On the season 1 finale of Netflix's new hit reality show, The Ultimatum, viewers got to see where the couples are these days. Fans were particularly curious about what happened to Jake Cunningham and Rae Williams who decided to travel the world together after splitting with their original partners, April Marie and Zay Wilson.
Jake and Rae hit it off from the start. Everyone in the cast except their partners thought that they should leave the experiment together — which they did. But during the reunion episode, the pair revealed some things about their relationship that disappointed both their exes and fans...
Did Jake & Rae Hook Up Before The Finale Of 'The Ultimatum'?
Fans can't help but assume that Jake and Rae hooked up in the show. They kissed a lot when they lived together, and with their chemistry, it's hard not to think otherwise. However, the two denied the claims, saying that they had a "strict rule" about physical intimacy. "Jake and I, you know, we had a strict rule as far as physical things went," Rae explained to Us Weekly. "I kissed him a lot. I was one who initiated kissing with him, but we didn’t take it past kissing. And that was really important to both of us."
She also confessed that they "definitely both felt guilty" about their onscreen chemistry. "The whole time that you're going on these romantic dates and you're connecting and you're living with this person living your day-to-day life with them — in the back of your mind is always the jealousy that you have toward your original partner and what they're experiencing," Rae continued. "And then just the guilt for, like, sometimes [I'd] get really happy and I'd be like, 'Oh, I'm so happy right now. I love hanging out with this guy. I can't wait to go home and cook dinner with him and watch a movie and do whatever.' And then I was like, 'I should not feel like this.'"
As for Jake, he said that he and Rae didn't cross their exes' boundaries because he didn't want to be in the show in the first place. "I didn't wanna do the show, so going on and having to do that experiment and me still sticking to her [April's] guidelines that she wanted — like, she's the one that wanted to do it. She's the one that wanted to experiment around and see all this," he told Us. "So honestly me and Rae were very respectful doing the whole situation. No matter how it looks, we did not have sex. The only thing we did was kiss. I slept in a separate bed for the first five days on the show."
Did 'The Ultimatum' Stars Jake & Rae Go On That Trip Together?
Unfortunately, Jake and Rae didn't get to travel the world like they were supposed to. "I kind of felt like so much had gone on," Rae told E! News. "With Jake and April ending things and Zay and me ending things, I didn't feel comfortable just, like, hopping on a plane and going off to have fun. I really needed to take time to heal." She said the same thing during the reunion, saying that it didn't feel right to ride off into the sunset with Jake that way. "We actually did not go on a trip," Rae told the hosts, Nick and Vanessa Lachey.
"I think that we kind of came to a consensus that everybody needed more time to heal," she continued. "And I felt like it was really insensitive to kind of be like, 'OK, bye. F--k ya'll. We'll get on a plane and go somewhere.' So we decided not to go on the trip." When Vanessa asked if it felt like April and Zay were holding them back, Rae said: "No, I don't think that they were actively holding us back. I think that Jake and I both made a conscious choice to kind of backtrack."
Are 'The Ultimatum' Stars Jake & Rae Dating Now?
During the reunion, Rae admitted that she was dating a woman. But recently, she told E! that she's "currently single" and trying to navigate her life after the show. "After the whole process, I need to heal and take some time to myself, to just kind of get through everything," she shared. Jake is also not seeing anyone these days. "I am currently just trying to do my own thing for a little bit," he told the outlet. "I mean, if something happens, it happens. I'm not searching for anybody, but if someone comes along my way, it being Rae or anybody else, I might venture into it. But right now, I am just trying to focus on my own life."
When asked if there's still hope for them, Rae said that there definitely is. "Jake and I are cool. We are both still healing from everything," she said, before joking, "So ladies, Jake's DMs are closed, don't DM him! Don't DM Jake!" They also stay in contact despite living in different cities. "She's a sweetheart, love her to death," Jake said of Rae. "We talk all the time and we hang out every once in a while, but we're on good terms. Something could maybe happen down the road." Let's hope they still get to go on that vacation together.
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