Uche Revealed Why He Wasn’t At The Love Is Blind Reunion

No matter what happens during a season of Love Is Blind, you can almost always count on the contestants to attend the reunion — even if it’s by Zoom. But during the Season 5 reunion, which dropped on Oct. 15 on Netflix, there was one conspicuous absence: Uche Okoroha.

“Uche was invited to the reunion today,” co-host Nick Lachey announced during the special. “And he chose not to be a part of this.”

If he had shown up, there would have been much for him to discuss, as Uche’s relationships with Lydia Velez Gonzalez and Aaliyah Cosby were at the center of some major Season 5 drama. Fans will remember that Uche and Lydia had dated prior to the show, while he and Aaliyah forged a connection during the series that ultimately fell apart.

Uche addressed his absence in an Instagram story on Oct. 16, but before then, the cast had plenty to say about his decision to skip out on the reunion — both during the special itself, and in interviews with Bustle.

Finally, Uche Explained His Absence

Since the show began airing, Uche has made several claims via his Instagram stories, including that Lydia followed him onto Love Is Blind, and he and Aaliyah briefly dated after filming. Many fans expected him to address this and more at the reunion — but as he revealed in an Oct. 16 Instagram story post, he was out of town for a business trip during the taping.

“As an entrepreneur, building my company is a big part of my life and it’s taken me 7 years to get where I am now,” he explained. “My time is finite and there was an incredible opportunity that I could not risk missing to record a TV show.”

Uche added that “accountability is important to [him],” and shared his plans to address moments from the reunion “soon.”

Aaliyah And Lydia Weren’t Impressed

During the reunion, Aaliyah and Lydia shared that Uche had texted them both when the season premiered. Lydia said he’d texted her to say that he was “available” to talk if she had any questions — and Aaliyah quickly realized that he’d sent her “the exact same text.”

“Copy and paste,” co-host Vanessa Lachey said. “The man is efficient.”

In a recent interview with Bustle, Lydia said she “knew [Uche] wasn’t going to show up.” As for why Uche claimed Lydia followed him onto Love Is Blind? Lydia said, “he didn’t agree with how he was presented” and wanted a “clear image” on the show.

“At the end of the day, I got my biggest reward for staying true to myself,” she added. “My biggest reward is my husband. I won. I definitely won. And he might be bitter, so, I’m sorry, that seems like a you problem.”

Izzy Is “Not A Fan”

Izzy told Bustle he was kind of surprised and “kind of not” surprised that Uche didn’t show. “I feel like you should show up and defend yourself and give people your side of the story,” he explained.

During the special, Izzy also said he was “not a fan” of Uche. “To some of the girls, he would just talk bad about me, which I was shocked [about] ’cause I thought we were cool,” he added.

Uche’s Absence “Shocked” Stacy

For her part, Stacy told Bustle she was “shocked” that Uche stayed home. “I thought he would have been the first one with a flight out,” she said. “I thought he would have come early.”

Uche had “a lot of things to clear up or answer to,” Stacy added, “and I would assume he would know that, by not being there, it just leaves everybody else the opportunity to take that space.”

She also pointed out that during Season 5, Uche “wanted to lead the crowd in what was going on or what he wanted people to think was going on,” which made her think he’d show up and speak about his experience.

Additional reporting by Brad Witter.