Uche, Lydia, and Aaliyah's "Love Is Blind" Love Triangle, Explained

Watch out! This post contains spoilers.

"Love Is Blind" always manages to throw viewers a curveball, and this season, we have quite a doozy on our hands. The love experiment returned for season five on Sept. 22, starting with four juicy episodes that dig into an unexpected love triangle between contestants Uche, Aaliyah, and Lydia. The next batch, released on Sept. 29, delve even further into the dramatic twist, giving us a better idea of what transpired between the trio.

At the start of the season, Lydia and Aaliyah quickly hit it off and form a tight-knit friendship on their side of the pods. Meanwhile, the latter and Uche spark up a strong romantic connection. However, things sour when the pod couple have their first big argument over their views on cheating. Then, to make matters worse, Uche drops a bomb on Aaliyah in episode three, which changes everything. As season five approaches its Oct. 13 finale, we learn even more about what may be the biggest shocker in "Love Is Blind" history.

Ahead, find a breakdown of Uche's surprising revelation and everything we know about the aftermath.

At the end of episode three, appropriately titled "Blindsided," Uche tells Aaliyah that he hasn't been 100 percent truthful with her, as he reveals that one of his first "Love Is Blind" dates was with someone from his past — Lydia. Apparently, the two dated before being cast on the show and unknowingly reunited when they recognized each other's voices on the first day. The two keep it a secret from Aaliyah and Milton (Lydia's connection and Uche's friend), hoping to focus on their own "Love Is Blind" experiences, and things seem to go smoothly once Aaliyah digests the revelation. She even suggests to Uche that having a "sister moment" with Lydia could bring her a sense of peace.

However, their conversation (and Lydia's very detailed inside scoop on Uche) leaves Aaliyah feeling even more unsettled than before. At the end of episode four, Uche goes back to the pods to propose to Aaliyah, but producers inform him that she dropped out of the show. The following episode picks back up on Uche's shocked reaction. He then asks one of the show's producers to call Aaliyah so she can explain why she left without warning.

On the phone call, Aaliyah admits she was "a little on edge" after learning about Uche and Lydia's past. Plus, she felt "smothered" by Lydia, who she says constantly brought Uche up to her. Uche later asks how Aaliyah feels about him, to which she says, "I still love you" and "I still want you." The two continue to go back and forth until Uche's frustrations boil over. He concludes their conversation by hanging up on Aaliyah, saying, "I don't want to talk to her . . . I don't want to see her again."

It's not until episode seven that the two finally meet face-to-face to discuss the love triangle drama again. Uche notes that he thought the pair were on the same page as far as their relationship and future were concerned. Aaliyah then shares that her doubts began after she learned that Lydia was Uche's ex and got more information from her, some of which she didn't ask for. Uche says his reason for initially keeping his past with Lydia a secret was to protect Lydia's feelings and not bad-mouth her to Aaliyah, though he acknowledges he should've explained everything with more detail.

Halfway through their conversation, Aaliyah says she found out that Lydia knew she and Uche were going on the show before they got to the pods. This led her to believe the two planned to be there together, though Uche denies that claim. Aaliyah also says that Lydia and Uche's past was ruining the experiment for her, which is why she left, though she thought they would still explore their connection outside the show. However, Uche argues that they needed the experiment in order to continue their relationship.

He also shares that once he left the pods, Aaliyah followed then unfollowed him on Instagram. She also sent him a voice message, but deleted it then blocked him, so he had no way to reach her for at least two days. Ultimately, Uche believes Aaliyah didn't have enough confidence in their relationship, so he ends things for good.

Before the season five finale, Aaliyah confirmed to POPSUGAR that she no longer speaks to Uche. She also said that she was "dating, happy, and in a great place." Furthermore, Aaliyah noted that she was happy she got to be on "Love Is Blind" this season. "I think I took so much from the show and glad that I went through the experience," she said, "because I learned so much about how to be more intentional and direct with dating."

On Oct. 7, Aaliyah gave more insight into her love triangle with Uche and Lydia on "Hanging With The Hamiltons" — a show hosted by beloved "Love Is Blind" alums Cameron and Lauren — and shared another reason she left the show after the shocking reveal. "I didn't have enough time to really process everything and get all the answers because I didn't want to go into an engagement that doubtful," she said. Aaliyah also said that at one point she was still optimistic about working toward an engagement and marriage with Uche, revealing that they agreed to date outside of the show for "about a month." Ultimately, though, "it didn't work out."

Aaliyah noted one of the reasons for their final split was cast members telling her that Uche talked about her behind her back. She also shared, "I think he wasn't truly attracted to me . . . He mentioned that I wasn't his ideal type and that was kind of hurtful, too . . . but it gave me enough to be like, 'It's time to move on. Let's heal, let's move forward in life.'"

Speaking to USA Today in September, Aaliyah revealed that she didn't regret her decision to leave "Love Is Blind": "I did the best thing for myself." In terms of where she stands with Lydia, Aaliyah told the outlet the two resolved their issues, but in the pods, "I felt like I had kind of set my boundaries and they weren't being respected by a certain individual." She added, "I don't have any anger or animosity towards her. I want her to be happy. And I think we've been able to have some conversations . . . where we both understand each other's position. I've been able to kind of step outside myself and understand both her and Uche's position. And I feel like I've tried to just lead with grace with both of them."

In an interview with Variety, "Love Is Blind" creator Chris Coelen said that Uche and Lydia's past was a "complete shock" to him. "The fact that Lydia and Uche not only knew each other, but had a prior romantic relationship, was a complete surprise to me," he said. "I was totally blindsided. . . . We told each of them, separately, that we had no idea how this happened, and we were disappointed, but we felt the right choice was for them to leave the experiment."

He shared that the two "were absolutely crushed," adding, "Separately, they each expressed a tremendous desire to stay and continue, speaking about their investment in the process. And to be honest, I felt bad for them, because this is an amazing experience to participate in." Additionally, Uche and Lydia "confirmed they had absolutely no interest in the other."

So, whose idea was it to keep their past a secret? According to Coelen, a condition of their staying on the show was that they "not immediately tell people about their history. And at that point . . . we all felt that the information wasn't relevant and we all agreed revealing it would have been destructive to everyone's overall experience," he said.