Love Is Blind (2020) s01e07 Episode Script
Meet the Parents
1 Feelings comes and words are said Forgiveness lingers with the dead But will we ever rise up From this grave I'm hearing a love song In the back of my mind I've been engaged for 10 days, and finding somebody that truly fell in love with me for me on the inside, and then coming into the real world and fighting all these external battles, it, it really has shown me that this society today is very superficial in age, race, creed, color, uh, social status, money There's a connection between two people, but one person is letting all this external stuff affect that love, and it's kind of sad.
- How are you feeling? - Mm.
Well, a little not good.
Drank too much.
- Yeah, I didn't - Sorry.
It was totally my bad.
Waking up this morning, I know I overstepped my bounds last night.
I overdrank.
I definitely said some things I didn't really mean.
I'm disappointed in myself about that, and definitely did not act according to my character or any way that I wanna portray myself to my fiancé.
You threw a couple wild cards, and I'm just like, "What are you talking about?" I know.
I don't even know where that came from.
- Yeah, and that's another thing - My bad.
That's not cool.
If you were sober, and you're throwing something in my face like that, I would probably walk out.
Like, last night, I understood the situation, - what was kind of happening - Uh-huh.
and the alcohol that was involved.
That's, you know, something I gotta do better at, just knowing when to cut myself off and not get to that level.
I'm not holding anything against you.
I'm still here because I see how she looks at me.
She's just fighting with herself.
I think we're both very intelligent people that we can just - We can work through it.
- Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? I'm not upset.
Okay, good.
Thanks for being so understanding and still being here in the morning.
Come hang out with me.
Please.
I just need a minute.
I don't wanna leave on a weird note.
So, tell me what do we do now? Well, it's hard, G, because, I mean, things get heated.
I don't like how it's handled.
- Like, me yelling? - Yeah.
I come from a loud family.
We fight a lot.
When we fight, we yell.
We all yell, so it's normal.
It's not normal to Damian.
He doesn't yell.
Okay, I won't yell at you.
But when I'm at my wit's end, everything immediately becomes self-sabotage, partly because I just didn't know how to communicate things that were really bothering me.
Right now.
This whole process, it's everything sped up, including the honeymoon stage.
You know how you tell me this is the best sex of your life? Have you noticed that I don't return the compliment? I don't say, "It's the best sex of my life, too.
" I said that one time, and also you did say, "Wow! That was amazing.
That was great.
" Every time, "That was really good.
" It's great, but it's not fucking mind-blowing.
And the thing that states differently is I've never initiated with you.
You've always initiated it with me.
That's the problem! Thank you so much! Why? Why don't you initiate it? Why don't you seduce me? Even though I jump on you every freaking second, why don't you just look at me and take it? I don't understand it.
- It's - Why can't you just seduce me? It's because you connect and disconnect with me so bad that To you, it's sex.
To me, it's not.
No, to me, it's not just sex.
If it was just sex, then I would have sex with everyone.
I don't.
I chose you.
Yeah, but the difference is you say, "Hey, I don't love you anymore.
I don't feel it with you.
Hey, let's have sex.
Hey, we just had a massive fight in front of all of our friends.
Fuck this! Fuck me.
" And that's what it always.
It's always after we have an argument, aggressive discussion.
I mean, it can't Because then we make up.
You're saying that I like to have angry sex.
No, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is you put an emotional roller coaster, and that's why I don't initiate it.
When those thing happen consecutively, and you make it a consistent change all the time with your attitude and personality, I don't know when you're up or down.
You know where passion comes for me, and where strong love comes for me, and great sex is when we can have a good fucking day, G.
You don't have to take a great moment and crush it with something, because you feel like it's going too good.
Do I give you butterflies, Damian? Not right now.
I lost my butterflies.
And I've been trying to get them back.
So you're not in love with me anymore.
I don't know.
Because I have been feeling so up and down, and so in love and then so out of it.
Do you understand? I don't.
That's it.
All cards on the table.
I told you it was all gonna come out at once.
It sure came out.
But nonetheless I appreciate you opening up and being honest.
I feel like it's easier communicating like this, like we're back in the pods, than it is face-to-face.
Do you feel like it's easier? I feel like we just got a lot more on the table than we have in a while.
Yeah.
Samesies.
Maybe I can be passionate now.
What? You're lucky there's a wall between us.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.
What wall? No wall.
You're so annoying.
I can be passionate as fuck.
All this tension and energy is, like, just coursing through my body right now.
I don't know what to do with it.
Like, I'm getting so anxious.
Oh, I honestly hope they like me.
