A whole knew cast of hopefuls are taking a risk for marital bliss in The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2. The show is a spin-off of The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, with the first season of Queer Love debuting in 2023. Now we’re back with 12 new hopefuls who are willing to go through trial marriages as a means of seeing if love is truly blind. Wait. Wrong show. They’re here to see if their current partner is the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with. Or, will a new connection threaten everything they’ve built?
Join us for our breakdown of Episodes 8 through 10 of The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2. And if you need a little refresher on who is who, head over to Netflix here. Also, here’s our breakdown of Episodes 1 through 7 The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2.
1. Which couple were you most shocked got engaged or didn’t?
Lizzie: I’m not shocked Marita and Ashley didn’t get engaged, because they just never seemed to be seeing eye to eye, and you can’t change how someone expresses love. You can’t. So one of them would have had to compromise a lot. What I am shocked by is that Marie and Mel got engaged, because it seemed like Mel was walking to the slaughterhouse as she did it. It was clear she didn’t want to, and they never really seemed to be on the same page. It was like she was doing it because she thought she had to. So I was shocked, and not so shocked about what happened at the reunion, lol.
Lyra: I’m with Lizzie on this one. I had doubts when I first started The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2. I thought half these people wouldn’t get engaged. But by the time we got to episode 8 I had changed and I knew that Marita and Ashley were going to split and that most of the couples would get engaged. And like Lizzie, i was surprised at Marie and Mel. For me in particular, I thought Mel was going to say “no” after that conversation with Dayna. But maybe that just reinforced in her mind what she wanted to do. That’s why she proposed to Marie.
2. Was there a moment in these 3 episodes that truly surprised you or pulled at your heartstrings?
Lizzie: Haley’s dad! Haley’s dad made me cry. The moment when he told Pilar that he wasn’t just there for Haley, he was also there for her, and then Pilar started crying, and Haley started crying, and then I started crying. It was a thing. I didn’t expect a parent to get me! Especially because Love is Blind has me used to disapproving parents, and he was so open and honest and welcoming, and I know that’s not everyone’s experience, and it especially wasn’t Pilar’s experience, so it meant a lot.
Lyra: Literally put this question here to talk about Haley’s dad. Why didn’t they introduce this man earlier? Oh yeah because we would’ve had this introspective moment from Pilar earlier, avoiding 95% of the confusion we’ve had this season. I think this is what Pilar needed; just some sort of parental figure to acknowledge her existence and accept her for who she is. I truly think this acceptance is what got her to say yes on Ultimatum Day. She’s been holding on so long to her blood relatives that she hasn’t seen the bonds in front of her as clearly. Now she knows that Haley’s dad is there for her too. And yes, I cried during this moment as well. We all just want to be seen.
3. Marita and Ashley had a heated argument during the reunion. What was your reaction to that?
Lizzie: It was very uncomfortable to watch because I don’t think we had enough context for why Marita was so mad, and she was very, very rude to Ashley, who in that moment didn’t feel like she deserved it. There’s clearly more that happened there than we’ve been privy to, and I don’t want to just blame Marita for having emotions, but there are ways to have emotions without lashing out, and I think she just didn’t handle this well. I was put off by it, truly.
Lyra: The entire time I’ve been watching The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2 I’ve been wondering why Marita and Ashley were on this show. Because they never had any problems besides having different love languages. And they always spoke about arguments that they would have, with Ashley mentioning that their first week back together was terrible. All that time, I didn’t get it because we didn’t see these blowouts. Now I do.
The way that Marita came at Ashley was vile, cruel, and really made me wonder what things didn’t end up on the final cut of Season 2. Because if Marita was willing to tell Ashley that she hated her and she didn’t care about her dying grandparent during a reunion with everyone, what was she saying behind closed doors????
And don’t get me wrong, this could be Marita having enough of Ashley. Maybe Ashley was hitting just as hard as Marita was during this reunion behind closed doors. But it doesn’t excuse Marita for being cruel at the reunion. If the fellow contestants recognized her toxic behavior and told Marita to stop, then viewers at home were definitely catch onto her as well.
