Spoilers below.
Taylor Haag and Daniel Hastings hit it off in the pods on Love Is Blind season 8, getting engaged after knowing each other for a mere few days. However, after meeting in person for the first time, Taylor became convinced she’d seen Daniel prior to the experiment, believing he’d followed her on Instagram. So did Daniel “stalk” Taylor prior to filming Love Is Blind, as she alleges? And what have the reality stars said about their experience on the show? Here’s everything you need to know about Daniel Hastings and Taylor Haag’s relationship.
Taylor confronted Daniel about her suspicions.
At the very end of season 8, episode 6 of Love Is Blind, viewers saw Taylor speak to Daniel about her fear that he may have known what she looked like prior to joining the experiment. Taylor also expressed concern regarding the plethora of topics they bonded over, which included everything from a love of Christmas to a penchant for Taco Bell, all of which are easy to find on her Instagram profile. The onscreen conversation was set up after Taylor shared her concerns with producers. “He had no idea what we were about to discuss when he walked into that,” Taylor told Entertainment Weekly. “My understanding is that they just told him I needed to speak to him before we decided the next step in our journey together, so he was very confused when he showed up for that conversation.”
In episode 7, Daniel denied ever intentionally following Taylor on social media, but said it was “possible.” A producer gave Taylor her phone back so she could check her followers app to find out if Daniel was telling the truth, a move he fully supported. After realizing she must have been mistaken, Taylor was apologetic, but Daniel remained completely calm. In fact, he never got angry at his fiancée’s accusations, instead validating and supporting her. “I’d be the shittiest of people if I went through that whole thing knowing what you looked like and not telling anybody,” Daniel told Taylor. “And I hope you know I’m not that person.”
After checking her app and not finding Daniel’s name, Taylor told him, “Now I feel crazy.” He responded, saying, “No, please don’t feel crazy. My feelings for you haven’t changed.” He also reassured her, explaining, “Whatever you need to do to, like, process [the situation], I’m okay with.” Daniel said he was appreciative of Taylor’s decision to discuss the topic with him, rather than just “cutting it off.” While Taylor seemed to be embarrassed about the accusations she’d made about Daniel, he said he’d “love to go to Honduras” with her, but if she had “reservations” about the trip, he’d happily “go back home” with her instead. “Either way, wherever you go, I’m in,” he explained.
Taylor wanted to make sure Daniel had no idea what she looked like prior to the show.
In her interview with Entertainment Weekly, Taylor revealed she thought she recognized Daniel when she met him during the big reveal, but she couldn’t place from where. “I started to think of all of the big points that brought us so close together that seemed like fate,” she told the outlet. “But then it was like, ‘Is this too good to be true?’” Part of Taylor’s suspicion arose from the fact that, as a single woman, she’d found men would regularly treat Instagram like a dating app. “So based on a lot of different factors, that’s kind of the conclusion I had come to in my head,” she explained. Taylor also joked, “I am the founder and CEO of the spiraling club,” which is more than a little relatable.
Taylor wanted to ensure that the Love Is Blind experiment hadn’t been “compromised” at any point. “I’m guilty, too, of judging people off their looks, and I’m sure that’s been done to me,” the registered nurse told Glamour. “I wanted that to be completely removed from this entire situation. Hence, Love is Blind. So the thought of that very premise being compromised was terrifying to me.” Despite dating other contestants in the pods—including Dave—“Daniel was always the overwhelming number one” for Taylor, with her sharing, “[I]t was very obvious for both of us that we were each other’s person.” As for why she anticipated the worst case scenario, Taylor told Glamour that all contestants are “running on minimal sleep...on adrenaline,” making it very easy to get spooked.
The couple thrived in the real world.
In episodes 7, 8, and 9, Taylor and Daniel were shown navigating the life outside the pods with aplomb. Rather than letting the Instagram confusion negatively affect their relationship, the couple’s romance only seemed to get stronger. In episode 7, after spending some time in the hot tub in their hotel room in Honduras, Daniel said of Taylor, “She’s stunning, but I didn’t fall in love with the Taylor that I’m looking at. I fell in love with the Taylor that I was feeling in the pods.”
During the trip, Taylor said she was “glad” they’d traveled to Mexico together instead of going home. Daniel even addressed the Instagram dispute, saying, “We handled it well as a couple and, like, bounced back.” Taylor also admitted, “I have never laid this kind of groundwork in a relationship in the past.” Daniel subsequently called himself the “luckiest guy in the world.”
At the start of episode 8, Taylor said in a confessional, “It feels like real life for both of us and, like, a glimpse into our future. I’m loving every second of it.” Later in the episode, they moved into their Minneapolis apartment and discussed how many Christmas trees they’d be decorating it with. In episode 9, Taylor and Daniel met each other’s parents, and also introduced their parents to one another, proving that they were serious about building a future together. “I’ve never felt more safe and loved than I do,” Taylor told her mom and dad.
Taylor and Daniel are happily married.
Taylor and Daniel became the only couple to tie the knot on Love Is Blind season 8. In episode 13, Daniel told Taylor in his vows, “I can see you being plugged into my life as the mother of my children...You’re everything I could have ever hoped for in a wife and so much more.” Taylor shared the same sentiment, telling Daniel, “Although on paper I have only known you for six weeks, my soul has known your soul for a lifetime.” They both said “I do,” and have been together ever since.
At the reunion, the couple were adorably loved up, and Daniel proudly showed off the chest tattoo he’d gotten of his wife’s eyes.