I hope I'm not, like, like I want to be I want them to be impressed by me a little bit, like I want them to be, like, happy for you because of me.
Darling, you are setting a new standard.
I promise.
Okay.
Hey, if you say so.
I am super-excited to get to introduce Barnett to my family.
I told him earlier my mom's gonna be so stoked to find out that I'm engaged, because she thinks it means I'm gonna settle down.
I mean, technically, I mean, yes, but I told him the joke's gonna be on her, because he's as crazy as I am.
- Is that your niece? - That's one of my nieces.
Shoot! I'm nervous as hell.
Addison! Come here! Hi, baby.
Amber's childhood home is in a rougher area, it felt like.
I mean, I wouldn't have, like, imagined it, I guess, that that's where she's from.
One of the biggest things I was worried about when she saw my house is it just wasn't gonna be good enough for her.
Honestly, it made me think, you know, she doesn't care, and there's no reason I should have cared in the first place, and I don't know why I was ever worried, I guess, about that.
- Hi.
- Hi, love.
Hi! You look nice.
When do we get to talk about what's going on? Um, well that's going on.
- You what? - Amber Lynn! I'm getting married.
- Are you kidding me, Amber Lynn? - No, I swear.
Mom, this is Matt.
- Matt, this is my mom, Vickie.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
Hi.
His name is Matt? - Matt.
Matthew Barnett.
- Okay.
This is my sister, Samantha.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
And this is my stepdad, Pat.
Oh, my God! Momma! Come here.
Don't cry.
Mom, stop crying.
What are you doing? - Go get me a tissue.
- I'll go get you a tissue.
That's my baby.
I know.
I know.
Well, my daughter came home, surprised me, and told me she's getting married.
I think my biggest fear as a parent is For Amber, I know that she has been hurt in the past.
She's very friendly, and she's very outgoing, and I'm always so scared somebody's gonna take advantage of that, and she's gonna end up getting hurt.
Are you excited? Yes, I am, but it just - So, but you're stable right? You work? - Um You're reliable? Financially stable.
Mentally, maybe not so much at times.
You're in the right family for that.
He's an engineer.
He works in construction.
Well, I gotta make sure you're taken care of.
- I can take care of myself, Mom.
- I don't care.
I know you can, but that's besides the point.
Because you kids are all I have.
I know.
She never got to know her father 'cause he died He died when she had turned five, so She had it tough because it was just me and them.
Yeah.
Why are you marrying my daughter? 'Cause the way she makes me feel.
I just can pretty much be myself with her, and that's really all I've ever wanted out of someone that's gonna be my wife.
Aww.
You just better take care of her.
I'm going to.
You raised a good girl, too, so She's a very good girl, and she's smart, and she don't take no crap.
That's one of the things I love about her, so I like it.
In the moment, I couldn't tell if she was angry or happy, 'cause she started tearing up.
But I know she wants the best for her daughter.
That's for sure.
So, I want her mom to like me, and I want her mom to think that I'll be a great husband for her daughter, and it would be tough if she didn't approve.
You've just been engaged for two weeks, huh? What did it for you? I don't know.
It kind of occurred to me.
I was like, "The conversation is so easy, and we had so much fun.
" I was like, "He's gonna be my best friend.
" After he proposed, I still didn't know what the hell he looked like.
It's all based on just hearing each other, and talking, and getting to know each other that way, and you went for it.
- Yeah.
- Very good.
Hey.
Yeah.
No, I mean, it wasn't that.
I just really wanted y'all to meet her.
Yeah, I got you.
We were supposed to go see Damian's parents, and, um They canceled, last minute.
This was me really wanting you guys to meet her, and she's excited about meeting you also.
You know, I'll try and figure out a way to, you know, let her meet you guys.
So All right.
Okay.
I love you, too.
Is it me that they don't want to meet? What did you tell them? Like, who wants to feel that? This is so annoying, like My parents are supportive of me, but I don't know if they're supportive of how this experience is going.
I'm not going to make them do something they don't wanna do.
Honestly Oh! I'm thrown for a loop right now.
You know how your parents react.
Do they even know what's been going on this entire time? No, they're very familiar with what's been going on, and that's why I was saying it wasn't you that they didn't wanna meet.
You know how your parents are.
You knew this would be a problem.
You didn't do anything to prevent it.
You didn't give them the full story beforehand.
I'm just saying we could have handled it differently.
There's obviously a bigger issue here.
You're not really fighting for them to meet me.
'Cause this is the only time that I have, that we have to see them.
All I know is that, before leaving to come here, Damian's mom says, "Don't marry some whore off a reality TV show.
" So, they probably think I am some whore off of a reality TV show This is gonna be really hard.
