“Love Is Blind“‘s Chelsea Blackwell had no idea her “goofy” Megan Fox comparison would go viral. When the first episodes of season 6 aired on Feb. 14, the internet immediately responded to a conversation in the pods between her and Jimmy Presnell, in which she said Fox was her celebrity look-alike. In the days following, the moment sparked too many tweets, memes, and TikTok videos to count. Blackwell tells POPSUGAR that while she wishes she didn’t bring up the resemblance, she has no other regrets about her experience – not about choosing Presnell over fan-favorite Trevor Sova, or exhibiting raw vulnerability on the show.
(For the record, as someone who met Blackwell over a Zoom call, I definitely see Fox in Blackwell. But I get it; it’s probably not something I would have said to a potential suitor I had yet to meet in person.) Celebrity doppelgängers aside, the Megan Fox incident was just the beginning of the drama between Blackwell and Presnell. In the latest episodes, after navigating a difficult love square with Sova and Jessica Vestal, the couple bump heads about their different needs for attention, insecurities, and living together.
We chatted with the flight attendant and event planner about what made her choose Presnell over Sova in the pods, what it was like to watch back her most emotional scenes, and which moments the viewers missed. Read our full interview with Blackwell ahead.
POPSUGAR: Can you walk us through how you decided between Jimmy and Trevor, these two people you had such strong feelings for? What was going through your head at the time?
Chelsea Blackwell: That was definitely the hardest decision I ever had to make in my entire life. Literally, it was so intense because I had these two wonderful guys who really fit into my life totally differently. They were so, so wonderful and so different in their amazing ways. I just saw Jimmy in my life a little bit more than I could Trevor, and I wish that that was aired more. Because the connection that Jimmy and I had was out of this world, and it just wasn’t shown.
PS: What about Jimmy did you see more in your life? I think it was hard for viewers to understand exactly what it was, because you have such strong connection with both them.
CB: Jimmy and I had so much fun together. Jimmy was my best friend to begin with. We really built our relationship off of being friends, which is what I need in a partner, especially a husband. On top of being best friends with him, he really showed his serious side and how serious he was about this situation. Not only being my best friend, but really fitting into being serious and having hard conversations about finances and dealing with difficult times. That’s where Jimmy kind of fit into my life a lot more. I could just envision it. Also, I listened to my heart. You really have to trust your gut and your heart, and I was just being pulled in the direction of Jimmy rather than Trevor. Trevor would’ve been so much fun and so wonderful and so sweet and so good to me, but I needed a little component of seriousness and I wasn’t getting that from Trevor.
PS: Was there any point in the process that you felt like you regretted your choice at all?
CB: I never regretted my choice ever. I think that everything happens for a reason. Jimmy and I have a wonderful relationship and we really built off of each other, and it’s been a really wonderful journey. I think questioning like, “Oh, Trevor wouldn’t have done this, or Trevor wouldn’t have said that,” that’s not fair to Jimmy. But of course that’s a thought in your head. It’s a weird, weird process.
PS: Not when you met him in person?
CB: No, no, no, no. I didn’t expect him to look the way he did. No, I did not expect that. But no.
PS: What have you learned about yourself watching these episodes back?
CB: I’m loving seeing how vulnerable I was in the situation, but it’s also very hard to watch. I was very honest and open and my true authentic self. Seeing myself that emotional – my heart was on my sleeve and I was very open to everything – that’s a little difficult to watch. But I think learning about myself, how tough I am and how confident I am, which is so silly that it’s just not portrayed at all right now, and it’s just wild. I struggled with insecurity in the show and I’m just a very confident person, and it’s probably because of the show and everything I went through.
PS: In the latest batch of episodes, we see the fight where Jimmy calls you clingy. I feel like that elicited a strong response from viewers. How did it feel watching that moment back?
CB: That was very intense to watch back. Seeing yourself, first of all, cry on TV is cringe-y as all heck. There’s so much that’s not shown in that specific scene where I was very open and honest with how I was feeling. I wanted to say something. We have a very short amount of time to figure out if we’re going to marry each other, and if I was feeling a certain type of way where his words weren’t matching his actions, I felt every right to voice that. Maybe not in the way that I did. I said that Jimmy had to work on his delivery, as did I. There was never a point where I thought I delivered that in the most mature way, but bringing up a concern when I have to decide if I have to marry or if I’m going to marry you, that’s a huge deal. So my feelings were valid. I felt very comfortable to voice to him, but there’s also so much missing in that scene.
PS: Can you tell us what was missing?
CB: Emotions are high, and both of us are going through the ringer at this point. It’s so new. This was day two of living together, so I’m trying to show him the kind of wife I could be. I make him dinner, I make him lunch, I go grocery shopping for us, I do his laundry. So doing all of this, and his rebuttal to me was that I was “clingy,” was very hard to hear. In the scene, he talks about how I’m in his space too much, but I’m just trying to maneuver this journey with you. And you’re my comfort. He was my only comfort I had in this situation. So to hear that from your comfort, it sucks.
PS: Of course, we have to talk about the Megan Fox of it all. How has it been to see the response to that comment? Did you expect that at all?
CB: Not at all. This was such a goofy, silly conversation between him and I. This was four-plus, five-hour dates, so this was just something that came up. It was such a goofy comment. I didn’t even remember saying it. I didn’t expect it to be this big. It’s been very intense. There’s so much love and support, and then there’s so much hate. I’m like, man, y’all are really pressed about this silly comment that I never even thought about after that.
PS: And you’ve spoken about how Jimmy actually said his celebrity lookalike was Christian McCaffrey, but that didn’t make it to air.
CB: Yes, yes. Everyone was having these silly conversations and I was hearing them in the lounge talk about it. So I’m like, oh, this could be a goofy conversation that Jimmy and I could also have. Holy cow, regrets!
PS: How has it been dealing with the backlash over that comment?
CB: I’m handling it so much better than I expected. Of course, I expected some hate. Not everyone’s going to love you. Did not expect it to this magnitude, but I’ve been dealing with it. I have the most amazing support system behind me. I have wonderful people in my life who have just really been supporting me. They know my heart. They know who I am as a person. It’s been a journey. So [I’ve been] riding it out, and I worked on my mental health this whole year, and really just doing things for my mental health has just been my crutch in this journey.
PS: So besides the Megan Fox comment, is there anything you wish you did differently on the show?
CB: I think just really, really maneuvering my emotions. I will never apologize for being emotional, but maybe handling them differently. I was my authentic self. I didn’t care about the cameras. That is why I looked a straight-up fool. It’s so crazy because you forget that they’re there. This is my real life. Everyone has issues in their relationships. Mine just happened to be televised and for everyone to see.
Really maneuvering how I was feeling and understanding, “This is crazy. This is nuts and you’re going through it, so maybe let’s get a grip on how you’re feeling and pull it together.” I think that would be my only regret. But other than that, I was who I am and it is what it is.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
