special and discussed how they are getting married in June. The couple have also been using Hunter’s mom as their wedding planner.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On season one is available to stream on Netflix.
