Are 'Love Is Blind' Season 9 Stars Ali Lima and Anton Yarosh Still Together?

Spoilers for all of Love is Blind season 9, including the finale, ahead. While the saying is that opposites attract, it’s often our similarities with someone that really make them feel like our soulmates. This is the case for Love Is Blind season 9 stars Ali Lima and Anton Yarosh, whose early conversations in the pods on the Netflix reality hit about immigrating to America as children seem to draw them together. And their similarities didn’t end there; they also expanded to their visions of the future. 11 episodes into the latest, Denver, Colorado-set installment of the reality series, here’s a recap of Ali and Anton’s journey on Love Is Blind, as well as what we know about their current relationship status.

What happens between Ali and Anton on 'Love is Blind' season 9?

Nurse Ali and transportation/logistics manager Anton’s (both 29 years old) connection is quick in the first batch of Love is Blind season 9 episodes. The pair immediately connect over their heritages—she’s Brazilian and he’s Russian—and the way people have struggled to say their full names throughout life. Their bond strengthens as they discover more similarities: Ali and Anton both learned English at the age of 8 after moving to the U.S., they’re both children of divorce, and they both want to be examples of a healthy relationship for their future kids.

Things move fast in the pods after Ali first admits that she loves Anton. When he says it back, he admits that he dreamt about her and their life together. Soon, Anton is down on one knee—becoming the first proposal in season 9. The day of the proposal, Ali says she woke up five minutes before her alarm at 5:55, which she read as a sign and a good omen. After the in-person proposal, Anton is overwhelmed by his attraction to Ali, saying she’s “stunning…it’s shocking how good she looks.”

As is often the case in Love Is Blind, their relationship begins to be tested while traveling together. In Baja, Mexico, Ali comments on Anton’s penchant to kiss with his eyes open, which he waves off, saying he wants to admire her while kissing her. Another potential bump in the road comes when Anton offhandedly mentions that he spent $5,000 on her ring, and she thinks he should have spent at least $10,000. She argues that it’s an act of appreciation for the future mother of his children, and Anton takes it in stride, but it could be a sign that money will be an issue for this couple in the future.

Sex was a topic of conversation amongst the couples in Baja. While many of the other women were boasting over their physical connection with their fiancés, Ali didn’t offer much besides saying she “couldn’t wait” to be with him. Another couple later privately explains that Ali was on her period and therefore a little less affectionate to Anton.

As the couples move into the real-world phase of the experiment in episodes 7-9, things are going well for Ali and Anton. When they meet up with the other Love is Blind season 9 cast members, KB calls them “lovebirds,” and Ali reveals that she’s waiting for them to have a disagreement. Anton similarly agrees when someone calls theirs a “perfect relationship.”

Their similarities even extend to their work schedules, as both of them work nights. Anton says having someone to come home to is “the highlight of his day,” and they make dinner together with post-work mimosas. Ali and Anton seem to have a playful rapport as he calls her grumpy and she says he’s passive-aggressive, but neither seems to take these jabs to heart.

While they seem to be aligned on shared responsibilities in the home (if she cooks, he’ll clean—and vice versa), money might become an issue down the road. She jokes about getting a private chef, but it opens a larger conversation about joint and separate bank accounts. Ali wants separate accounts in addition to a joint account so that he can’t judge the amount she spends on cosmetic products and procedures (like Botox), while he thinks they should just have a joint account and work on sticking to a budget.

The closest they get to a fight comes when Ali meets Anton’s best friend Joseph and his girlfriend Melissa. When Ali gets a moment alone with Melissa in the bathroom, Melissa says that Anton wasn’t the marriage type before going to the pods and mentions that he has a penchant for strip clubs. Both Joseph and Anton were partiers when they were single, and it worries Ali that this was the lifestyle he was living just a few months ago.

When they return to the table, Ali tells Anton that he’s in trouble, but doesn’t get into the details there. The conversation apparently happens off camera, as Ali later tells the girls during the Pod Squad reunion that Anton said he hasn’t been to a strip club in over a year. She is also concerned about how often he drinks, saying he has one to two drinks every morning after returning from his work shift. The second batch of episodes ends with Anton asking Ali what she’s been telling the Pod Squad because he’s been keeping it tight-lipped. Ali ominously answers with two words: “the truth.”

Drinking, unfortunately, continues to be an issue in episodes 10 and 11. At home, Ali notices that all the cans in a 12-pack are finished, and Anton initially evades the question about who drank them. He mentions that Patrick came over and had some, but doesn’t seem to have the details straight about whether he came up to the apartment or not. Ali continues to push, saying he had also had a 12-pack of Coors beer that is also gone now, and uses the opportunity to ask what a normal night of drinking is for him. He says he’ll have one to two drinks a night, often turning on a movie to unwind. She feels like this is a problem, and he gets defensive, saying he’s not an addict and has no problem going a week or two without a drink to prove this to her. At the same time, when she asks if there’s more tequila in the fridge, he conveys that that’s gone too, adding to her concern.

