Taylor Krause and Garrett Josemans struck up a quick connection in the Love Is Blind pods, but things took a slightly uncomfortable turn for the season 7 couple when the topic of ethnicity came up as they fell in love sight unseen.
“When it came to talking about how I looked in the pods, I really wanted to keep that as secret as possible,” Taylor told Us Weekly during an exclusive interview before the series started streaming on Wednesday, October 2. “And I didn’t really think long and hard about [whether] I was going to bring up my ethnicity. I was just kind of trying to watch myself and on, like, would I slip or not? And my mom’s name is Fong so that, I think, gives away pretty clearly that I’m Asian. I just wanted to take ethnicity out the equation.”
During the first episode of the latest season of the Netflix hit, Taylor opened up to Garrett about her parents. After noting her dad, Tom, was very handy and built their family home, Taylor paused when it came to sharing her mother’s name.
“My mom, she’s an angel and a gangster all at the same time. Everyone loves her [and] — not in a disrespectful way — calls her by her first name because it’s just so great,” Taylor said to Garrett in the pods.
“Her first name is great, you said?” Garrett asked.
“You will not call her by her first name,” Taylor clarified before adding. “My mom’s first name, I think, gives a way part of how I look, like, my ethnicity. “
The comment made Garrett’s head spin.
“Your ethnicity, the thought hadn’t crossed my mind in any direction on that, so [that’s] interesting. I have to admit, I’ve dated white girls — that’s all I’ve ever dated — so it is a new feeling for me, even without knowing what ethnicity you are. I’m not sure what that looks like for me either, going forward,” he said. “It’s just a shock. … Not a shock, but you are very, like, calculated about what you say. And while I love that about you, it’s also like, ‘What’s she hiding?’’’
After Taylor noted it was “hard to hear” him say that, Garrett said it may not be a “fair” assessment, but hiding her ethnicity makes him feel like there’s a “curated image she’s presenting.”
During her interview with Us, Taylor explained how the word “calculated” made her feel and how the pair were ultimately able to move past it.
“For me, the pods were actually pretty hard, like, being on camera that whole time and getting used to it and having these really deep conversations and I started to really like the guy!” she told Us. “And to be called calculated when I’m just trying to be thoughtful, it was the first time that I felt, like, that punch in the gut during the experience. [But] I didn’t hold it against him ’cause I knew where it was coming from.”
Love Is Blind season 7 is currently streaming on Netflix.
