This article contains spoilers aboutLove Is Blindseason 10, episodes 1-9.
Love Is Blindseason 10 star Chris Fusco hasn't watched the latest batch of episodes yet, but he's ready to address all those jaw-dropping moments.
Episodes 7 through 9 feature not onlythe end of his engagement with Jessica Barrettin one of the show's hardest-to-watch breakup scenes yet, but also the fallout from his behavior. He told Jessica he's used to dating women who do Pilates and CrossFit, and that he had an issue with their physical connection because she doesn't work out every day. He slid into Brianna McNees' DMs after the breakup, despite an apparent friendship with her fiancé, Connor Spies. Chris created an Instagram account to post a photo at a strip club the night of his breakup with Jessica — with a dancer in his lap, no less.
Yeah, it's a lot. AndEntertainment Weeklyspoke to Chris about all of it.
"I made some mistakes. I'll own those mistakes," Chris tells EW. "And I met an amazing person through this journey, so it's hard for me to say I would regret the experience."
Chris adds that he's "not really too worried" about what the blowback will be once people see what happens in these episodes.
"People are entitled to their own opinion," he says. "Everyone's going to say what they want to say. It's something I can't control. I don't concern my day with things that I can't control. I can only move forward and look ahead."
But he does have a message to everyone watching this season: "I would just say I'm a real person. I'm not just a storyline. You see a few weeks of someone's life and it's cut up into certain pieces, and I don't know if the full context is shown all the time. I'm not a perfect human being, and I tried to go through this experiment the best way I knew I could."
Below, Chris addresses everything that went down in this week's batch of episodes, including his "body-shaming" comments to Jessica, sliding into Bri's DMs, his "friendship" with Connor, that strip club photo, and so much more.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you start to realize that you weren't attracted to Jessica?
CHRIS FUSCO:Interesting wording. I wouldn't say I wasn't attracted to her. I started realizing maybe we had certain lifestyle differences, and things or preferences that I've had in the past become more relevant as we spent more time together. We had such a deep emotional connection in the pods and it translated over into Mexico, I would say. I started really feeling like maybe I should mention something or say something to her, [which is] kind of what happened in that breakup scene when we got back to our hometown.
In that breakup scene, you tell Jessica that you date women who do CrossFit and Pilates and work out every day, "women with a different type of... " She finishes your sentence and says, "Different type of body?" What did you mean by that?
Yeah, I mean, looking back, I definitely would've expressed the words that came out of my mouth differently. I really just wanted to be completely honest with her about how I was feeling. I respect Jessica so much, still, and she such an amazing person, where I felt like I didn't want to make anything up. I felt like maybe just being super direct and honest about how I felt was the best route at the time, and just explaining what I'm normally attracted to physically without... because I mean, on the show, we're meeting someone based on emotional connection, so we're doing it pretty much backwards than the normal dating life.
What did you think of how she reacted to your words?
I think she has every right to be upset. It's just a hard thing to say. I really wasn't trying to be hurtful. I really wasn't trying to [have] any [malicious] intention behind it. Looking back, like I said, I would've chosen my words differently, and just would've expressed how I felt in that moment differently. But I think she has every right to be a little upset about the way I brought it up. I haven't seen the episode yet — I lived it, but it was also a year ago.
If you could go back and redo that moment, what would you have said differently?
I definitely would approach it with a little more empathy, maybe a slighter tone, considering her feelings with those words. And my intention was not to say she was this horrible person, or anything about body-shaming, or anything like that. That wasn't my intention. It was just to explain how I was feeling at the time with our current connection that wasn't emotional.
I'm glad that you brought up the term body-shaming. Do you think that people will be wrong to interpret that conversation as you body-shaming Jessica?
I think people are going to interpret it however they want to interpret it, and they're going to have feelings about however they want to feel. But that wasn't my intention. I should have chosen my words differently, so I will agree with that.
It seemed like you thought the relationship was going to continue after that conversation, but when a woman hears that a man isn't attracted to her body, that's pretty much game over. Were you shocked that she wanted to end the relationship immediately after that talk?
I don't know if I was shocked. I just wasn't sure what was happening during that moment because she got up, walked away, and I have no idea what she was going through or saying. I figured it's a hard thing to recover from. We're engaged, we had this crazy, incredible time in the pods, and I just wasn't sure where everything was at, and everything was happening very fast. I was just trying to see how it would land and how she would respond, because we had such an amazing emotional connection where I wasn't sure what was to follow after I just brought up some of these concerns.
