‘Love Is Blind’ Villain Jessica Batten Would Like a Word
As Jessica Batten and I prepared to discuss the utter insanity that was Love Is Blind’s finale episode—in which she and four other women walked down the aisle to face grooms they’d only met weeks before—she had a supportive friend by her side: Payton, her golden retriever, whose appearance on the show made major waves. Viewers were concerned for the pup after they saw Jessica sharing a glass of red wine with her, murmuring, “She loves wine.” When I bring up the moment during our phone interview, Jessica’s response is immediate: “Oh my gosh.”
“I feel terrible about this because I know people were really concerned about her, and I love this dog more than anything in the entire world,” Jessica said. “I would never, ever want to give her something that would be dangerous for her, so I’m actually—I’m mortified that I did that. Not a good move.” She does not, for the record, normally share her drinks with the pooch. “She’s not my drinking buddy.”
But Payton’s potential alcohol problem was just one of many things about Jessica that Love Is Blind viewers have gossiped about since the show first premiered. She became the show’s de facto villain early on, largely thanks to a love triangle involving her fiancé Mark Cuevas and another contestant, Matthew Barnett, with whom she’d also formed a connection.
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