We knew that this is what we signed up for.
We knew that when we met our parents, it had to be in this process.
- You knew that.
- I didn't know that in the very beginning.
- Hello! - Everybody reacts differently.
You've known this for three weeks.
- I'm over it.
- One, don't yell.
Do not yell at me.
- Okay.
Fine.
- Don't yell at me.
- 'Cause that's gonna ruin our whole day.
- Okay.
And if my family, they don't wanna do all this, then I may not like it, but it's still my family at the end of the day.
And I would not disrespect you and your family because it is last-minute, and it's stressful.
And right now, I feel like you're jabbing at my family, and I don't appreciate that.
- I am not - That's what it feels like.
- Okay.
- That's what it feels like.
Okay, that's what it feels like.
Thank you for telling me what you're feeling.
G may not get a chance to meet my family.
And the question is do we go through with the marriage without my family being there? Or if they are there, without really knowing her? I'm so Like, this was already a really stressful morning, and I don't wanna make it more stressful on you, 'cause I know this is really stressful on you.
I'm not.
But I also think that you should see a bigger picture, because it's a really big thing right now.
I mean, like So, what? Am I just gonna meet them at the wedding? Maybe.
Maybe? You're gonna leave me till last minute? No.
No, I'm gonna handle it.
I fell in love with Damian in the pods, fell in love hard.
Do I still love him? Yeah.
Do I want those butterflies back? Absolutely.
Do I want someone that I have to teach and tell, "Hey, babe, touch me like that"? No.
But, I mean, it just depends.
How strong is your love? How much are you willing to fight for it? I have no idea what's gonna happen at that wedding.
I'm gonna handle it.
The sun is just hot enough To light our fuse - Will you do me a favor - Yeah.
and text my parents and tell them that we're on the way? Got ya.
Kenny is gonna be meeting my parents today, and then later on in the evening, Kenny's parents will be coming over, and the families will meet.
I've told my parents about my engagement.
Their reactions, actually, were better than I thought they were going to be.
- Are you writing a novel? - Huh? Are you writing a novel? Giving her details.
I'm saying, if I just said, "ETA's 40 minutes," she's gonna come back and say, "Why are you doing this and that?" Kenny reminds me of my dad.
My dad has the nickname "Detail," and Kenny is all about telling me, like, every detail.
I think she's gonna appreciate that text, too, 'cause it shows my personality.
Yes, it does.
I definitely think that my parents and Kenny will get along really well.
Almost there! Deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
Oh oh oh Reaching up, Up above Your sky high love Sky high love Today, I'm going to get to meet my soon-to-be in-laws.
- Are you ready? - Let's do it.
Hello.
- Hi.
- Hola.
I've got little hints of anxiety and nervousness, just Which is natural.
It's like, "Okay, stakes are on.
" It's a make-it-or-break-it moment.
So, tell me what was the deciding factor that attracted you to Kenny? If you're not seeing the person, right, - and you're just talking - Right.
So, something he said On our third date, in a sense, we just connected more.
- Um - Mm-hmm.
I asked him what his favorite, like, childhood book was or something, and it was the Love of You Forever book, - and that was something - Oh, yeah.
- You know.
- You love that book.
And that was your favorite book, too? It was my favorite book.
I mean, childhood book.
That's really interesting.
It still is, actually.
No, I'm just kidding.
- It is! - I didn't graduate off of that, yeah.
It is tough to, you know, provide all the details, right, that matter most to how you guys can interpret it.
- Right.
- To make sense of it.
But it was just based off the connection that we, we knew that we had.
You know, we dated.
And that was in October.
We were engaged by December, and we were married in August, and it's been 38 years.
Wow! So, I keep saying to him, "Keep an open mind.
" Yeah.
That's how I feel.
How do you feel, hon? Um, yeah, I just, like Even though, you know, it's only been weeks, actually, and so I kind of had to wrap my head around, like, the quickness of it all, but me being 60-something years old and thinking about it, and my young daughter, you, you tend to think, "Well, it sounds a little bit crazy.
" But if I think back to how I was when I was younger, and falling in love with somebody, I could see, you know, that's Sometimes things just work out.
Kelly has been not quick to date someone.
So, this is really a leap of faith for her, but I trust her judgment, and if she tells me that this guy is somebody special and somebody to be, you know, in love with, then I'm okay with that.
This morning, I was thinking about you, Kelly, and I was getting really emotional, 'cause I was like, "Oh, my gosh!" She'll always be my baby.
For 33 years we've been very, very connected.
Now, I'm gonna get upset, too.
But Kelly It's okay.
