Love Is Blind duo Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez left the pods engaged, but their former relationship wasn’t smooth sailing from there. From Bartise’s attraction to fellow cast member Raven Ross, to his and Nancy’s opposing views on topics such as abortion, the couple made fans question whether their love would survive or fail early on. Keep scrolling for everything we know about Bartise and Nancy’s relationship.   

Are Love Is Blind’s Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez Still Together?

The Netflix couple’s obstacles became too great. While Nancy said “yes” on their wedding day, Bartise turned down his bride at the altar. He attempted to continue their relationship without getting married, but Nancy thought that would be “backtracking” and opted to say goodbye for good.

Early in the season, the pair immediately hit it off at the beginning of the show when Bartise thought Nancy had a sweet voice and she in turn appreciated his energy. Not only that, but they also share the same skill of speaking Spanish.  

After becoming acquainted with one another, the senior analyst popped the question to the speech pathologist. Bartise spoke to Women’s Health about how the LiB men choose engagement rings.  

“I think we had an option of like seven to 10 rings to rate based on the pod day, because that’s something you would talk about on a pod date with your potential fiancé is ‘what kind of ring do you like?'” he told the outlet on October 26, 2022. “So, the guys had to rate which ones we thought our women would like the most.” 

Love Is Blind Season 3 Couples
Netflix

Why Did Love Is Blind’s Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez Split?   

The reality stars did not end up together at the end of the show after they encountered multiple bumps along the way. One of the first noticeable issues was when Nancy seemed uncomfortable with their six-year age gap. The real estate investor even noted she normally wouldn’t accept a date from a man as young as Bartise. 

However, that small hiccup didn’t compare to the awkward meeting Bartise had with Nancy’s family. During a confessional, the Netflix personality revealed that she was afraid her parents wouldn’t accept her engagement, but her brothers were the ones who ultimately asked the tough questions.  

After asking Bartise why he thought Nancy was “the one,” he responded, “Real world, I’m going to sleep happy, and I’m waking up happy. I can feel that I would be happy for a long time, hopefully forever, with Nancy.”

Nancy’s brothers then asked him if he would still be with Nancy if she looked different by gaining several hundred pounds for example, to which he replied, “No,” because he prioritizes health and fitness. 

Aside from her family, Nancy also discovered that Bartise is against a woman having an abortion even if there are birth defects, whereas she disagreed with him. 

Perhaps the most alarming setback, however, was when Bartise showed an interest in Raven. In the pods, the duo seemed to have a playful and upbeat connection. Since she is a Pilates teacher and a “serial work-outer,” Bartise noted they were “basically the same person.”  

Nevertheless, Raven rejected Bartise and decided to pursue a relationship and engagement with SK Alagbada

Where Do Things Stand Between Bartise and Nancy?

In an interview with Us Weekly in November 2022, Bartise revealed that he and Nancy did not communicate with one another for weeks after what should’ve been their wedding. About a month later, she reached out to him and suggested meeting up to hash things out. After five hours shared between then over drinks, the former couple decided to move forward as friends for a time being.

“Fast forward a few more months, [and] now we’re both in other relationships. And I found it hard to maintain the level of friendship that Nancy wanted with me while I was also trying to be respectful of a new girl I was dating because, you know, she would get jealous that I was talking to Nancy,” Bartise shared, later likening to their dynamic to that of “cordial work acquaintances.”

In April 2023, Bartise revealed that he had welcomed a son by sharing the news of his “big fella” via Instagram. Life & Style exclusively confirmed that the mother of Bartise’s son is a woman named Olivia Gross. According to online court records viewed by Life & Style, Bartise filed documents on April 3, 2023. 

What Has Bartise Bowden Said About Nancy Rodriguez?

In addition to sharing what their relationship is now like, Bartise further told Us Weekly that it was never his plan to break up with Nancy, but instead work on their relationship after he said “no” at the altar.

“I was like, ‘I’m not ready to say yes for the rest of my life with you right now, but … if we keep going romantically then, who knows what we could be?’” he shared. “That’s part of the reason why I said no, because I only wanna make that decision one time. Let’s say I say ‘yes,’ and we encounter problems or whatever, we’re sticking together,” he continued, referencing both his and Nancy’s parents.

“Her parents are divorced; my parents are divorced. I’m not going through that. So yes, if I said yes, we would still be together,” he concluded.