Nancy Rodriguez was a contestant on Season Three of Love Is Blind. On the show, she was engaged to Bartise Bowden; the two split up in the finale. Since then, the speech and language pathologist has shared updates about her life on social media, including her journey to launch a financial wellness platform — and bits and pieces of a budding new relationship. Below, she tells TODAY.com about how her time on Love Is Blind set her up for finding love again — even if she had to leave the “experiment” to find it.
Right after my season of “Love Is Blind” came out, I thought: “I hit the jackpot.”
As viewers remember, I did not get a husband out of this show — which was what was meant to happen. But I’m so grateful that Bartise Bowden and I did not get married.
That meant, though, that I was still looking for love … and the world knew it.
“Love Is Blind” became like my dating resume, and an accurate one. The person that you saw on the show was truly me. The quirks, the mannerisms, the family. It might sound surprising, but I actually wanted whoever I dated next to have watched the show, so they would want to be embraced by the ride or dies that asked hard questions, like viewers saw my parents and siblings do on the show.
Despite the heartbreak I experienced at the end, "Love is Blind" ended up being a catalyst for me and my new life.
I went on the reality show because I love love, and I truly believed the experiment could work. And in a way, it did: Without “Love Is Blind,” I wouldn’t have found my new relationship. Not only would my now-partner and I not have crossed paths, but I wouldn’t have had the foundation I needed for a relationship in the first place.
My time on “Love Is Blind” came to an end in 2021 when Bartise and I split up at the altar. Afterward, I came to a few conclusions.
The first was that I did want to get married one day. Growing up, I never dreamed of a wedding. But while filming the show, walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress and seeing 40 of my friends and family staring up at me was powerful. I remember telling myself: “If it doesn’t happen this time, now I know I want to be married one day.” (But maaaaybe the next time I wouldn't rush into it, like we had to on the show.)
The second was that I had to change the way I was dating. I wanted to replicate the intimacy I experienced on "Love is Blind," but in the real world.
Without “Love Is Blind,” I wouldn’t have found my next relationship.
I knew I wanted whoever I dated next to be obsessed with me, in a healthy way. Also, their intentions needed to be clear. And finally, I didn’t want to be confused. I needed whoever I dated make their intentions about what they were looking for clear to me, and I didn't want to feel confused. That cycle of dating where you’re dating just to date — I did not want to do that.
I didn’t date anyone for three months before or after the show’s release in the fall of 2022. Instead, I chose to focus on myself, and therapy. When New Year’s 2023 came, I felt ready to be open to love again, but I still didn’t make any major moves, since I was concentrating on moving from Dallas to New York.
But there was one guy. He commented on one of my posts about dating, and I wrote back — I try to interact with everyone in the comments. I remembered his photo, so when I saw it pop up again later in my DM’s, I responded. One of the first things I asked was, “How old are you?” (You never know on the internet.) I accidentally wrote “How are you?” He eventually answered both questions, and many more.
So, yes: My last relationship started in the pods of a Netflix show. My new one began in my Instagram DMs. And actually, the two methods weren’t that dissimilar — dating in the DMs was like dating in the pods. His profile didn’t have a lot of photos. I didn’t know how tall he was. But I knew we connected about the important things.
From there, we started a weeks-long conversation of DMs, audio messages and videos. We asked questions. Lots of them. I asked him everything I needed to know to consider someone a serious partner. I was getting down to the root of who he was.
Eventually, he flew to Dallas, where I was living, to take me out on a sushi date. The spark from our online and phone conversations translated to real life, and we have been happily together for the past six months.
Because of the show, I am now in a position where I know what I want. And now in a new relationship, without telling my partner what I want, he is able to bring it to the table organically.
He is the smartest, nerdiest trivia buff I’ve ever met. If I look at a plant, he’ll have some random background knowledge about it. He’s the kind of guy who befriends his Uber driver to the point that she invites him to dinner, the person who will wait on the security line with me … even though he has TSA Precheck. One of my favorite things we do as a couple is breathing strategies. It brings us so much closer together.
And because I know you’re wondering: Yes, my brother approves. They talked and joked when they met, and he's met my parents on FaceTime.
I’m not quite ready to share more about him just yet. After “Love Is blind,” I promised myself that I’d be private about my next relationship. I do think we’ll reach a point where we can have our relationship more out in the open online. I have six months of photos saved that I’m excited to share. I’ve actually shared a few already, but in an incognito way with respect to him and our relationship. I want to keep something sacred until it’s the right time for both of us.
I know that because of the show, many followers are invested in my love journey. So if I had to convey anything to my fans, it’s this: Love starts with me. It starts with understanding why I did the things that I did. Then: How could I forgive myself for the things I didn’t do, and move forward? How could I practice gratitude as a form of healing? How could I love myself for my values, and not my accomplishments?
All of those questions had to be established so I could understand what love means for me. I’m so grateful for a sweet, genuine, authentic partner who loves me for me on my bad days and my good days.
Because I love me, too.