Chelsea did not deserve all the hate, and this is my hill!!!
The Love Is Blind Season 6 contestant broke down exactly what her relationship with Jimmy was like behind the scenes, and I feel vindicated.
Greg Gayne/Netflix
Many Love Is Blind fans reacted harshly to Chelsea, dubbing her an "insecure bitch" or claiming that she "emotionally tortured" Jimmy — rallying to his defense as the season continued.
Courtesy of Netflix
Chelsea, subsequently, was cast by some fans as the sole villain in the relationship, despite a mountain of red flags from the other side: his blatant lack of affection to her off camera, his desire to be the "leader" in his relationships, his insecurity whenever mildly challenged by Chelsea or Jess, and his reaction when Chelsea said that another couple was stronger.
Courtesy of Netflix
This isn't to say that Chelsea behaved perfectly, but rather that a loud part of the Love Is Blind fandom has a history of condemning women's imperfect behavior disproportionately to their male counterparts (see: Zanab).
Now, Chelsea has given a new interview on the Stress Free SOULutions podcast about how things were behind the scenes, and depending on which side you fall, you will either feel annoyed or annoyed and free.
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When asked about the kitchen scene where Jimmy called Chelsea "clingy," she replied, "There is so much that isn't shown."
As to her thought process at the time, she explained, "We only have three weeks to show each other the kind of husband and wife we're going to be, and I'm getting absolutely nothing from you. Yeah, you're telling me things I want to hear on camera, but your actions are not matching your words. For me to speak up about that, I have zero regrets. I'm getting absolutely trashed for being insecure and emotional — I spoke up to my partner about how he was making me feel, and the world is acting like they were there."
Courtesy of Netflix
"He was on his phone all the time, the only time he gave me affection and love was on camera," she continued, saying that the filming sessions from 5–10 p.m. all day would be the only moments he would be loving toward her. "I think the delivery on my end wasn't good, but what you don't see is the delivery on his end wasn't good either."
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She further clarified that Jimmy would leave the townhouse they shared to work from his own apartment, providing some context for her asking what he was doing during work hours.
Chelsea said that their relationship was strong in the Dominican Republic, but moving in together and getting their phones was when things soured — a pace that Jimmy apparently called "too fast." She said, "I had to tread very lightly with what I said around him because he was so concerned for his image."
Courtesy of Netflix
"There is a reason I was getting that validation, because off camera he was not good," she said, saying that the ups and downs of their relationship was "emotionally draining."
When it came to their on-screen arguments, Chelsea said that Jimmy's rebuttals were often not shown. "Of course, it gets me irked. He was being defensive and trying to make himself look good and make me look bad. He was saying all these hurtful things," she added, noting that her parents called him a "salesman" to his face.
Courtesy of Netflix
"The big argument" came the day Jimmy met her parents, and Chelsea apologized for the manner in which she approached their discussion and the effect of alcohol. "The night before, this is not shown, and it's not talked about at all, he asked if he could stay at his town house; he said, 'Would you care if I stay at my own place?' I said no, I had a little wine night with the girls, I'll go chill by myself," she recalled.
Courtesy of Netflix
"He FaceTimed me in bed saying he was so tired and we hang up, I just get [home], two minutes go by, and he butt dials me. I hear all his friends in his apartment, all the girls, everyone talking about the next bar they're going to," she continued, saying she was in "disbelief" and "dumbfounded" over the call she said took place at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday.
Greg Gayne/Netflix
Chelsea then said that she texted Jimmy over the incident, which she called "one of our biggest issues." The following night, according to Chelsea, was the same night where Jeramey and Sarah Ann "met up." She continued, "I'm getting messages like, 'Hey, we see Jimmy, where are you?'" while Jimmy was "raging" — a far cry from the "cheese and wine night" social life he claimed on the show.
Greg Gayne/Netflix
When it came to Jimmy's two female friends, she said that the fact that they were women didn't affect her. Instead, she said, "What bothers me is that there's no boundaries and there was no respect. They were FaceTiming, and they were calling, and they were texting, all day every day. He would need her advice for certain things in our relationship."
Courtesy of Netflix
"He would go out with them often, and I would always ask like — okay, I'm going to go out with my girls, you and your girls do your thing and maybe we meet up later so that you can meet my friends. He never would. This went on, and on, and on, multiple times," she continued.
Courtesy of Netflix
Initially, Chelsea thought that she would be "dragged" for staying with someone "so disrespectful." Indeed, it was his on-camera declarations that encouraged her to stay, as she said, "If he put the amount of effort that it looks like he's putting in, we could have totally made it."
Courtesy of Netflix
Alright, now go fight in the comments.
You can listen to the full interview here.