Because I want her to be happy, and I want her to find someone.
She's been yearning for someone for a very long time.
When she told me that she found someone, I was like, "Yes!" You know? And then the other side of me is like, "I just want him to be good to her.
" This morning, when I woke up, I was like, "Oh, my gosh!" You know, "This is it.
" And then But then I started thinking, "You know what? I'm not losing my daughter.
I'm gaining a son.
" - Right.
- So I'm very happy for that.
I feel like I wanna give you a hug right now.
I love Kelly's parents.
They're very sweet people, very genuine.
Clearly, they care about their daughter.
And I know they're gonna get along with my mom and dad.
Uh, so that's kinda like icing on the cake.
Oh! - Give you a hug.
- Hey! How are you? - How are you? - Hi, Marcia.
I'm Jeff.
Nice to meet you, Jeff.
This is great.
I think meeting Kenny's parents is a big deal.
I've grown such a unique bond with their son in such a short amount of time, and I want them to truly feel that.
But it's just nerve-racking.
Well, I have to say when Kenny came in, and we started talking today, and he's just a breath of fresh air.
He's just delightful.
- He looks like the Ken doll.
- He does.
- How old were you when you got married? - I was 25.
- So, we met at a swimming pool.
- Yeah.
And I had just happened to come by the first hot day of spring, and she was playing hooky from school and actually sitting with her boyfriend by the pool, and I wasn't coming on to her.
We just kind of talked and started talking and talking.
We talked for a couple of hours like we'd known each other forever.
- So - And that was it.
- Destiny.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
What year did you do get married? - '86.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Long and short, we only dated It wasn't even three months before we got married.
My parents and Kenny's parents, they dated for a short time before they got engaged, and I think that they understand us and our connection with each other because of that.
Are they gonna have wine at this reception? Yes.
I mean, it's a wedding.
If not, I'll bring us in some wine.
Aw.
A marriage is between the two people, but it can be enriched by the support of the extended family.
So for Kenny and Kelly, they just won the lottery, because both sets of parents We're all-in.
We're going to support them.
I'm very happy for you both for a successful engagement.
I think you're beautiful together.
- Cheers! - Cheers! Yeah.
No my heart won't say it No my heart won't say it Hello.
- Hi! - What's up? Hey.
Mark, how are you? I'm going with Mark to his family's house for their Sunday get-together.
This is Jess.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm Jessica.
It's nice to meet you.
You, too.
Thank you for having me.
Everybody, this is Jess.
Introduce yourselves.
If I'm his mom, and he brings a girl ten years older than him to meet me, I'm not happy.
I think I probably am about to get grilled.
I just think it's funny because Mark is so gung-ho about, "Oh, yeah, babe, don't worry.
Nothing to worry about.
" And I think it's probably not gonna go that way.
Thank you.
- Mom, you said you wanted one, too? - Yeah, babe.
That's for me, for the queen of the house.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
- Thank you so much.
- I'm hoping you like this.
- Wow! This is beautiful.
Thank you for doing all of this.
I'm the skinnier one, so - I feed everyone.
- John, you ready? Me? Not yet? Not quite? Okay.
- And dig in.
- Let's try the Cuevas' dinner.
Hopefully You didn't get too crazy with the lasagna, right? - No.
- All right.
- You know what I was thinking? - What? What I really need to know is how you guys got together? Well Yeah.
Yeah, because in two weeks, he's engaged.
Oh, my God! Well, so here's the deal.
There's this whole setup.
It's called "the pods.
" It's almost like a confessional.
Like, if you're a Catholic, and all of a sudden you hear, "Hello.
" From a guy.
- Oh! - And you're like, "Hey.
" So, you know, I just start talking, and I got through a couple really terrible dates, and my third date was Mark, and it was so easy with him, immediately.
"Where you from?" "Chicago.
" "Cool.
What's the coolest thing about you?" "I've got a golden retriever.
" "So do I.
" "Makes Italian beef.
" That's cool.
All right, "Chicago.
" And I'm writing my notes in there, like - I do make Italian beef.
- She.
.
She, yeah It's the one thing I make, yeah.
She makes Italian beef.
And I, like, starred it.
"Italian Beef.
" All right, awesome.
Cool.
And I'm a super-Christian person.
I go to church and wanna raise my family in the church.
And we're just, like, "This is my same person.
" I mean, I know how he is.
I mean, he's a great kid.
He thinks very, very, very highly of you.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
When he told me, "I met this girl.
Her name is Jessica.
She's a little bit older than me.
" I thought, "Oh, that's great.
" Because a lot of the girls his age they a little bit crazy.
So, I figured And I've been through a lot of that.
