“Nancy’s Candid Reflection on Love’s Illusions and Her Surprising Encounter with Bartise – The Current State of Affairs”

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Nancy Rodriguez expresses her perspective on the current state of her friendship with her ex-fiancé Bartise Bowden, indicating a lack of perceived advantages in maintaining their bond.

This post contains spoilers from the season 3 finale of Love Is Blind.
Nancy Rodriguez from Love Is Blind was not prepared for the tumultuous events that unfolded on her wedding day with Bartise Bowden.
In the wedding episode, viewers witnessed Nancy, 33, saying “yes” to Bartise at the altar. However, Bartise, 27, was unable to reciprocate those same emotions and ultimately declined to marry the real estate investor.
Nancy was visibly distraught by his decision and walked out of the room. Bartise followed her, intending to have a private conversation, but they were interrupted by Nancy’s angry mother. Bartise pleaded with Nancy’s mother to give them a moment, and the two of them discussed the situation. However, Nancy’s mother and brother returned shortly thereafter, leading to a heated exchange with Bartise.
Despite the dramatic fallout and the heartbreak she experienced, Nancy exclusively tells PEOPLE that she has moved on from Bartise and they now maintain a “respectful” relationship.
“Immediately after the wedding, we took some time apart,” she reveals. “For me, it was clear-cut. He said no, so I walked away. I had to protect myself because I was completely blindsided, and I needed time to process how everything unfolded.”
“Watching the footage, I can understand why it happened,” she continues. “Perhaps in the future, when Bartise is in his 30s, we can be friends. But for now, I don’t see any benefit in maintaining a friendship.”

During their eventful wedding ceremony, Nancy’s mother continuously disrupted Nancy and Bartise’s conversation. In a particularly intense moment, she boldly stated to Nancy, “This man is not prepared for you, he is not equipped to handle who you truly are… because you are simply too much for him.”

Not only did Nancy’s mother insultively refer to Bartise as “stupid,” but she also witnessed her distraught younger brother, who had initially doubted the relationship, break down in tears and confess, “I never wanted to be proven right [about this]!”

Finally finding a brief moment alone, Nancy confessed to Bartise, expressing her surprise by saying, “I never expected you to reject me… you completely deceived and manipulated me.”

In response, Bartise defended himself by admitting, “I didn’t know what my decision would be before today… If I am unsure, then my answer is no.” Despite his earlier suggestion to rekindle their romance, Nancy swiftly dismissed the idea.

She firmly stated, “I made the choice to be with you. You didn’t make the same choice… How can that not be crystal clear? I will not go back on my decision.” Frustrated, she added to the cameras, “My heart is shattered, utterly broken. He blindsided me… There is no point in loving someone who does not love me in return.”

When asked about her family’s reaction, Nancy shared with PEOPLE, “My brother and Bartise are close in age, so my brother understood. And when [Bartise] declined, I had to bury my emotions and immediately told him, ‘It’s alright.’ Those were my first words once we were outside. So my mom and brother fought the battle that I couldn’t fight in that particular moment.”

When Nancy was asked if she regrets her experience on Love Is Blind, she responded by saying that she doesn’t, for the most part. She believes that the person she went through the experience with was meant to be her partner, and she wouldn’t change that. However, she does admit that she wouldn’t do it again with a 25-year-old. Bartise, on the other hand, has no regrets about his time on the show and sees it as a valuable learning experience. He expresses love for his journey with Nancy, despite feeling embarrassed and ashamed of some of his actions when watching it back. He sees it as an opportunity for growth and learning.

Bartise also discusses Nancy’s family’s strong reaction to their relationship, understanding why they were so angry with him. He can empathize with their emotions because he has a younger sister. However, he wanted a moment with Nancy to explain his thoughts and reasons behind his decision, which her family prevented. This frustrated him because he saw it as their moment and felt that her family was getting in the way. He acknowledges that their feelings were justified because Nancy is their baby girl.

Regarding their current relationship, Bartise describes them as acquaintances. He explains that their depiction on Love Is Blind was a rollercoaster, with ups and downs, which has continued after the show. They have transitioned from friends to acquaintances and experienced periods of no communication and even disliking each other. However, they are currently on friendly terms.

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