Why exactly did Morrey leave the pods so abruptly in Love Is Blind Season 11? Lucky for us, the self-proclaimed Swiftie remembers it all too well.

Perhaps more than any other single, Morrey exudes the type of BBE — big Boston energy — you’d expect from a Love Is Blind season set in Bean Town. As he tells his strongest connection, Sarah, on their second pod date, no, he doesn’t sport track jackets like Ben Affleck in The Town. But he’s quickly labeled “the Boston guy” by the other members of the pod squad. 

There’s no denying that Morrey’s innate Boston-ness makes him stand out. Plus, he does have a softer side that’s easily unlocked by listening to his all-time favorite album, Red. This charming combination is exactly what draws his dates in, including Sarah, whom he gets very close to before his unexpected exit. “I really didn’t see myself with anybody else,” he tells Tudum. “I fell for her very, very hard.”

Though Sarah describes Morrey as more “boisterous” than the guys she typically goes for, she enjoys the banter and recognizes that he’s got depth, too. So why didn’t it work out? Keep reading to hear from Morrey about his decision to leave, what it was like to be “love-bombed” by Benita, and who else he dated in the pods. 

Heading into the Love Is Blind experiment, Morrey (and his group of buddies back home) was skeptical that he could find love in the pods. Quickly, though, he realized that the intensity of the process was exactly what a guarded guy like himself needed to open up. “I had conversations with girls in there that I’ve never had with a significant other because your walls get broken down,” he explains. “By the end of Day 1 or 2, I was like, ‘I’m going to get married.’”

Specifically, Morrey believed he would marry Sarah. Admittedly, he liked all 16 women he talked to that first day — look no further than the stars next to everyone’s names in his notebook as evidence. But something about his first date with Sarah stood out. “I wrote down, ‘I’ve got to see her again,’” he says. “I thought I put on a really good performance with all of my dates besides Sarah. I was almost nervous.” 

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Morrey felt like Sarah could immediately see through his humor, which he’s well aware is a defense mechanism. In spite of the initial nerves — or maybe because of them — he immediately felt comfortable talking with the down-to-earth woman on the other side of the wall. “We just started connecting on a deeper level,” he says. “She really felt safe. She was really listening. She cared. She was asking genuine questions that people haven’t really asked me.” Morrey even talked a lot about his late father, which is usually very difficult for him. Plus, Sarah just had a great voice. “What a voice. She should narrate books on tape.”

Yet Sarah wasn’t the only person Morrey opened up to in the pods. “I was also falling for Erika a little bit,” he says, adding that the two even shared a particularly emotional moment that wasn’t shown. “I cried one time, and it was with Erika.” Morrey built a connection with Benita as well. She seemed like a “guy’s girl” who got his sense of humor. Having also come from “nothing,” he resonated with and respected the story of how she immigrated to America as a kid. But he felt like she was rushing the process. 

Early on during filming, Love Is Blind creator and producer Chris Coelen encouraged the participants to remain open throughout the entire process. Morrey took that to heart, so even though he liked Benita a lot, he wasn’t about to jump into a commitment. And, though her approach in the pods felt intense at the time, he definitely understands where she was coming from. “Emotions are heightened in there,” he says, recognizing they’re also to blame for his “asshole” Wedding Crashers comment.

On the flip side, when it came to his connection with Sarah, Morrey had to remind himself not to rush the process because his feelings were so deep. Finally, though, when it was time to narrow his matches down to two, he was ready to swing for the fences like Carl Yastrzemski. 

Sarah and Morrey had connected over music, which is extremely important to him because a lot of artists — yes, including Taylor Swift — help him access and process his emotions. One of the musicians they bonded over was George Strait, who sings the song “Check Yes or No.” “I had written a little note that said, ‘Check yes or no,’” he explains. “So I was going to ask her, ‘Hey, I’m not asking you to marry me, but will you be my girlfriend?’” Before he could give her the note, though, Sarah told him she felt strongly about someone else. “I never sent it over,” he says. And, for Morrey, that was it. 

“I really sat down and thought about it, and it was just her for me. I’d already chosen [Sarah]. I really liked Erika, but I had made my decision,” he says. “I liked other people, but nothing was ever close to as strong as it was with [Sarah] for me. I fell for her very, very hard. I want the best for her. I have zero hard feelings at all.”

Morrey believes that, in the past, he probably could have faked it with another connection and gotten down on one knee. But it got so real for him in the pods that pretending was no longer an option. For that, he credits the experiment and, of course, Sarah. “I learned a lot from her in that experience, and I’ve taken some things with me. It’s really helped me grow,” he says, before tacking on a joke so the conversation doesn’t get too serious: “My doctor said I’m still growing. I’m 6-foot-5, and she said I’m going to be 6-foot-6 by the end of the year.”

Aww, Watch All 11 Seasons of these  Love Is Blind Couples Meet Face-to-Face for the First TimeWe’re not crying, you’re crying!