I think the thing for me is, like, my twenties were so amazing.
You know, with him, I'm like, "Are you sure that you would want to give that up?" I mean, that's a really prime time of your life.
I feel like if I was 34, there wouldn't have been any doubt.
With 24 and 34, it's, "What does society think of us?" We made such a strong emotional connection, but when reality hit, it's like something's off.
And that may be an insecurity, that might be a past relationship trauma, but are you going to let that stop you from really finding the love you deserve? I don't think the age matter.
But for me, I think it's just I think when you know it, you know it.
It doesn't matter.
I think people I got married when I was 18.
So, you know Love conquers everything.
Absolutely.
- And so - Yeah.
We've been married forever.
- How long? - Oh, Lord! - Thirty-one.
- Wow.
Wow, congratulations.
- Thank you.
- That's amazing.
You're right.
It's the connection that you just know, and I knew I tried to pump the brakes on it every single time.
I was like, "Let me take my time.
" And the more and more we talked, I was like, "Yep.
" - Well, that's good.
- Yeah.
Whenever I do something, I'm, like I'm all in, and I don't - Yeah.
- I don't look back.
I like you already.
Yeah, well, I'm happy to be here.
I haven't sat down to a family dinner in Atlanta ever.
This is your home, and we will be happy to be your family.
My family isn't here, so it means everything.
I listen, and you know That's exactly how my dad is.
You guys enjoy.
I enjoyed that you guys are here, so Well, cheers for having Jessica here.
- Salud.
- Salud.
Thank you for having me.
I was expecting a bigger reaction on the age difference, and they didn't give it to me at all.
It was easy.
So I think a lot of it's in my head.
So far, no one has said anything negative, but I don't think anyone would to your face, though, so Mark's perspective is, "We're happy.
It doesn't matter, and who cares?" But that's one thing that I challenge him on is we haven't really experienced it yet.
We haven't experienced anyone calling us on it, and it will happen.
I know that I need to give you A little more time babe A little more time babe I'm working hard but I know That's not enough for you Perfect.
Enough for you Ooh ooh Are you excited to eat my arepas? [Damian Those look really good.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
You haven't seen nothing yet.
So today, Damian is meeting my parents.
It feels like a really, really surreal experience.
Parents are meeting your fiancé, who they have never met before.
They don't want to let just anyone in.
I need the love and support of my family, and I can't marry someone if I don't have that.
- Are you excited? - I'm excited.
I wrote a poem for your parents.
- Oh! - I'm kidding.
- Wow.
- I'm gonna be Pod Damian.
Oh, they would love Pod Damian! You are Pod Damian.
Gigi's family has come in from Florida.
Part of me is nervous.
The other part is excited, 'cause she's talked about them so much.
She's like, "They're really excited to meet you.
" "You think I'm a lot to handle? Wait till you meet my mom.
" And I'm like "What?" "Don't tell me that, G.
" Hola, mami.
It's gonna be interesting.
She said mostly they speak Spanish, so that's something I'm not used to.
- Milady, Damian.
- Pleasure to meet you.
Damian, this is Oscar.
Oscar, pleasure to meet you, sir.
I don't know a lot of Spanish.
I'm willing to learn.
But we'll see how it goes.
- Are you guys hungry? - Yes, we are.
Yes? Wanna help me.
He's helping me.
- What are you doing? - Mom, he's helping me.
- Arepa! - Arepa.
Ah! I made three different types of arepas.
- Why? - Why not? Let me speak in English so he understands.
Uh, biscuits from the United States, "arepas.
" I was trying to explain it to him.
This is what I grew up eating every single day.
- Damian, I have a question.
- Yes, sir.
What makes you think that you're ready to get married? It's something that I've always wanted, 'cause I want family.
Family means everything to me.
That's, that's the most important thing.
I don't think you ever really know you're ready until you meet somebody.
And against all odds, I found Giannina.
Giannina, what about you? What make you think you're ready to get married? That's what I've been figuring out this whole time, and it freaks me out.
Because I see that it can be not pretty.
I don't want to get a divorce.
I don't.
I want to be ready to get married.
But I have to figure things out first, and I'm sorry that I put you through so much - It's okay.
- to figure that out.
I'm so sorry.
Don't apologize.
I am, 'cause I really, really need to, 'cause Because of every single thing that we've been through, I know that Damian is someone that will stick by my side through everything.
When I'm committing to marriage, I'm committing to that person, good or bad.
And I've shown him everything.
Everything.
I needed someone strong, 'cause I'm a lot.
I'm 100% crazy or 100% sweet, and a lot of people can't handle that.
