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The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On fans were elated when season 2 of the show aired on August 23, 2023. In this uniquely crafted dating experiment by Netflix, couples break up and enter trial marriages with new connections before returning to their original partners. They must all make one of three decisions before the show's end: leave engaged to the partners they came in with, date their trial marriage companions, or be single.
The show hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey started with an explosive episode, including a heated argument between one couple, who withdrew themselves from the experience. The others went through emotional awakenings of their own through the process. Roxanne and Antonio came in as a couple and had a rather turbulent arc, leaving viewers questioning whether they were still together.
The answer is yes! In the reunion episode on August 30, the couple announced they were still together. However, the chaos they created during the episode is what gained most attention.
The Ultimatum: Exploring Roxanne and Antonio's relationship
Of The Ultimatum's five remaining couples, Roxanne Kaiser and Antonio Mattei's partnership made fans the most curious. Owing to its stormy nature, differing opinions on marriage, and polar opposite personalities, the internet wants to know if they made it together.
Once the couples split up, they must choose new people on their frequencies to spend three weeks within a "trial marriage." Unpredictable news broke during the recoupling dinner when Nick Lachey announced that another couple, Lisa and Brian, were pregnant and had chosen to leave the show. The remaining contestants chose their new partners, where Roxanne picked Alex and Antonio picked Kat.
Roxanne chose Kat's ex, Alex, because she believed he possessed the hunger for success and was a go-getter, qualities her partner Antonio lacked. Conversely, Antonio chose Kat, Alex's ex, resulting in a full-circle swap. His reasons for picking Kat were her ability to express affection, recognize his efforts, and prioritize him—things Roxanne wasn't offering him. Later in the season, he discussed Roxanne's inability to say "I love you" with her in a heart-to-heart.
Antonio was the issuer of The Ultimatum, as Roxanne viewed marriage as something that would make her lose her independence and strength.
The Ultimatum's new couple, Roxanne and Alex, hit it off like a house on fire during the initial stages of their trial marriage. In reality, Kat and Antonio's relationship was just a friendship since Antonio did not entirely give himself to the experience, with his mind stuck on Roxanne. This also took away Kat's chance to explore a real trial marriage with the person she picked.
Alex pulled Antonio aside on a night out with The Ultimatum boys to tell him that Roxanne did not respect him and called him her "whipping boy." Displeased by this, Antonio questioned Roxanne, who denied having said anything. This led to a confrontation between Roxanne and Alex. Alex stood by his words, stating that Antonio deserved to know that Alex believed Roxanne didn't respect him.
The marriages of both of The Ultimatum couples ended awkwardly. Roxanne apologized to Alex for her harsh delivery during the showdown, but Alex had nothing to say in return for meddling in her relationship with Antonio. He acknowledged her apology and packed his bags. Kat woke up to find Antonio had already left with all his belongings. He returned to admit to her that he would try to mend things with Roxanne.
The Ultimatum contestants then returned to their original partners to begin their three-week marriages. Roxanne and Antonio had already met up before this, after Alex's statements and made their feelings for each other clear. While Roxanne had found the hustler she always wanted in Alex, his lousy attitude put her off. Antonio had also realized early on that he wished for nobody other than Roxanne.
The Ultimatum couple was ecstatic about reuniting and rekindled their flame by getting intimate. They talked maturely about what they lacked and how to work through it.
To everyone’s surprise, including her own, Roxanne “barely” said yes when Antonio asked her to marry him in the finale, and instead said:
“You know I’m f**king terrified.”
While they didn’t post many hints on social media before the reunion, they confirmed in the episode that they’re still together.
Roxanne started off by discussing how being engaged brought with it a new level of reliability and trust. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for The Ultimatum couple.
Roxanne had always wanted a hustler, and Antonio had become just that since their engagement. They both own businesses now, with Antonio having plans to convert his car-wash outlets into car customization stores. Despite this massive change, Roxanne confessed during the reunion that she’s still not ready to marry Antonio. The episode made it obvious that equality was still an issue for the couple. Roxanne said:
"I still am definitely the provider."
The hosts and cast quickly realized Roxanne was no longer wearing her engagement ring, and on questioning her, she confessed to not having worn it since the day Antonio gave it to her. While she had rings on all the other fingers of her left hand, her ring finger remained unaccessorized.
To Alex, it seemed like she was deliberately going out of her way to do this, and he also mentioned how much that could hurt Antonio, who was naturally disappointed, and said:
“It’s almost like your lack of pride in me.”
Roxanne justified this by expressing how she found it strange to wear a ring and while she had no problem with other people wearing rings, she chose not to do so. She also said that Antonio is not where she wants him to be, almost disregarding her own faults in the relationship. She also went on to try and tear down Kat and Alex by calling their partnership inauthentic.
The Ultimatum host, Vanessa Lachey, put Antonio and Roxanne on the spot, by asking them if they would get married in that moment, since Nick is an ordained minister. Antonio instantly said he would marry Roxanne, while she had a not-so-shocking opposite reaction:
“No, no. Absolutely not. No.”
With the drama that ensued in the final two episodes, fans got their much awaited answer, but they don’t seem convinced that the couple will stay together. While where the future takes the duo will only unravel with time, in a social media post from two days ago, Roxanne shared a photo of her wearing the ring, which could indicate positive progression.
All episodes of The Ultimatum are now available to stream on Netflix.
