Kacie McIntosh is standing her ground.
The Love Is Blind season nine star spoke out on her decision to end her engagement with Patrick Suzuki shortly after leaving the pods, denying that the breakup had anything to do with his appearance.
For Kacie, coming face to face with her pod connection made him "feel like more of a stranger."
"It came off wrong," the makeup artist told People in an interview published Oct. 6. "It was like gaslighting and I think that was my biggest regret. Unfortunately, nobody knew what was going through my head. I'm a lover girl. I was like, 'Wait, maybe this could work in Denver.'"
And while Kacie agreed she probably should have been more honest with Patrick about her thought process in the moment, she shut down speculation that the entire ordeal was all for "clout."
"A lot of people are coming after me like I don't deserve love, but I went on," she shared. "I'm 34. I want to share my life with somebody and I thought this show was going to be a really good opportunity to maybe see if I could find a connection with somebody and be with somebody that wasn't just physical."
As for Patrick, the 31-year-old admitted that he was "blindsided" by the sudden breakup.
“I had a range of thoughts,” he told People in an interview published Oct. 3. “Is it because I'm ugly? Is it because I'm not cool? Is it because I'm too much? Is it because she already had a boyfriend? Is it because she wanted to be famous?”
Ultimately, however, the construction manager—who detailed his insecurities around dating as an Asian man in a largely white community on the show—expressed feeling grateful for the experience.
“It definitely cleaned up a lot of insecurities,” he explained to Tudum. “I wouldn’t have [done that] without Kacie. Going through the reveal really helped me break free from everything that I've been dealing with for many, many years.”
New episodes of Love Is Blind drop on Netflix Oct. 8. In the meantime, read on for more about the season nine cast.
Alie
Age: 29
Occupation: Nurse
Anna
Age: 28
Occupation: Hairstylist
Annie
Age: 31
Occupation: Hair Salon Owner
Anastasia
Age: 29
Occupation: Nurse
Anton
Age: 29
Occupation: Transportation/Logistics
Ashley
Age: 35
Occupation: Director of Compliance
Aza
Age: 32
Occupation: Events Manager
Blake
Age: 34
Occupation: Accountant
Brenden
Age: 32
Occupation: Finance Manager
Chase
Age: 29
Occupation: Water Treatment Consultant
Chyna
Age: 39
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Dayo
Age: 30
Occupation: IT Advisor
Dylan
Age: 32
Occupation: Financial Analyst
Edmond
Age: 29
Occupation: Realtor
Hilary
Age: 39
Occupation: Medical Device Sales
Jensen
Age: 29
Occupation: Data Analyst
Joe
Age: 29
Occupation: Sales
Jordan
Age: 30
Occupation: Service Manager
Kacie
Age: 34
Occupation: Hair & Makeup Artist
Kait
Age: 32
Occupation: Registered Dietitian
Kalybriah
Age: 29
Occupation: Social Worker
Kaylen
Age: 29
Occupation: Account Executive
Logan
Age: 35
Occupation: Account Executive
Madison
Age: 28
Occupation: UX/UI Designer
Megan H.
Age: 36
Occupation: Property Manager
Megan W.
Age: 35
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Michael
Age: 41
Occupation: Medical Sales
Mike
Age: 38
Occupation: Real Estate Investor
Nick
Age: 28
Occupation: Luxury Watch Dealer
Patrick
Age: 31
Occupation: Construction Manager