Despite what anyone (including Ashley’s dad) might think, Love Is Blind’s Alex would like to make one thing clear: “I’m more than an ex-athlete who’s chasing sex.”
Prior to joining the Season 10 roster, the former all-American soccer star had his future clearly mapped out with a long professional career on the field ahead. However, after four knee surgeries benched his dreams, Alex faced an identity shift that rocked his world and extended into his dating life.
Entering the pods without his first love of soccer, Alex faced a new opponent: not being able to see his dates on the other side of the wall. The experiment of blindly searching for a lifelong teammate — in the form of a fiancée — forced him out of his comfort zone in a way soccer could never prepare him for.
While Alex quickly found an emotional connection with Ashley in the pods — and sparks flew upon their reveal — challenges lay ahead for the couple, both in Mexico and back in Ohio. Keep reading to learn more about Alex, including what was behind his post-pod clashes with Ashley, why the meeting with her father went off the rails, and how he navigated leaving his soccer career behind.
Alex’s first word as a baby was “ball,” and he fell in love with soccer as a 4-year-old, with the sport at the center of his life since. On the Wake Forest soccer team, he earned a scholarship and all-American honors, and he was the first goalie selected in the 2017 Major League Soccer draft. However, injuries derailed his pro prospects, and he had to pivot both professionally and personally.
“I was ready to go play soccer for the rest of my days,” he says. “That’s all I wanted. What people don’t understand is that [without it] every part of your identity is removed.”
Looking for a home and career that would keep him fulfilled, Alex began a nomadic journey that proved challenging for relationships. Even talking to women was difficult since he didn’t know what to say about himself once soccer was gone.
Job prospects became an ongoing contentious topic for Alex and Ashley. As a day trader, Alex was able to jump from job to job, finding new roles quickly. But Ashley’s current career as a claims manager didn’t offer the same immediate flexibility, much Alex’s disappointment.
After they left the pods, Alex seemed surprised — and somewhat offended — that Ashley wasn’t able to find a new job upon returning to Ohio. “I’ve kind of been proving that I’m living this lifestyle, and I think that was never fully understood from her perspective,” Alex says. “Do I blame her for that? No. I probably need to be a little bit better at communicating that to her, but I think she can probably be a little bit better at receiving that message and understanding where I’m coming from.”
After getting engaged in the pods, there were instant sparks when Alex and Ashley met in person for the first time. However, in Mexico there seemed to be a shift in their feelings. The topic of intimacy came up with multiple couples, but for Alex and Ashley it seemed a mighty struggle.
While they tried to get on the same page regarding potential next steps after Mexico —mainly what state they would live in, as Alex had job prospects in multiple locations — the physical aspects of their relationship proved challenging.
“The intimacy kind of tapers off, and that becomes an issue later on,” Alex says. “I know at the beginning it looks like we can’t keep our hands off each other. You haven’t seen anyone in two weeks, and you’re building this emotional connection with somebody, so you’re going to have that intimacy.”
It was clear both in Mexico and back in Ohio that Alex and Ashley weren’t on the same page. Upon re-entering reality at home, Love Is Blind couples often disagree about topics like household chores, finances, and past relationships. But Alex and Ashley battled over something as small as 12 ounces.
Among their many disputes, the now-infamous water bottle fight was a surprising one. After grocery shopping, Alex seemed to take offense at how Ashley rearranged water bottles in their refrigerator. While small in stature, the water bottle seemed to represent a larger issue for the couple.
“The water bottle is a microcosm,” Alex says. “This is a symptom of the actual issue.”
While the couple is ultimately able to overcome the challenges and continue their journey toward the altar, heated conversations arose about careers, Alex’s romantic timeline, and more. “I’m not saying you’re a control freak,” Alex tells Ashley. “I’m saying I want some space to operate here, so I feel at home too, and if I’m not meeting your standard, then tell me.”
Alex mentioned multiple times that although he was attracted to Ashley, his previous type looked a bit different physically. In Mexico, after meeting the other couples, there was a conversation with Brittany that seemed flirtatious in nature. So what was the real story?
Alex and Brittany sat alone and talked about the challenges they both faced with the lack of intimacy with their respective fiancés. While Alex insists the conversation was platonic, he does tell Brittany that she’s more his physical type.
“Does it look flirting? Yes,” he admits. “But when I go back and talk to Ashley later, in my head, it wasn’t flirting.” Alex — who’s friends with Brittany’s fiancé, Devo — mentions to Ashley that he thinks Brittany and Devo need to work on their intimacy issues.
“Is she closer to my original physical type? Yes,” Alex says of Brittany. “Am I attracted to her like that right now? No. I’m very open about liking Latina women who are fit with brown eyes and tan skin. I’m well aware. This is Love Is Blind, so my whole purpose of going on this was to see if I could get past that.”
Meeting your future in-laws is an important step in the engagement process on Love Is Blind. It has the potential to put the fiancés at ease or, in some cases, add more tension. While Ashley had a positive experience meeting Alex’s mom, it didn’t go as well with Ashley’s dad and Alex.
“That was a wild conversation for me,” Alex says. “In my past, I’ve obviously met my girlfriend’s parents. They’ve always been, ‘Hey, welcome to the family!’ while still obviously a bit reticent or hesitant. They wanted to see who I was as a person and give me that opportunity to show that. This one, I didn’t feel like it was there. There were a number of moments that felt potentially premeditated against me.”
These moments included pressing Alex on past relationships, his nomadic lifestyle and career trajectory, his overall intentions with Ashley, and even the current price of cryptocurrency. While any father would likely question the motives of his daughter’s potential suitor, Ashley’s dad — a divorce attorney — didn’t make things easy for Alex.
“You’re coming at me pretty heavily in that moment to answer your question directly,” Alex adds. “I’m trying to balance, ‘Am I going to marry this girl? Is this going to be my long-term father-in-law? How do I handle this situation?’ Because if we’re going to have a relationship, this is difficult.”
To find out how the rest of Alex and Ashley’s journey unfolds, tune into the next batch of Love Is Blind episodes now, as the couple head back to Ohio and closer to the aisle.
