Jax Guelli: ‘Love Is Blind’ Star Defends Decision to Ghost Fiance

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There have been many awkward Love Is Blind moments over the years.

But the meeting of Jax Guelli and Scott “Stew” Stewart might have delivered the show’s cringiest scene of all time.

And now, Jax is opening up on her decision to bail on her fiance moments after meeting him.

Jax promptly bailed on her new fiance. (Netflix)

She admits she should have handled her sudden exit from Netflix’s dating experiment differently after leaving Stew without an explanation.

But she also seems to have no regrets about her decision.

The couple connected in the pods over their shared love of luxury and The Phantom of the Opera. Stew eventually proposed, and Jax accepted.

Unfortunately, their romantic bubble burst almost immediately after they finally came face-to-face.

Let’s just say their first meeting wasn’t exactly a fairytale moment.

Jax repeatedly described the encounter as “so weird” and appeared uncomfortable as the couple attempted to navigate their newly engaged status. She even shot back against Stew’s claim that he looked like members of the Kennedy family and claimed instead that he resembled Mitt Romney.

Romance was clearly not in the air.

Stew, meanwhile, seemed convinced they’d found something special. He described the experience as overwhelmingly positive and said he believed Jax was everything he’d hoped for.
Unfortunately, his fiancée wasn’t feeling quite so confident.

By the following episode, Jax had decided she wanted to go home rather than continue the experiment or travel to Mexico with the other couples.

Producers informed Stew that she had left and didn’t want to speak with him at that moment, leaving him without a proper explanation.

The reality star later explained that her doubts had started before the couple even met. Jax was disappointed by Stew’s proposal, which she felt sounded like a “superficial checklist” rather than a heartfelt declaration specifically about her.

She also claimed that Stew came across as “cocky” and “douchey” during their first meeting, making it difficult for her to reconcile the man in front of her with the person she’d connected with in the pods.
Still, Jax insists that his looks weren’t the reason she walked away.

“What I felt was real at that time,” she explained. “The good and unfortunately the bad was real too, and it had nothing to do with him or his looks. It was the moment, and it was way too much for me.”

That’s fair enough. Getting engaged to someone you’ve never seen before is certainly an unusual way to start a relationship. But leaving that person without a conversation? That’s a different story.
Fortunately, Jax seems to recognize that distinction now.

“I wish I had handled it better,” she admitted. “He deserved a conversation, and it deserved to end differently, because he’s a gentleman and I should have handled it like a lady, but I didn’t.”

As for Stew, he admitted that he was stunned when producers told him Jax had left without saying goodbye. However, he insisted that the experience hadn’t left him devastated.

He also said he wasn’t blaming either himself or Jax for how uncomfortable their first meeting became. After all, the entire premise of Love Is Blind involves making an enormous romantic decision under circumstances that most people will never experience.

Stew maintained that he was proud of how authentically he’d presented himself in the pods and wouldn’t change his approach to the experiment.

Whether these two will have a chance to clear the air remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Their engagement lasted far less time than it took to plan the wedding that never happened.