Anton brings up her messiness as an attempt to compare their lesser habits, but she’s ready to own up to her own flaws. It sparks a real conversation between them—he says he’s been genuine with her, and would appreciate receiving that in return. Anton also reassures her that he believes she’s the right person for him; if she doesn’t feel the same way, she should say that.

It seems that Ali conveyed her own reassurances to him off-camera because the pair moves on to meeting Anton’s mom, Natalya. Ali’s Brazilian culture is a plus for Natalya, as she is ready to get married and have kids, and is religious. In Natalya’s mind, Anton is ready to take care of a family and explains that he’s changed a lot in the last few years. By the end of the meal, Natalya is ready to give Ali her blessing, saying that anyone whom Anton says is his wife and the love of his life is accepted as her daughter. In a confessional afterward, Ali is beaming and says she’s feeling really optimistic.

Things continue to roll smoothly at Ali’s wedding dress fitting, where we meet her mom, Vanete, for the first time. Vanete is emotional because Ali is her youngest, but confident in the experiment working, revealing that she met her husband on the internet and talked on the phone for three years before getting together. Vanete is stunned by her daughter’s wedding dress, adorably getting out of her chair every time Ali appears in another option.

Familial support is also the theme of Anton’s tux fitting, as Natalya says she really liked Ali and is excited about their future. Anton shows his first case of cold feet when talking to his friend, explaining that he’s nervous about taking the leap. But his friend quickly brings him back to reality, telling him not to worry, trust that she’s the one, and go get what he wants.

Just before Anton meets Ali’s mom in episode 11, the cameras capture a sad moment between the mother and daughter as they discuss the fact that one of Ali’s sisters is refusing to come to the wedding and support her during this time. But as soon as Anton walks in to meet his future mother-in-law, things return to normal, and in telling Vanete that he’ll support Ali in school but needs a partnership, she takes a liking to him. Vanete advises that they should prioritize the other person in the relationship and never forget important dates with each other before giving her support and deeming herself his “second mom.”

On the final date before the weddings, Ali and Anton take a romantic ride on a snow carriage. They banter a bit (Anton says she better not break his heart, and she retorts, “What heart?”) before diving into the big decision looming ahead. They agree that they are “scarily similar” and Anton hopes that if she says yes, it’s “a 1000% yes” because if she changes, so will he—hopefully for the better. But when he says he feels like people give up too easily on relationships, Ali challenges him, saying that there’s a fine line between compromise and staying in something that wasn’t meant to be. It’s unclear whether he agrees with this sentiment, as he responds by saying that both people who try hard and want it will overcome any hardship. Heading into the wedding, this could be a fundamental disagreement on marriage at large that could rock the boat for Anton and Ali’s future.

Do Ali and Anton get married on 'Love Is Blind' season 9?

Ali and Anton's wedding is the first shown in the season 9 finale, and Anton doesn't show any doubts in the hours before walking down the aisle. He reads a sweet note from Ali in the groom's suite, which is typically a good sign, and he shares some lovely moments with his mom, Natalya. Anton says his only fear that day is Ali possibly saying no.

Meanwhile, Ali goes over her lingering concerns with her mom and bridesmaids. Vanete says that she's concerned about Anton's drinking, but Ali points out that he "deserves some grace." And after one of Ali's sisters threatened to skip the wedding, she does indeed show up! Ahead of the ceremony, she tells Ali that though she disapproves, she loves Ali and wants her to be happy. "So if you think this is going to make you happy, go for it," she says.

During their vows, Anton points out that he fell in love with Ali because of their similarities, not her looks. He's full of excitement, including for everyone in attendance to be part of their "big family." Ali says that he embraced every part of her in the pods and continues to in the real world, even though they have disagreements. Anton answers first, saying, "I do," and after some very tense, sad music, Ali says, "I can't be your wife."

"I feel like the person I fell in love with in the pods isn't the person I've gotten to experience in real life. I'm so sorry," she explains, before leaving the altar in tears.

After Ali and Anton are comforted by their respective families, Ali admits that standing at the altar didn't make her "feel at ease and confident" as she hoped. "I don't feel like he was super forthcoming about his lifestyle," she adds in a confessional. "Drinking, partying, how active he is, how healthily he eats. And some of the information I learned about Anton through his friends threw off my perspective of him."

The couple doesn't see each other again after the altar, so all we hear from Anton is his (understandable) confusion and heartbreak. We'll have to wait until the season 9 reunion to hear more about his and Ali's state of mind after "I don't."

Are Ali and Anton from 'Love Is Blind' season 9 still together?

Thanks to Netflix's efforts to keep any details of its reality contestants’s current relationship status under wraps, there are very few clues as to Ali and Anton's romantic lives around 18 months after filming. The season 9 reunion is set for Wednesday, October 29, at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, so all our questions will (hopefully) be answered in just one week.

Meanwhile, there are some potential clues to whether Ali and Anton are on good terms. The two do follow each other on Instagram. However, like other season 9 couples who follow each other, they don’t have any photos together or intriguing comments to dissect. Still, the fact that they are in each other’s social media orbit suggests that they might still be friendly after filming. We’ll have to see how the post-finale reunion shakes out!