90 Day Fiancé delivers the juiciest romantic drama around. Couples get engaged, break up, get back together… It’s a roller coaster of emotions for those involved, and of course, for the viewers who closely follow the lives of reality stars like Elizabeth “Liz” Woods and her on/off partner, “Big” Ed Brown.
As shown on season eight of the spin-off series 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, Ed and Liz have now parted ways for good. Liz has upped stakes and is moving back to California, away from their shared home in Ed’s native Arkansas. Long before the new season started airing, rumors began spreading online that Liz found love away from Ed, to the joy of many fans of the series — so who is this mystery man?
A brief history of Ed and Liz’s romance
After being dumped by Philippines native Rosemarie “Rose” Vega on season four of spin-off 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days, Ed rejoined the franchise on another spin-off, 90 Day Fiancé: The Single Life. When Liz Woods — who is, unusually for the series, an American citizen — entered the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, she was working as a restaurant manager at Encontro in San Diego, when she caught the eye of “Big” Ed Brown.
After some convincing by Ed to go on a date with him, Liz and Ed hit it off and began a bumpy romance that would last several years. Well, “bumpy” may be a charitable way to describe it, considering how many times the pair called it quits before eventually reconciling — which, according to the couple, is a whopping fifteen times. Whenever Ed and Liz broke up, many viewers hoped it would be for good, but they were left disappointed each time — until recently.
Despite rumors that Liz got married to Big Ed in 2023, it looks like she has moved on from that relationship, and is now living her best life with another partner. This was in contrast to what was occurring on TV screens, as the couple had gotten engaged in the finale episode of another spin-off, 90 Day: The Last Resort, which aired around that time.
The hints about Liz’s new boyfriend started around October 2023, when she started posting Instagram stories with a mysterious man who didn’t resemble Ed, as the figure was significantly taller than Ed, who has stated on 90 Day Fiancé that he is 4 feet, 11 inches tall. The photos that she has uploaded since have been unquestionably romantic, leaving no room for doubt that there’s a new love in her life — and not the one her followers were used to.
Who is Liz Woods’ new boyfriend?
Despite the numerous Instagram stories that Liz has posted with her new boyfriend over recently, Liz kept her new beau’s identity under wraps for many months. The 90 Day Fiancé star refrained from adding pictures of his face to her social media posts, and did not tag any account that clearly identified who the mysterious man was.
Fans claimed that Liz was seeing a man named Jayson, said to be much closer to Liz’s age than Big Ed. According to such rumors, this new boyfriend is from San Diego, has Mexican roots, speaks Spanish, and is currently a Navy instructor. Yahoo! confirmed his identity, naming him as Jayson Zumiga, with attached photographs identified by fans.
On June 15th, Liz debuted her new boyfriend on her Instagram page — with every snooping fan feeling pretty smug, as it was the same man that months of speculation had pointed towards. The reality star shared a photo dump of her and Jayson on various adventures, including parties, matching fancy dress costumes, and all-smiling photos with Liz’s family.
Liz’s 90 Day co-stars shared her joy, congratulating her on the announcement. “I love seeing you be treated how you deserve. 🥹 love this so much ❤️❤️” Kalani Faagata, who also recently debuted her new partner and baby, commented. “Best of luck and be happy everyday [sic],”` fellow alum David Toborowsky wrote.
Even Liz’s ex, Big Ed, offered a few (emphasis on few, knowing Big Ed) kind words about Jayson. “He’s a hunk,” Ed said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “[Jayson’s] a pretty good-looking guy, I’m very happy I met them. I have met the guy, you know, he’s really nice. I think they’re within one or two years apart [in age].”
Jayson made a surprise appearance at the tell-all – and faced off with Big Ed
In a surprise twist, the first episode of the tell-all finale saw Liz and Ed reflect with host Shaun Robinson about their now-concluded relationship — only for Shaun to invite Jayson to the stage to sit next to Liz. The San Diego resident was sitting at the opposite side of the studio from her now ex-boyfriend, and appeared delighted when her new beau cuddled up to her on the couch — but not before greeting Liz with a kiss.
During the tell-all – said to be filmed in February 2024 – Liz revealed that she and Jayson had been dating for four months, having met shortly after she returned to San Diego through an app for runners, admitting that she slid into his DMs.
Liz’s mother Patty complimented Jayson, saying he was “refreshing,” and the comparison to Ed is “like night and day,” citing that her daughter’s new boyfriend took her out to dinner, displaying perfect manners. Jayson denied that Liz had a bad temper, something that Ed frequently asserted at the reunion, as well as throughout the relationship.
Jayson, unlike the Ed Liz came to know, had no qualms about his girlfriend appearing on the show with her ex, and had some words for Ed. “After today, you’re in the past. We’re gonna move forward. Starting today, you will never disrespect her again. Otherwise you’re gonna have to deal with me,” Jayson said.
A peeved Ed responded “good luck, buddy”, in a tone meant to be a dig at Liz, to which Jayson responded “All right, little guy.” While Jayson may have failed to win over Ed, Liz greatly appreciated her new boyfriend’s blessing to formally wrap things up on her relationship with Ed on the tell-all.
“[Jayson] was the one that was like, ‘Make sure you get all the closure you need. Make sure you get your questions answered,'” Liz revealed in an interview with TV Insider. “I just feel like that is such a respectful move for him coming into my life and my world that just shows a lot of love. He’s never held it against me. He wasn’t worried about me seeing Ed.”
Published: Jul 31, 2024 03:41 pm