Marriage is not about these happy moments.
Marriage is about - Forever.
- Long-term.
- I think you need more time - To know each other.
to know each other.
More time.
Damian is a good guy.
He's a gentleman.
Damian is ready to be married, but.
.
I think she need more time, but she will be married with him.
Absolutely.
- More time.
- A little more time.
At the end, it's your decision.
We can only give you feedback.
- Thank you.
- And - I like this guy.
- We appreciate it.
- I mean, it is something - We have to be honest.
Me and her are trying to figure it out through these processes.
- We have to be honest with each other.
- And not only for her.
It's also for you.
Because I tell you this: You're married to a tough woman.
It's a tough decision, believe me.
Cameron is a great guy.
I think that he will make a great husband and a great father.
Just honestly, tell me how you feel, Ma.
- Well, I haven't met him yet, but - I mean, just period, with everything.
- I mean, do you really - I'm excited for you, because this is a big step for you, and you made a decision, and I mean, I just feel like, like my whole life, you were like, "Well, you need to get a husband, Lauren.
You're single.
You need a husband.
How are you going to find a husband in the house, Lauren? Oh, you're by yourself.
Oh, Lauren, your eggs are drying up.
Oh, you need to have kids.
" Finally.
Cameron is gonna meet my parents separately because they're divorced.
But what questions do you think you wanna ask him? - Anything you wanna ask me before? - I'll be like this.
"So, who are you really?" I do that all the time.
My mom is a very interesting lady.
She's very quirky.
I think that's where I get a lot of my quirks from.
She definitely says what's on her mind.
So, you know, I'm just hoping that everything goes smooth on both ends.
Oh, my God! It's Cameron! - Hey.
How are you? - Hi.
I'm great.
Thank you.
Cameron, this is my mom.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, too.
Pam Speed.
Well? How do you feel? I'm very excited to finally meet you.
- Yeah.
- And, uh So you think you're gonna go through with this? - Oh, 100%.
- 100%? Well, just jump right into it, Ma.
Yeah, I mean, I love your daughter very, very much.
- Okay.
- And, uh And I feel 100% in, and then there's no one else I would want to be with.
Oh, my! So, the experiment worked according to you, huh? - Yeah.
- Oh, wow! - Yeah.
- Yeah.
She's an amazing woman.
- Okay.
- Hee-hee.
Well, that's great to hear.
I'm glad you feel that way about her.
I've been anxiously anticipating meeting Lauren's mom.
I'm the first white man that she's dated.
And also I'm the first man that she's ever introduced to her parents.
But, you know, I'm gonna give her the old Cameron charm, and we'll see We'll see if that wins her over.
So, Ma, what questions do you have for Cameron? Yeah, lay them on me.
How did you feel when you met her for the first time you saw her? - Physically? - Yeah, physically.
I mean, I was blown away.
Oh - I was very stunned.
- Really? Yeah, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
Oh, thank you! She's saying, "She looks like me.
Mm, thank you.
" No, I'm very serious.
Yeah, she looks like a lot of my pictures when I was at her age.
I noticed, yeah.
She showed me some of the photo albums.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Definitely the smile.
- Yeah.
- And a lot of the - Yeah, somewhere in there.
- Yeah.
- That's my mama.
Well, I heard something.
She said that you were in a rap group at one time.
Yeah, back in college, I used to do a lot of I was in a hip hop group, and we performed a little bit.
Do you remember any? - You want me to do that? - Yeah, why not? Sure.
I'm feeling like a kid with you You're my main chick Those other girls are previews Hop in the back Rolling up Then we're free to cruise I drop the top down Feeling like we can't lose I'm living in the dream And those haters wonder why Why I'm so high up I feel like I can fly So we throw our hands up No concern for those lames That desert us They don't deserve us Blast off The course is like a crash collision 'Cause every choice we make Is like a rash decision But the truth is hard to swallow We're the leaders, baby And they just hope to follow - All right! - Yay! That was great.
I definitely think that Cameron, uh, won my mom over.
I saw her soften up right before my eyes.
I mean, she's all laughing at Cameron's jokes.
I do think that my mom was impressed by Cameron's rapping.
I think he gained some extra points.
So it's like we're opposites, but we have a lot in common.
We have a lot in common, yeah.
And I'm sure Lauren's told you by now that my parents are also Pam and Bill.
Yeah.
Isn't that - That's crazy.
- It's so weird.
So weird.
Did you tell your dad? Yeah, I told him.
He's just like, "What?" - Wait till you meet him.
- Oh, yeah.
- Looking forward to it.
- Yeah.
He's really crazy about his daughter, his one and only daughter.