4. Everyone was catching strays from Marie. Why was she so angry?
Lizzie: I’ll start by saying that Marie has a right to be angry. She was lied to by Mel, and then Mel kinda made her look like a fool by still proposing to her. And then if Marie hadn’t broken up with Mel, then what? She would have only found out about Mel and Dayna watching the show? I can understand her anger and that she felt humiliated. Especially because she just didn’t have as strong a connection with AJ during the trial marriage as she expected to have, so she didn’t really feel supported. But I think she was so mad she ended up lashing out at everyone, even people who had absolutely nothing to do with her issues.
Lyra: I think Marie is seething because she feels robbed and humiliated. She acme into this experience hoping to get some clarity with Mel and start a trial marriage. And while other trial couples were exploring their bonds, it kind of just seemed like Marie was floating, nothing happening between her and AJ. There wasn’t even friendship building between them like what happened between Britney and Marita. And then on top of that, knowing that Mel lied to her, she had enough.
I do think… Marie was taking it a bit too far with her lashing out. What was up with the brussel sprouts? Also, why was she intruding in other people’s arguments? Yes, stand up for your friends, but she wasn’t even being addressed and she took charge. But again, she was feeling robbed and humiliated. And her presence there was giving, “This was in my contract. That’s why I’m here.”
5. Who was the real villain of The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2?
Lizzie: Dayna. I appreciate that she took accountability during the reunion, and I hope for her sake and for her relationship that she really is trying to grow and that she took notice of the way she acted and came off. But she felt like she was manipulating everyone at all times, including Magan. It was just uncomfortable to watch her.
Lyra: Dayna was the villain of The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2. Not taking into account the reunion, I felt like she was gaslighting Magan as if Dayna was the only person who understood her, truly saw her, and was there to protect her. It felt like she was trying to isolate Magan by making her doubt her own feelings or the ways that she’d grown. And if Dayna was a man, we would calling out that behavior in a heartbeat. As for the reunion, maybe watching herself on screen shocked her. Maybe she has grown. I hope she has and has taken the show as the way she shouldn’t be acting with her partner.
6. Is issuing an ultimatum something that works?
Lizzie: Hell, no. Reality TV might trick you into thinking that this is a good idea, but in truth, this is probably a death knell for any type of relationship. Like, kudos to the couples that survived this, but I wouldn’t be able, and I don’t think I would even want to. But then again, I also wouldn’t sign up for any kind of reality show, but keep watching them, so…
Lyra: No. Giving someone an ultimatum when it comes to marriage isn’t a good idea. It’s manipulative even if reality TV makes you lock in and watch a show like this. Either go to therapy or break up. If an ultimatum is all you have to shock someone to decide to be with you or not, do you really have them in the first place?
7. How does this reunion rate in comparison to all other Netflix reality TV show reunions? How does it compare to other reality TV?
Lizzie: One of the best reunions ever, truly. I take back what I said about you, JoAnna, can you take over for Nick and Vanessa? I mean, I know she was helped by the fact that people actually came into this willing to talk, but you also have to ask the questions, and she did! And well, the reunion delivered the drama all around. Worth it.
Lyra: This reunion was willlllld and other Netflix reunions should take note. This is how you address things and keep people locked in. And other reality TV shows, I’m looking at you Love Island USA, can learn from this show. Because The Ultimatum: Queer Love entertained me more in one episode than the entire 25+ episodes we’ve had of Season 7 of Love Island USA. I said, what I said.
8. Now that it’s over, what do you think about JoAnna Garcia Swisher as host?
Lizzie: I still think this show would be better off with a queer female-presenting host, BUT as I said before, I think JoAnna can take over for Nick and Vanessa on Love is Blind and we would all be better off! She didn’t shy away from any issues, and she was kind and empathetic, clearly even at times we didn’t see if the contestants felt like they needed to point it out.
Lyra: Like we talked about in our breakdown of The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2: Episodes 1-7, this show needs a queer host. But, I do like that the women of this show took a second to address JoAnna’s presence in the show. She’s straight but standing on business by hosting this show. Sometimes, seeing someone like JoAnna on a show like this is enough to get people (who are also straight) through the door and checking out this show and queer experiences. And that counts for something.
The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2 Episodes 8-10 are available on Netflix.
