Kumari Shreya
During his time on Netflix’s ‘Love is Blind‘ season 5, Ismael “Izzy” Zapata was one of the many participants who found themselves engaged. The unique social experiment provided him with the chance to find someone he could see himself getting married to. Despite his hopes, his on-screen journey did not shape up in the way he had wanted, much to his disappointment as well as that of his fans. As such, when he recently appeared in the reunion of the show’s sixth iteration, the world could not help but feel re-invested in just what he might be up to.
Izzy Zapata’s Path to Altar Was Not Simple
Having had one engagement broken off at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Izzy Zapata had entered the Netflix show with hopes of finding someone with a similar connection. During his time in the pods, he got to know many different women and enjoyed his dynamic with many of them. However, Stacy Snyder and Johnie Maraist emerged as two women with whom he was the most interested. However, his chemistry with each of the two women was of a different kind.
While Izzy found himself gravitating towards Stacy because of their more fun-based interactions, his bond with Johnie seemed more deeper and emotional in nature. However, things slowly started to shift as Stacy opened up emotionally while Johnie displayed her own fun-loving side. In fact, the latter had even ended her connection with Chris Fox to solely focus on Izzy. Ultimately, the choice was up to Stacy, and he decided to go with his gut feeling and propose to Stacy, much to Johnie’s frustration.
For all intents and purposes, the first meeting between Izzy and Stacy was everything they might have wanted. Both found themselves physically attracted to each other and seemed to be looking forward to celebrating vacation. After a magical honeymoon-style celebration, the couple returned to Houston, Texas, and rejoined the real world. Things seemed to be going well for Izzy until a reunion between the cast members, where he confronted Johnie about how some of her words outside the pods did not seem to align with what she had said to him in the pods, though Johnie refuted the claims.
Chris, who had then started dating Johnie, himself wanted to clarify things with Izzy. However, things devolved into an open argument involving the two men, as well as Johnie and Stacy, with no apparent conclusion. Following this, some cracks seemed to emerge between Izzy and Stacy. The latter seemed unhappy that her partner was not openly affectionate toward her and rarely made romantic gestures. Things between them also seemed tense due to undisclosed credit card-related issues that Izzy had apparently hidden from Stacy, which she was not happy about. Ultimately, the couple did reach the altar, and while Izzy vocally stated his agreement to get married, Stacy said no, shocking many.
Where is Izzy Zapata Now?
Even though Izzy Zapata did not get married to Stacy Snyder, the couple apparently did meet again after their not-wedding. Unfortunately, it did not seem like Stacy was ready for any form of relationship between herself and Izzy. Hence, the two separated for good, with Izzy seemingly feeling hurt and confused over how things had transpired. For about a year, the two did not remain in touch. They seemingly reconnected before the season 5 reunion but did not resume a romantic relationship.
Not long after his appearance in the live reunion of season 5, Izzy revealed that he was in a relationship. His girlfriend is none other than Shelby Webb, and the two have continued to appear together at many events since the last quarter of 2023. Though Izzy revealed that he was to be a part of ‘Perfect Match’ season 2, it seem like he had found love with the medical practitioner instead of any of his fellow reality TV stars.
During his appearance in the season 6 reunion, Izzy also poked fun at his credit score, stating that it was now much better. His scheduled appearance in yet another reality show has certainly made his fans very happy. Based in Houston, Izzy works as an Insurance Agent for Globe Life Liberty National Division. With over 194K followers on Instagram, he is also an internet influencer and is known for promoting various brands through social media.
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