- Right.
- And he'll probably tell you Take no offense at this.
"I will kill for her.
" - But I mean, that's just - I mean, even literally He won't kill you.
He will kill you.
I mean, he would be just in doing that if I did something, you know When Lauren's dad meets Cameron, I would love to be a fly on the wall, because he's just always wanted our kids to marry within our race.
So I don't know how he'll handle that.
You guys make a cute couple.
That means a lot to me, to hear you say that.
My family, like, they had this party phase, and now they're not there anymore.
So, literally, I'm the only one that drinks in my family.
Oh, God! Oh, Lord! Amber's personality, with my family, makes me nervous, because they are more on the conservative side.
I think one of the biggest things in my life is I've always wanted to do what my family thinks is best, I guess.
And I'm scared of disappointing them.
I'm scared of doing something wrong in their eyes.
I think Amber is gonna be fine, but I'm still scared that they're gonna ask her lots of questions and try to figure out real quick who she is.
So, this is my home, or where I lived for a long time.
- I don't wanna get out yet.
- No? - I'm nervous.
- We can wait here a sec.
I know I can be a lot to take in.
It's a lot of personality, and I'm just a little scared I'm gonna say the wrong thing.
- What's up, guys? - Hey! This is Amber.
Hi.
It's so nice to meet you.
I'm sorry.
I'm freaking out a little.
I'm shaking a little.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey.
- We're here together.
- Oh, my gosh! - Hi.
- I'm Debra.
- I'm Amber.
- This is my mom.
So nice to meet you.
Oh, my God! I'm like Holy crap! - I'm Danny.
- This is my brother, Danny.
Hi, Danny.
I'm Amber.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, Amber.
It's okay.
I'm freaking out.
What is this? - Chillax.
- Hi, how are you? Oh, gosh! How's it been? It's been a lot.
How have you handled the stress? - Beer? - Salud.
Yep.
Shh.
No, I'm kidding.
She's been more stressed out than I have.
So, what what's the worst thing that you've learned of Matt? Besides the fact that he's totally okay with farting on me? - If that's the worst thing - That wasn't that bad.
It caught me off guard, too.
So.
.
Oh, my God! My parents, they seemed a little uncomfortable.
Maybe shell-shocked is a good word for it.
Yeah, very spur-of-the-moment.
Matt, once we got further along in the process, I realized it's really hard to get him to open up.
It's like pulling teeth.
He's very stubborn.
Notice the ring.
That ring is on there because he kept changing his mind between me and another girl.
- And I was like - What? He likes to keep his options open.
Well, I told him, "Hold up.
Give me your hand.
Put this on.
You're not changing your mind again.
You're stuck.
You're not going nowhere.
" Amber's personality Very friendly, very outspoken.
Knows what she wants.
I can see why Matt would be attracted to her.
I'm may worry that's lust.
It's not really love.
Why marriage, though? What I'm trying to say is that you start out in a In a lust mode.
You have a spark, and, and in that spark, you do everything to make the other person happy, but after ten years of marriage, things get real.
When I tell you the way that we match up is unrealistic.
- It doesn't make any sense.
- It's unrealistic.
And I'm a huge weirdo, and I am all over the place, and, like, every time I jump from one kind of crazy to another, just the oddness, Matt's right there with me.
And I feel like there's enough differences that we get to learn from each other.
It won't get boring.
But also we're so similar in so many of the ways that matter that it just makes sense.
You guys know me.
I wouldn't make this decision unless I was 100% sure, because Were you, though? You went back and forth, from what we're hearing.
So, so, so Hold on.
Because she was so passionate and so, like, into me.
And I was like Like, I knew how our relationship would be, and we got along so well.
But I just knew that I would be loved the way that I wanted to be loved, and I think that was kind of what sold me.
I know my brother, and, like, he thinks I'm crazy.
He's not saying it.
He's not saying Yeah, but he thinks I'm crazy.
You take one side of the table.
I'll take the other.
- Can I just get under it? - If that's what you wanna do.
I don't think he understands it.
He's never seen me act like I'm acting.
He's never seen me certain about anything like that before.
I always compare myself to him and what he has.
I'm nervous that he's not gonna be accepting of what I'm doing.
It's, it's hard to explain it, I guess, in a way that makes sense.
I'm I rush into relationships.
I have.
This is something different.
It's like She is She's cooler than me.
She, she understands me, my humor.
I can literally say anything, do anything, and be myself 100% around her, and I've never once felt like She loves it.
Like, it's so crazy.
I don't want you to be jumping into something because of how you guys met.
