Love Is Blind Season 5 was a bit controversial, to say the least. The jury’s still out on the season’s legacy, but until then, controversy keeps brewing. Most recently, Izzy Zapata and Stacy Snyder brought drama to the forefront, trying to clear the air about one of the season’s most tense moments.
Izzy matched early on with Johnie Maraist as well as Stacy. Over time, Izzy decided to pursue Stacy exclusively. But Johnie didn’t take that so well and began criticizing Izzy’s choice and Stacy’s appearance. The three got into an argument at the cast barbecue. Things got so heated that many accused Stacy of bullying Johnie.
Izzy and Stacy ultimately made it to the altar but didn’t get married. Still, they were ready to defend each other amid the bullying accusations. The two spoke with PEOPLE about everything that went down with Johnie.
Izzy acknowledges his “disgusting behavior”
Reflecting on his time with Johnie, Izzy said, “That was disgusting behavior on my end, on how I went about it, I guess how I delivered it. But … I don’t regret calling her out on the truth. It was just how I did it.” Izzy reported he “grossed [himself] out” when watching everything back. But he maintained that he and Stacy “were definitely not bullies.”
He explained that, at the barbecue, “I didn’t even want to have to have that conversation with her. I was told to have that conversation with her.” He accused Johnie of spreading negative remarks about him and Stacy. “Stacy didn’t do anything,” Izzy insisted. “Stacy minded her own business.”
As for Stacy, she shared with PEOPLE: “It happened the exact opposite way that people perceive it, which is super frustrating … it just was ongoing, where it was like she was trying to put me down, bring me down and make me look bad to other people.” She corroborated the claims that Johnie was demeaning Stacy over her appearance.
Stacy also recounted that Johnie spoke with Milton Johnson at the barbecue, and twisted his words to suggest, “Oh, [Stacy’s] not memorable?” As a result, Stacy explained, “I’m like, ‘This isn’t OK for me. You are crossing a boundary, and I will address it.’ … So that’s why I was so fired up.”
Love Is Blind Season 5 is available to stream in full now on Netflix.
TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE IZZY AND STACY’S EXPLANATION? DO YOU THINK JOHNIE WAS THE REAL BULLY?
