Spoilers for the first nine episodes of Love is Blind season 9 ahead. The entire premise of Netflix’s mega reality hit Love is Blind rests on whether someone can let go of physical expectations for a partner and marry solely based on an emotional connection. For season 9 stars Madison Maidenberg and Joe Ferrucci, physical attraction seems to be driving a wedge between the couple that said “yes” inside the pods. Ahead, we break down everything we know about Denver, Colorado-based contestants Madison and Joe’s relationship so far on Love Is Blind, including whether the couple might still be together after leaving the reality dating show.
What happens between Madison and Joe on 'Love is Blind' season 9?
When Madison, a 28-year-old UX/UI designer, and Joe, a 29-year-old sales representative, first meet in the pods, their interactions are silly. They plan a hypothetical date that involves karaoke and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from 7-Eleven, and poke fun at each other’s choices that up the ante of the date. But things quickly become more serious when Madison reveals that she has a rare eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, in which her eyesight is slowly deteriorating and she could become completely blind. Joe’s reaction is strong: He comforts Madison by telling her that he would like to be there for his wife, should they get to that stage of the experiment.
Her health issues open the door for more significant conversations. Joe tells Madison that he’d be comfortable moving into her condo after getting married, as she is a homeowner and he is not. He also reveals that he is divorced, but ended things because his former partner was too introverted, to the point where he’d often be doing things alone instead of creating memories together. In the pods, he writes Madison a love letter, and she says it made her feel chosen.
Do Joe and Madison get engaged on 'Love Is Blind' season 9?
By the end of episode 2, they’re engaged. At the reveal, their happy bubble seems to get its first puncture. Joe isn’t profuse about his love and attraction to Madison, and he later admits that he had a hard time connecting the women he had formed an emotional connection with in the pods to the person standing in front of him. He says a few times that she feels like a “stranger,” which isn’t exactly reassuring from the person you’re supposed to marry in a month.
In Baja, Mexico, their connection remains unsteady. Madison opens up more about her eye condition, they have sex (which she raves about to the girls), and he reassures her that he finds her attractive even though he’s still connecting the dots between the emotional and physical versions of her. In his confessional, though, he finally comes clean to say that Madison isn’t his typical physical type, and Madison picks up on the imbalance in their relationship when she points out that she’s always the one saying, “I love you,” first—except when they’re being intimate.
Things go from unsteady to properly bad by the end of episode 6, when Joe leaves the pool party with the rest of the Pod Squad early. Madison was already showing some annoyance towards him as he wasn’t being very attentive to her and kept talking over her to other people—but when she checks on him at the end of the night, she gets freaked out. Joe doesn’t recognize that she’s wearing the same outfit from earlier and repeatedly asks her the same questions. We don’t see exactly how many drinks he slung back (damn those opaque goblets!), but it’s pretty clear that Joe blacked out, and Madison isn’t here for it. As week 1 ended, Madison and Joe were in a horrible place with each other.
When the series returns for its second batch of episodes, we pick up where things left off in the midst of their fight. Joe, still drunk, asks if Madison is okay because he can hear her crying, but he doesn’t make an effort to get out of bed to check on her. She feels embarrassed for crying, and Joe continues to do the bare minimum, even laughing at her emotions and telling her he “can’t believe she’s doing this right now.” Madison spends the night apart from Joe, and in his confessional, he reveals that he doesn’t know what he did wrong or what she wanted from him.
After waking up separately, Joe arrives and apologizes in the light of sobriety the next day. Madison also takes accountability for not properly communicating her needs and feelings, and they both vow to try harder as they learn what the other needs. Joe soothes Madison’s fears by saying he intends to never make her feel abandoned and acknowledging that he should’ve consoled her the previous night.
Though things eventually get back on track for Madison and Joe for the remainder of episodes 8 and 9, there are still a few difficult conversations between the couple before Madison meets Joe’s family for the first time. Madison conveys that she’s nervous because she’s never introduced anyone to her family, which Joe finds odd at this stage in life. Poking holes a bit further, Joe says Madison doesn’t show her reservations about the relationship and thinks that it “doesn’t feel human” that she is so sure about him. She defends herself by saying there are things he does that make her second-guess him (like when he pulls away from her or shuts down), but she’s choosing to focus on her overwhelming love for him instead.
That answer isn’t enough to assuage Joe’s fears. He reveals that he’s struggling with the “emotional whirlpool” of the experiment and wants to be reassured that she’s also experiencing the same thing. Madison says she’s acknowledged how “crazy” the experiment has been, and also wants to hear him talk about his excitement for her and their relationship. The conversation gets heated, and they’re unable to communicate without getting upset, which leads to the argument culminating with Madison saying Joe “isn’t marriage-minded,” leaving her ring on the counter. Phew!
The next morning, she returns, and after they both make an effort to make amends, she puts the ring back on. Joe takes Madison to see his apartment, which she is surprisingly happy with, before they go to dinner with his two sisters and parents. The meeting goes extremely well, as Madison can clearly articulate what attracted her to Joe in the pods and why she loves him. They both agree that the pods felt like marriage counseling because they had to be so open about their feelings and expectations immediately. Madison then shares that she’s ready for this next step in life since she feels settled in her career.
The stamp of approval from his family is the key to making Joe feel at ease. In a confessional at the end of the episode, he says he feels closer to her after this meeting and that the dinner reminded him of the Madison he fell in love with. As we approach the end of the season, let’s hope that Joe’s change of heart is a sign of a new dynamic for this couple.
Are Joe and Madison from 'Love Is Blind' season 9 still together?
While Love is Blind contestants typically don’t engage with one another until after the season airs, Joe and Madison follow each other on Instagram. There aren’t any unsanctioned photos, likes, or comments that we could find, but the fact that the couple is in touch on Instagram could bode good things for the future.
