Kriti Mehrotra
Although it’s true modern dating is quite complicated in general, it comes with innumerable additional sets of challenges for those with autism spectrum disorder solely owing to their neurodiversity. This much has actually even been evidenced in Netflix’s ‘Love on the Spectrum US,’ a spin-off of the eponymous Australian original that follows such individuals as they navigate romance/relationships. Amongst them in season 2 is the incredibly extroverted Tanner Smith — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about his current standing with match Kate Liggitt, we’ve got the key details for you.
Tanner and Kate’s Love on the Spectrum Journey
It was back when Tanner was just four that he was officially diagnosed with autism, yet it took until near adolescence for him to really begin coming out of his shell without any significant issues. His mother has reportedly since taken the blame for this, conceding he probably felt frustrated every single day owing to her trying to “fix” him before realizing all he needed was love and support. That’s when he made a complete turnaround to shine through, only to soon start asserting his purpose in life is to spread joy across the world, which he honestly already does by being his true self.
Nevertheless, the truth is Tanner’s bright personality, unwavering earnestness, as well as vibrant presence somehow surprisingly didn’t help him on the dating front until he was well into his 20s. In fact, the 24-year-old Clemson, South Carolina, resident plus independent Shepherd Hotel employee hadn’t been on a single date before he suddenly found himself getting cast in this reality series. Though what makes this whole situation a bit blue — at least in our eyes — is that his bar in terms of his ideal partner is also relatively low and should have been very, very attainable long prior.
“I want to meet a nice girl,” Tanner said in the production. “I want to meet a girl who’s a Christian… nice and kind. And I want – – I want her to have good manners and I want her to be polite. That’s all.” This is how he was connected to Kate Liggitt, with their blind date being at a local French restaurant named Passerelle Bistro to allow them to talk and get to know one another at their own pace. Their initial plan was actually to go to the Greenville Zoo, but they had to make quick changes due to the weather, only for it to work out perfectly — we say “perfectly” because there was a spark.
Tanner did feel a bit of pressure to continue talking at times since Kate’s responses were either one word or too short, but her expressions made it evident she was merely nervous as well as smitten. Then there’s the fact even he later admitted he found her beautiful, which, combined with their shared passion for animals, drove him to ask her out on a second date after asking what they liked about one another. This romantic rendezvous did take place at the Greenville Zoo, where the duo continued exploring their bond through easy conversations plus hand-holding before deciding to keep meeting up.
Tanner and Kate Are Likely Not Together
Unfortunately, it appears as if, despite the fact neither Tanner nor Kate felt uncomfortable in each other’s presence or were pushing for something the other didn’t desire, their dating ultimately fizzled out. There simply wasn’t a romantic affinity between them, so although they have admittedly remained in touch in the year to have gone by since filming came to a close, they are now just good friends. Moreover, from what we can tell through their respective social media platforms, they’re both single at the moment, meaning their quest for true love/”the one” continues to this day.
Coming to their current standing, it seems like Tanner recently graduated from Clemson University under their two-year ClemsonLIFE program, which is specifically designed for special needs youngsters. It also looks like he’s still employed at Shepherd Hotel, where he hopes to one day land the post of receptionist and utilize his extroverted skills to greet people as they enter this 67-room establishment.
As for Kate, she has apparently been serving as an Instructional Assistant at the local Therapy Place facility for a long time, through which she recently even got to appear on a Times Square jumbotron. A photo of her alongside young patient Jayne Walker was selected by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to be one of the 500 featured in New York to help facilitate conversations revolving around accepting, understanding, plus supporting individuals with Down Syndrome.
Read More: Love on the Spectrum S2: Where Are They Now?