What happened after she walked out of the apartment?
I think they told me, "Hey, she's done. She's left the show. Your time on the show is pretty much over from there." There was a conversation I had with Connor who was kind of just telling me, "Hey, you should try this, do this." And then I soon later realized that she wasn't coming back and my experience on the show was over after that conversation, after she left. I just wasn't sure if she left for good, or if she just needed a second and maybe come back and talk more about it.
So you didn't intend for that to be a breakup?
I didn't have a pre-planned like, "Hey, this is going to end everything right now." I was just trying to see, bring up my concerns at the time, and just be honest about how I was feeling, and I wasn't sure how that was going to land.
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You also told her that you were still thinking about your No. 2 person, which is Bri. Did you think you still had a shot with Bri after things ended with Jess?
It's tough to say. I was kind of just trying to lay everything I was feeling out in the time that we had. And that was just one of the things that, I guess, was on my mind. I don't think there was anything in my head where I was like, "I want to start a relationship with Bri while I was in a relationship with Jess."
After things ended with Jess, how long did you wait until you reached out to Bri on social media?
I don't remember.
What was the message you sent her?
I don't remember that either. I honestly couldn't tell you what I said. I mean, it wasn't anything like, "Hey, what are you doing?" If I could remember, I would tell you.
Since your friendship with Connor was such a big part of this season, did you consider how reaching out to his fiancée would impact your friendship?
I wouldn't say my friendship was a big part — maybe it was displayed that way, but I wouldn't say that. I mean, I like Connor. I think he's a great guy. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer that one.
Was reaching out to Bri and re-exploring your connection with her more of a priority than your friendship with Connor?
I didn't think anything at the time as far as, I mean, I think everyone was kind of messaging. There was a group chat going on, and it wasn't anything as far as messaging her like, "Hey, leave Connor," or something.
I know you haven't seen the episodes yet, but the reason I'm bringing it up is because at the pod reunion mixer, we see you telling Bri that if you had pursued her harder, you'd be with her, and she wouldn't be with Connor. You say you "f---ed up" by not being with her. It felt like you were actively pursuing her while she was with Connor, so that's why the messages you sent her on social media are important to discuss.
Sure. Yeah, I mean, I messaged her after the mixer.
What did you send her after the mixer?
The mixer itself... that was an interesting experience, but I take full accountability for everything I said at the mixer. At the mixer, it was more of a thing where I was single. Jess has already left the show, they told me. I left the show. They said, "Hey, you're off the show. Come back here to this mixer. We want to invite you here." At the time, I just felt I had another moment to talk to Bri. And then after the mixer itself, I sent her a message later that night.
Were you trying to reignite your connection with her?
I don't think so. It was more just a moment. It wasn't like a mission.
At the mixer, the women said that you made an Instagram account just to post a photo at a strip club the night you and Jess broke up. What's the story there?
I was single. And strip clubs aren't illegal.
You told Bri that if you had "turned up the notch" with her in the pods, then she would be with you instead of Connor. However, we saw that Bri broke up with you in the pods. What do you think you could have done differently to end up with Bri?
Looking back, I don't think I could have done anything differently. I just don't think we had an actual emotional connection that could have actually lasted. Maybe it was just more like, "I think you might be attractive." I don't think it was anything that would've been an actual connection.
What are your relationships like with Jess, Connor, and Bri today?
We don't talk that much. I saw them maybe eight months after filming, and everyone was pretty cordial. Look, I don't know Connor and Bri that well besides the show, and there's always a camera on you or a microphone attached to you, so I don't really know them off the cuff, their family relationships, their friends. But I can tell you, I think Jess is literally the nicest human being ever. She's so genuine where, when I saw her eight months after filming, we talked for a little bit, talked about, "I'm kind of nervous, you're kind of nervous," that kind of thing. And she's just the sweetest person ever.
Do you regret going on the show knowing how it all ended for you?
I don't regret going on the show at all. I came into this experiment with an open mindset and with the opportunity to find love and to find that person you want to spend the rest of your life with. And emotional connection is a huge part of it, and I welcome that opportunity with open arms, but there's other factors that are involved with real life. Unfortunately it didn't work out the way I was hoping the first couple of weeks I was there, but I don't regret the experience.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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Love Is Blindseason 10 releases episodes 10-11 on Feb. 25, and the finale on March 4 on Netflix.
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