On Wednesday’s Love is Blind season 7 reunion, season 4 alums Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi-Goytowski made a triumphant return to the reality-dating series. The couple, who married in the finale of their respective season, also recently welcomed the first Love is Blind baby — a daughter named Galileo Terri Rayne — born earlier this year.
Zach and Bliss talked about their new arrival on the finale, with a fun throwback to their first appearance on the series. For those who remember the beginning of the couple’s relationship, the song “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack was an early bonding point for the pair, when they were still separated by pods.
Zack revealed the country-pop song’s importance in his life when he and Bliss were getting to know one another’s interests. He informed his pod match that his mother dedicated the song to him when he was just 16 years old, only to discover that Bliss also holds the track close to her heart. The revelation that her mother likewise dedicated the track to Bliss was a major connecting point for the two participants, and ultimately became a beautiful pillar of their relationship. Zack even revealed he would like “I Hope You Dance” to be the first song at his wedding, and his wish eventually came true when he and Bliss said their “I do’s” later that season.
Hilariously, the thing that really made the moment into TV history came about thanks to a minor slip-up. Zack misremembered the singer’s name as Lee Ann Wombat — yes, like the furry animal — and his mistake eventually made its way to Womack, who embraced the name wholeheartedly. She gave the moment a charming call-out on social media, and even paid the newfound attention back when the couple welcomed their first child.
So, who is Lee Ann Womack, the singer who helped spark the beginning of a beautiful love story on a blind date gone right?
Who is Lee Ann Womack?
Lee Ann Womack (born 1966) is a multi-Country Music Award (CMA) and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, specializing in the country-pop genre. Womack’s biggest hit, 2000’s “I Hope You Dance,” as featured in Love is Blind, topped Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, selling two million copies in the United States.
The song, a much more poppy endeavor for the previously straight country star, won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song, and was also nominated for Song of the Year — not a common feat for a country song at music’s biggest awards night.
Womack has four gold-certified records, with I Hope You Dance — the 2000 country-pop album sharing a name with its hit single — achieving triple platinum.
The writers behind “I Hope You Dance” described the song as being “based on the narration of a mother expressing the wish that her children will step out and embrace life, and take a chance on love and faith,” according to an interview with American Songwriter, making it a perfect homecoming song for the returning couple and their bundle of love.
After hearing about the hilarious mishearing of her surname on Love is Blind, Womack gifted Galileo a cuddly wombat toy in the spirit of the accidental pun. Zach and Bliss revealed the gift in the reunion episode, along with a hand-made outfit crafted by Womack, similar to one she made her own daughter when she was born.
