Are Cole And Zanab From Love Is Blind Season 3 Still Together?
Geoffrey Chaucer first coined the phrase "love is blind," sort of. "For loue is blynd alday and may nat see," he wrote in every British schoolkid's most torturous English Lit assignment, "The Merchant's Tale" (per Grammarist). It's safe to say the 14th-century author would be turning in his Westminster Abbey grave at Netflix's modern take on his centuries-old expression. After appearing in "Love is Blind" Season 3, Cole Barnett and Zanab Jaffrey would likely be too if they weren't still alive and kicking.
"Singles who want to be loved for who they are, rather than what they look like, have signed up for a less conventional approach to modern dating in Dallas where they hope to meet the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with...without ever having seen them," the show's synopsis reads. Cole and Zanab were two of the 30 singles on the popular reality show's latest installment. They both entered the series bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, dreaming of finding their perfect partner.
However, as many "Love is Blind" aficionados are aware, more often than not, the soul-searching singles experience is more Grimm's fairy tale than Disney's happy-ever-after. Cole and Zanab were one of the five couples who made it to the engagement stage, but they soon learned that the potential nightmare starts after finally setting eyes on each other and venturing into the real world. So, after putting a ring on it, are Cole and Zanab from "Love Is Blind" Season 3 still together?
Cole and Zanab's love definitely wasn't blind
"Is Love Blind?" Netflix asks in a press release. "Season one's emotional roller coaster proved it can be for some." According to The Independent, two couples proved "Love is Blind" isn't fake. Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton ultimately stayed together, along with Amber Pike and Matt Barnett. Season 3 hasn't fared much better. Entertainment Weekly reports one couple is "happily married," a second is married but not living together, and a third split then reunited and is now trying long-distance dating.
So, are Cole and Zanab among the success stories? That'll be a definite no. The couple's journey to the altar was filled with pitfalls and obstacles. Not least, Cole's appalling treatment of Zanab and his family's refusal to meet her. "The fact that I'm here and that Cole was here and that we did fall in love, I just believe that God has had his hand in every step of this along the way," Zanab said before heading to the ceremony. "I honestly don't know what I'm gonna feel until I'm standing at the end of that aisle."
Upon arriving at the wedding that wasn't, Zanab got in touch with her feelings pretty quickly, and she wasn't shy about sharing them with the groom. "You have disrespected me. You have insulted me, you have critiqued me, and for what it's worth, you have single-handedly shattered my self-confidence," Zanab schooled Cole (via People) before walking away.
There's no love lost between Cole and Zanab
Following an epic aisle mic drop, Zanab Jaffrey turned on her heels and walked away from Cole Barnett without a second glance. And just like that, the wedding day drama resulted in another couple from "Love is Blind" biting the dust. As for any regrets? Zanab, for sure, has zero. "I stand by everything I said [at the altar]," she told ET Canada. "I'm proud of myself. I did have a journey, and I learned a lot about myself." She said the experience had offered a lot of insight into herself and the issues she "needs to work on" going forward. "We do not have a relationship. There's no talking," Zanab shared about her and Cole's situation now.
Despite being well and truly over it, Zanab insists she doesn't harbor any ill feelings toward Cole. "I did forgive him," she told US Weekly. "I forgave him the minute I walked away from him." Meanwhile, Cole's playing the "lover, not a fighter" card. "I'm not angry. I'm just really hurt," he said about the wedding day dumping. "Because I didn't see it coming." Well, maybe love really is blind.
"I'm just hurt and confused," he continued. "I'm working through it now [and yeah] I have a lot of questions for her." Cole conceded that he understood why Zanab felt he'd totally undermined her self-confidence. That said — he admitted he hadn't "reached out" or spoken to her since the ceremonial catastrophe.