Renee Poche's storyline in Season 5 of “Love Is Blind” might have been cut from the show entirely, but her experience on the series continues to headline.
Season Five of the reality series aired in October 2023 and showcased the engagement of three couples. It wasn't long, however, for the show's eagle-eyed fandom to conclude that two cast members who made small appearances in the series — Poche and Carter Wall — had their engagement edited out of the show.
On Jan. 2, a lawsuit filed by Poche against Netflix and the show's production company gave insight into her experience of the engagement.
Read on for everything we know about Poche, Wall and the lawsuit she filed against Netflix and Delirium TV, one of the production companies behind "Love Is Blind," about their engagement.
TODAY.com has reached out to Netflix, Delirium TV and Wall for comment.
How did fans figure out Renee Poche and Carter Wall were edited out?
In October, fans speculated that Renee Poche, a then 32-year-old veterinarian, and Carter Wall, a then 30-year-old former football player, were engaged but edited out of the show. Reddit user @BipityBopityBooo started the thread “Release the Renee Cut,” in which fans picked apart details from the show that seemed to confirm the engagement, like Renee's presence at the bridal dress store.
TikTok users also got into the investigation, with one user showing clips from the show that they believed had Poche wearing an engagement ring.
But the speculation is over, as Poche confirmed her engagement with Wall in an interview with PopSugar.
What happened with Renee Poche and Carter Wall's engagement?
Poche revealed after the season aired that she and Wall were, in fact, engaged in the pods and then chosen to be followed by the crew afterward.
The couple went to Mexico and were filmed all the way up to the altar, where Poche ultimately turned Wall down.
"We were very excited about everything, and things went really well in Mexico as well," Poche told PopSugar. "We were always very pleasant, funny, happy, and enjoyed each other’s company. But 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."
Poche, at the time, didn't realize her content would be eliminated entirely. She was only told that their relationship wouldn't be "a big focus" and that timing was an issue.
"I was just as shocked as everybody else," she said. "I still thought that possibly we were going to be engaged on the show and then kind of cut down from there."
She said viewers missed out on "so much."
"It was an emotional roller coaster. There were ups and downs. There were tons of funny, even better moments than the few little clips they showed. It would’ve been amazing to watch even through the really rough parts, which I will get into, but not right now," she said.
She's since married another man
Poche confirmed to PopSugar that she married a different man. Poche dismantled fan speculation that she was cut from the show due to the relationship.
"During casting, I was single, and we didn’t film for about eight months after, and I was single that whole time. I think that rumor came from people seeing that I got married later on, so they were like, 'It just has to be that this was during the same time.' But no, I was single, and I even think Carter would say, there were other issues, maybe, but definitely not that," she said.
She said she and her husband, who would prefer to remain private, met on a dating app and connected the fall after "Love Is Blind" finished filming.
What the couples got engaged, but weren't shown, on 'Love Is Blind' Season 5?
Paige Tillman and Josh Simmons got engaged on Season Five of the show, but didn't proceed into marriage. They shared their story in a joint Instagram post Oct. 3.
Tran Dang and Thomas Smith were not shown on “Love Is Blind” Season Five and were not listed as part of the official cast.
However, a lawsuit revealed that Dang and Smith participated in filming for Season Five. Dang sued her ex-fiancé Smith as well as the production companies behind “Love Is Blind,” Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, for sexual assault.
In the lawsuit, which was first filed in August 2022 and is ongoing, she also alleges producers imprisoned her and acted with negligence during filming.
The producers, Coelen and Smith, via his lawyer, denied the allegations. Smith’s lawyer said the firm does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Why is Renee Poche suing Netflix?
Poche’s lawsuit comes months after Delirium filed a $4 million lawsuit against her in October 2023. According to documents obtained by NBC News, Delirium filed its lawsuit soon after Poche publicly spoke about her time on the show.
In a statement given to TODAY.com, Poche explained why she chose to break her contract and speak publicly.
“My experience on Love is Blind was traumatic. I felt like a prisoner and had no support when I let Delerium (sic) know that I didn’t feel safe. I tried to deal with these emotions over time, and eventually felt like I needed to share what had happened. I felt it was only right to let others know the truth of what all of the cast mates had to endure. In return for this, I am now being sued for $4 million despite earning only $8,000 for my participation on the show. I believe Delerium (sic) is trying to silence the abuse that occurs behind the cameras and ruin me for telling the truth,” she said.
Poche's lawsuit said Wall was "emotionally abusive" during their relationship and "lied about almost everything" in his life.
The lawsuit states that upon joining the series, Wall was “unemployed with a negative balance in his bank account, homeless, violent, estranged from his family, and actively addicted to drugs and alcohol.”
During their engagement, the lawsuit states Wall “regularly berated Poole,” “stole from the set or places they visit,” and was “emotionally abusive on and off camera,” among other allegations.
The lawsuit said defendants Netflix and Delirium “made it clear” that Poche would be hit with legal action if she were to drop out of production. Poche, the lawsuit said, “was placed in a dangerous situation from which she had no escape.”
