Spoilers for the first 5 episodes of Love Is Blind season 11 ahead. They say opposites attract, but one couple in Love Is Blind season 11 will put that adage to the test. Sarah Williams and John Shannon had a slow burn in the pods, and they overcame a lot—including a hot-mic mishap and extremely different views on vaccines and abortion—during the initial dating stage, but still got engaged within the first batch of episodes that dropped on Netflix on October 14. Ahead, we recap their journey and whether they have stayed together after their experience on the reality dating show.
A breakdown of Sarah and John's 'Love Is Blind' dating timeline—including whether they're still together
What happens in the pods between Sarah and John on 'Love Is Blind' season 11?
Coming into the pods, 33-year-old account executive John Shannon was most nervous about letting someone into his reality: He was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Luckily, he meets and bonds with Sarah Williams, a 34-year-old health care program manager, who immediately assuages his fears and tells him his diagnosis isn't a dealbreaker or a burden. She likens this to her brother-in-law who went blind, and leans on her healthcare background to convey that she’d be a supportive partner through ups and downs.
The pair initially bond over Harry Potter and music, and things seem to go well during the initial pod dating phase until Sarah overhears him telling another contestant that she was one of his “bottom two.” She’s confused, since he was one of her top prospects, and she decides to take the mature route of having another conversation with him. At first, he acts ignorant about the comment, but soon he apologizes for what he said and for not closing the door on his way out of the pod. He also tries to explain himself, saying he couldn’t tell if she was into him, but talking to her after that made him excited.
As time goes on, John opens up to Sarah about his insecurities, including his glasses and the MS diagnosis. Sarah is clear that these superficial aspects don’t faze her, which reassures John. But his diagnosis also opens a larger conversation about the healthcare system, which John feels is a capitalist enterprise. He also says he was skeptical about the push for COVID-19 vaccines, walking right up to the anti-vax line but not explicitly crossing it.
Sarah leans on her healthcare background to explain the benefits of vaccines to John, citing her postgraduate studies on the subject and telling him she thinks they need to trust the experts and get vaccinated. The vaccine conversation then shifts to abortion, where John cites a right-wing talking point about women opting for abortions when they’re six months pregnant. Patience is a virtue, and Sarah has it in spades: She calmly explains that this example is exceedingly rare and happens only in extreme circumstances. To his credit, John isn’t combative during these conversations, and he tells Sarah he’s looking for a partner who will hear his POV but also challenge him on his way of thinking.
Soon, John is down on one knee after giving Sarah a stuffed lemur, signifying his desire to travel with her. She says yes immediately, and before the reveal, she says she’s never been more sure of anything in her life. When they finally see each other. he says she’s beautiful, and she compliments his suit and glasses, saying she sees “Clark Kent,” calling back to a conversation they had in the pods about his glasses. They’re a bit awkward with physical touch and kissing, but that might be because of the cameras.
At the end of episode 5, the engaged couples head to Mexico. Sarah mentions that while she’s normally someone who waits before sleeping with someone, since they’re engaged, she might be more willing to speed up that timeline—something we’ll keep an eye out for when the next batch of episodes arrive on October 21.
Are Sarah and John from 'Love Is Blind' season 11 still together?
By now, you know the drill: Netflix has ironclad NDAs with its reality shows, so we likely won’t get any information about the couple’s current status until after all the episodes have premiered. That said, John currently follows Sarah on Instagram, but she doesn’t follow him back. Take that information how you will!