Love Is Blind brought together the largest group of singles in the series’ history for Season 8, so it only makes sense that the pods are overflowing with love stories. 

Fans watched multiple pod-posals unfold, as five Minneapolis couples got engaged sight unseen. But as in many seasons past, there was even more love that the cameras didn’t capture, including the relationship blossoming between Kylie and Brian. They might not have made it to the romantic retreat, but the pair weren’t deterred by the change of plans, forging ahead on their own. “Ultimately, we went on Love Is Blind to find love — and we did just that,” Kylie tells Tudum. “The experiment worked for us, and now we get to write our own story.” 

Below, the two speak for the first time about their journey, including what drew them together in the pods and their reactions to not being chosen as one of the final couples. 

Both Kylie and Brian were drawn to Love Is Blind for similar reasons. As a self-described “risk-taker,” Brian was ready to take a leap of faith to find love after pouring his attention into his wine bar business for the past few years. “This seemed right down my alley,” he says. Plus, he was all too familiar with the ins and outs of connecting with strangers after overseeing various speed-dating events. For Kylie, a medical student, who had little to no room in her life for dating, the opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. “The idea of finding a husband and getting married in [the] short amount of time that I had off from school just sounded like something that could work for me,” she says. 

Before she was approached to join Season 8, however, Kylie, had never even heard of Love Is Blind, entering the experiment with few preconceived notions about what might lie ahead. “I fast-forwarded through past episodes to see what to wear, and obviously I didn’t do my research,” she says, poking fun at the internet’s reaction to her arrival outfit. 

After a few less-than-stellar pod dates, Brian “knew right away” that Kylie was his perfect match. “The connection felt really effortless. We had a very similar sense of humor and everything really flowed naturally,” he says. “After we aligned on the important aspects of life, we didn’t really take things too seriously and just had fun together.” As a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan, Kylie had only one deal-breaker heading into the pods: “Packers fans all got crossed out.” Once Brian passed that test, it was all green lights, especially given their similar backgrounds and beliefs. “We definitely hit it off with the small-town connection right away,” says Kylie. “We basically both [grew up] in the middle of nowhere and come from farming families.” 

Their connection deepened over the course of more dates — particularly thanks to Kylie’s extensive note-taking. “I was getting all the information and asking all the questions,” she says. Brian, meanwhile, never doubted that he’d leave the pods without Kylie by his side, adding, “It would’ve taken some catastrophe for us not to get out of there together.” While she hesitated about not getting her father’s approval before the proposal, once Brian got down on one knee, it was an immediate yes.

When it was time for the big reveal, both were working with a few breadcrumbs about what could be waiting behind the doors. “We did say that we probably thought that we would look like siblings,” jokes Kylie, adding that she let slip that Brian shouldn’t worry about his future wife towering over him — even in heels. “I’m short, so I had to set your expectations.” While Brian had an idea about she might look like, the moment was overwhelming. “I was super nervous, but I remember thinking, in a few minutes, I won’t be at all,” he says. “When I saw Kylie, that certainly was the case.” For the record, Kylie was quietly thrilled when she laid eyes on Brian for the first time. “The lights were so bright, so I couldn’t see anything at first, but as we got closer, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s cute.’ For some reason, I was keeping my expectations low.”

However, the pair were not selected as one of the couples who would head to Honduras for the next phase of the experiment.

For Brian, that came as a relief. “It felt almost like a weight off our shoulders,” he says. “Now we can do our own thing and figure out our lives on our own.” Kylie was admittedly disappointed that their on-camera journey was cut short. “You go on this experiment, and it’s such a unique and intense experience,” she says. “Obviously, you do want to see your story reflected.” Both have wondered why they weren’t selected, fielding plenty of theories from fans and online sleuths. “People are like, ‘Well, this couple must be boring,’ or, ‘Producers must not have seen it working out for them,’” says Kylie. “But obviously it did … Sometimes [people question if] this is a real process. It definitely is.” 

So real, in fact, that as soon as they left the experiment to head home, they shared a moment pulled straight from a classic rom-com. Kylie, who arrived at the airport before Brian, quickly realized that he was going to miss his flight. With her bags checked and the other women from the pod squad all set to board, she made a game-time decision. “I just turned around [in the security line] and went back for him,” she recalls. “I ran down the escalator, found Brian, and we missed our flights together. We spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to get back to Minnesota and did an airport bar crawl.”

Never more certain that they were meant to be together, the couple eventually made it home –– only to jet to Mexico on their own romantic getaway 24 hours later. “Obviously you don’t think [your story is not going to be followed], but we always talked about going somewhere regardless,” she says. Once they returned to the Minnesota cold, Kylie and Brian — just like the five couples who continued in the experiment — discovered how to blend their lives together. They’ve come to depend on their fellow pod squad members for support, too. “I think the relationships [we’ve all formed] are closer than some of the other seasons,” Kylie says. “Minneapolis is a pretty small town and most people probably live within five miles of each other.”

Of course, they’re curious about what lies ahead for the other Season 8 couples, watching along with the rest of the fans. “There’s a lot of cringe and a lot of learning about friends, and seeing how the story unfolds,” Brian says.

As for what their lives look like now, the two are happy to report that they’ve embraced the rhythms of a normal relationship, including trips to Texas to see Kylie’s sister and spending time with their families every other weekend. “We just do things that normal couples do,” she says. “We now have this unique opportunity to let things grow organically.” 

While the other Love Is Blind Season 8 couples are just days away from their wedding ceremonies, Kylie and Brian aren’t feeling the pressure to tie the knot anytime soon. “We don’t have a time constraint,” she says. “We’re just letting things happen as they do and giving ourselves space to do things at whatever pace we choose.”

Curious about where all the other Season 8 couples stand heading into the finale? Check out our official status update to find out who is still together before the pod squad comes together for the first time at the upcoming reunion. 

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