Why was Renee cut from ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 5?

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers from season 5 of Love is Blind.

Season 5 of Netflix’s Love is Blind hasn’t exactly gone as planned. For the first time ever, two cast members who used to date recognized each other in the pods. Then, only two couples made it to the altar. Or so we thought. Now we’re learning that another couple got engaged, and Netflix filmed their experience only to cut it out of the show. Why!? 

Be warned! There may be some spoilers ahead, but this article will mostly cover the engagement of a couple that never aired. 

Fans spotted an engagement ring on Renee’s finger

After internet sleuths discovered that several other cast members got engaged on season 5, fans demanded an explanation. You may remember seeing veterinarian Renee Poche and construction worker Carter Wall in the pods, but did you see them in the background of some shots of the couples in Mexico? Did you spot Renee in a white dress at the dress fitting or catch a glimpse at her engagement ring?

Internet sleuths don’t miss a thing! After it became clear that Renee and Carter were filmed right up to the altar, fans wanted to know why their story didn’t make the show. Especially with only two other couples making it that far, one would think Netflix had a pretty good reason it decided to cut their scenes. But, nope!

Renee publicly confirmed she got engaged

In a new interview with POPSUGAR, Renee finally confirmed that she and Carter got engaged in the pods. She also confirmed that cameras followed them all the way up to the altar, telling the magazine:

“[Carter and I] did get engaged in the pods, and we were chosen to be followed for the rest of the journey … We were very excited about everything, and things went really well in Mexico as well. We were always very pleasant, funny, happy, and enjoyed each other’s company.”

So, did the duo get married?  

“Once we got back to Houston and back to the real world, I started noticing things that I kind of ignored or blew off that were red flags I should have picked up on. And eventually, I did say ‘no’ at the altar.”

As it turns out, Renee was just as surprised as fans that her story got cut from the show.

Netflix offered Renee a lame excuse for cutting her engagement

According to Renee’s interview, Netflix wasn’t straightforward about why it cut her engagement from the show. In fact, it sounds like the streamer told her she’d appear far more than she did.

“I got a call a couple months before the show aired, in August, to let me know that our story wasn’t going to be a big focus. What I was told was, ‘We’ll just, point blank, say that Carter was awful, and we don’t want you to have to relive that. That’s just not going to be a big focus.’ They also said timing was an issue, so they decided to cut our story. That’s what I was told.”

Are you confused? So was Renee. 

“I did ask for clarification because I was so confused at first. My first question was, ‘Wait, the wedding’s not going to be shown?’ She was like, ‘No, no wedding.’ So I kept asking more, and she was like, ‘I think it’s going to be more like, you guys are friends from the pods.’ It was very vague, and I still thought that possibly we were going to be engaged on the show and then kind of cut down from there.”

Imagine her surprise when the show aired, and not only did her engagement get cut, but all of the scenes from Mexico got edited around her and Carter. Renee has speculated some other reasons for Netflix’s decision, but chose not to share them. 

There’s more to Renee and Carter’s story than we know

When asked about what viewers missed from her experience with Carter, Renee referred to their relationship as an “emotional roller coaster.” While there were some ups, she also referred to some “really rough parts, which I will get into, but not right now.” 

Earlier in the interview, she also referred to the men in the pods as a “mess” and a “disaster,” which may reflect her feelings about Carter. Word around the internet is that Carter brought another woman back to their apartment while living together, and threatened producers to unalive himself if they aired his story. Check out the drama unfolding in the comments section of Carter’s last Instagram post!

These days, Renee is happily married to someone else who wants nothing to do with her life in the public eye. She’s also good friends with all of the women in the pods! They have a group chat and meet up in Houston regularly. 

Be sure to catch the Love is Blind reunion episode streaming on Netflix tonight!