Holy moly. After a wild season where couples dropped like participants in The Hunger Games, season 6 of Love is Blind has finally wrapped. Of the two couples to make it to the altar, only Amy and Johnny said, “I do.”
While the gorgeous Amber Desiree and “I’m a widdle baby” Clay made it to their wedding day, Clay never truly felt that love was blind. The 31-year-old entrepreneur certainly seemed to think he got his cake and could eat it too, but it seems AD had other plans. After a heart-wrenching on-screen break-up, we’re all dying to know whether she gave Clay the second chance he thought he deserved.
What happened on AD and Clay’s wedding day?
Right out of the gate, AD was one of the fan favorites. Gorgeous, well-spoken, and careful with her words, AD was the picture of grace and class from start to finish. Quick to defend others and point out terrible behavior from her co-stars, the one thing fans couldn’t rectify was her inability to see the red flags Clay threw out like a ref at a football game.
Throughout the season, Clay repeatedly voiced concerns over his father’s infidelity (cheating is genetic, you see), claimed to be “a baby” who needed tending, and made skuzzy comments about AD’s body. From lusting after her to telling her he would have her in the gym every day to lose that baby weight, the 31-year-old rubbed viewers the wrong way with his man-child behavior.
The couple struggled to find time together, and while Clay was quick to blame it on the grind, it was clear to see he consistently put AD last in his lineup of priorities. Worst of all, the former NFL cheerleader gave him one boundary: Don’t leave her at the altar. When it finally came time to give the do’s or don’ts, AD was 100% in; Clay, however, tore through the one boundary set.
That’s right, he left her at the altar.
Ever the picture of grace, AD carefully blots her tears as he tells her just can’t go through with marriage. “I don’t think it’s responsible for me to say, ‘I do,’” he repeatedly tells her. He leans on her ever-present compassion and strength, claiming that AD wouldn’t want him “to say yes unless he really meant it.” AD lets him monologue about his personal growth, therapy, and how he’s going to get his s**t together for her until he tacks on, “I appreciate you and I know that you’ll fight for me.”
Pushing back, she finally asks the question on everyone’s mind: “Clay, what the f**k?” Clearly expecting her to continue to shoulder the burden of “their” relationship, he blurts out, “Why does it matter, like, what the timeline is?” It’s a ridiculous question that finally snaps AD out of her heart-broken haze.
Like a disappointed schoolteacher, she tells him, “Don’t do that.” Done with his “me me me” attitude, she motions for her girls and, in a show of solidarity we all deserve, every last one of them leaves with her. The couple has several hard conversations following the altar debacle. Even though AD is clearly hurt by Clay’s actions, and though he says her “sadness breaks his heart,” the man doesn’t seem to fully register how it will inevitably end.
Are AD and Clay still together?
AD’s head seemed to be in the right place when she admitted, “I’m really sad that I wasn’t enough for him to get right. I can’t force him, and I’m not going to f***ing beg him to pick me. I’m done.” She doubled down on the sentiment saying, “You don’t want to pick me, somebody else will. I’m done. My heart is …broken.”
Clay might have taken Love is Blind as an opportunity to grow as a person, but his former fiancée is a person, too, not some educational resource. As AD herself put it, “I feel kind of like a sacrifice. You learned so much about yourself, but you used me to do it.” Since the show, AD has stayed silent about the whole interaction. Clay however, has fully jumped on the fame-train.
Daily News, People Magazine, and Today all landed “exclusive” interviews with the entrepreneur about why he chose to say no — and we’re not going to lie, he looks like someone trying to save face. His interviews detail his copious reasons for not wanting to tie the knot. From his parents’ marriage to his inability to incorporate AD into his life, he’s clear that he made the right choice for him.
Clay spoke to Today in the present tense about their relationship, saying “I just think AD constantly shows up for me. She has my back. And she just was a good dynamic for me and she kind of really brought out the humbleness.” Despite his praise, AD revealed that the pair went weeks without speaking after Clay left her at the altar. Clay was the first to break the silence, but AD was hesitant to respond, especially after seeing herself “break down” on camera. Though they didn’t elaborate, it seems like the duo might have found friendly territory.
Clay’s PR perfection is on full display in the reunion, as he answers the hard-hitting questions Nick and Vanessa throw his way. He graciously accepts his shortcomings and his deplorable treatment of his former fiancée, and even if his responses are clearly practiced, the emotion seems real.
For AD, however, it was too little too late — especially Clay’s poorly contrived attempt to win her back.
Professing to AD that she was the “love of his life” during the reunion is nothing short of cringe, but as usual, AD is nothing but poised. She avoids rolling her eyes and doubles down on her feelings from the final episode. Clay’s declaration, in all its TV gold glory, meant nothing to her; “what am I supposed to do with that information?” she asks Vanessa. She gave the relationship all she had, and it still wasn’t enough for him to say yes.
When the host presses her on whether or not she would consider dating Clay again. AD’s silence could have been a yes or a no — but Clay is “1,000%” on board for another chance.
If Clay really did the work, we’re all for giving second chances but this time, the man better follow AD’s original lead and put in all the effort. He certainly says all of the right things in the reunion. Being a fly on the wall for your own life must put things in perspective – and he seems to have taken the internet’s criticisms to heart. It’s hard not to cheer for him on this tumultuous journey, but that doesn’t mean the former couple is right for one another.
Regardless of how the rest of us might feel, AD made her stance crystal clear. “You had your chance. There was nothing I wouldn’t have given you. And there’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for you. And I feel like, low-key, respectfully, you played in my f**king face.” While Clay reiterates that he loves her, made a huge mistake by saying no, and is finally ready to take the next step, AD does her best to stay strong – it must be easier to resist his charms when the reality of a life with a man like that was showcased in the showdown between his mom and dad.
We have to agree with her when it comes to Clay’s mom. The woman deserves so much respect for her poise and strength when dealing with the news of how dirty her cheating ex-husband did her (and their son). At the same time, however, AD is completely in the right when she says, “I didn’t wanna, respectfully, be Clay’s mom in the long run. I didn’t want that to be my story.”