So many other things that are involved when saying you want to marry someone, because marriage is the hardest fucking thing I've ever done in my life.
Right? - And I think - And it took me two to three years to even get married, much less two to three weeks.
You don't even realize how difficult it really, really gets.
Marriage is about stopping Forgetting about yourself, and making sure that you put that other person before your needs in everything that you do.
Are you willing to give up everything for this person? Everything? This is the moment we've been talking about for a long time.
Are you nervous? You know, of course, I want him to like me and to approve of us.
Yeah.
There's definitely been a lot of build-up leading to today.
Because today is the day that Cameron's going to meet my father.
Okay.
My dad is also very vocal about the black community and, um, you know, keeping the black family structure strong.
So I just You know, I don't know what to expect.
I'm hoping that everything goes smooth, but I know that Papa Speed is ready to grill Cameron.
Very high anxiety, very high anticipation.
It is truly and honestly the craziest set of emotions that I've ever felt in my life.
It would be nice to find some common ground with your father.
Don't look so nervous.
You think I look nervous? Just relax.
I think when you're dating someone, you really have to impress both parents, and, for Lauren, her dad is absolutely her role model.
So, I know how important it is to impress him.
Lauren has told me many times that she feels like me meeting her father was one of the biggest things on her list of potential roadblocks on our path to being husband and wife.
She wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly, and that her father really approves of me.
- Let's go meet Papa Speed.
- All right, let's do it.
I know that my dad is concerned, and I definitely value his opinion.
So if he doesn't like Cameron, I don't know what I'm going to do.
Let me call you back, man.
Bye bye.
Hi, sweetheart.
Hi, Dad.
- Hi.
- This is Cameron.
This is me.
- This is Cameron.
- Okay.
- Finally, you know, we get to meet.
- Well Yeah.
Hmm.
I got a million questions.
Um, I mean, I I want to put your mind at ease as much as I can.
Really? What kind of life do you intend to give my daughter? I want us to be equal partners in our marriage Mm-hmm.
and I want to do everything that I can to make her happy.
Well I don't really know you.
- I have to get to know you.
- Sure.
- You know what I'm saying? - I want you to know me.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
The fact that she has chosen you It's not gonna be a gauntlet.
But until I feel absolutely comfortable I am the diamond I am the diamond YouâÂÂll never find me All that you find is lost Oh I am the diamond I am the diamond YouâÂÂll never hide me Keep me from shining on
- How are you feeling? - Mm.
Well, a little not good.
Drank too much.
- Yeah, I didn't - Sorry.
It was totally my bad.
Waking up this morning, I know I overstepped my bounds last night.
I overdrank.
I definitely said some things I didn't really mean.
I'm disappointed in myself about that, and definitely did not act according to my character or any way that I wanna portray myself to my fiancé.
You threw a couple wild cards, and I'm just like, "What are you talking about?" I know.
I don't even know where that came from.
- Yeah, and that's another thing - My bad.
That's not cool.
If you were sober, and you're throwing something in my face like that, I would probably walk out.
Like, last night, I understood the situation, - what was kind of happening - Uh-huh.
and the alcohol that was involved.
That's, you know, something I gotta do better at, just knowing when to cut myself off and not get to that level.
I'm not holding anything against you.
I'm still here because I see how she looks at me.
She's just fighting with herself.
I think we're both very intelligent people that we can just - We can work through it.
- Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? I'm not upset.
Okay, good.
Thanks for being so understanding and still being here in the morning.
Come hang out with me.
Please.
I just need a minute.
I don't wanna leave on a weird note.
So, tell me what do we do now? Well, it's hard, G, because, I mean, things get heated.
I don't like how it's handled.
- Like, me yelling? - Yeah.
I come from a loud family.
We fight a lot.
When we fight, we yell.
We all yell, so it's normal.
It's not normal to Damian.
He doesn't yell.
Okay, I won't yell at you.
But when I'm at my wit's end, everything immediately becomes self-sabotage, partly because I just didn't know how to communicate things that were really bothering me.
Right now.
This whole process, it's everything sped up, including the honeymoon stage.
You know how you tell me this is the best sex of your life? Have you noticed that I don't return the compliment? I don't say, "It's the best sex of my life, too.
" I said that one time, and also you did say, "Wow! That was amazing.
That was great.
" Every time, "That was really good.
" It's great, but it's not fucking mind-blowing.
And the thing that states differently is I've never initiated with you.
You've always initiated it with me.
That's the problem! Thank you so much! Why? Why don't you initiate it? Why don't you seduce me? Even though I jump on you every freaking second, why don't you just look at me and take it? I don't understand it.
- It's - Why can't you just seduce me? It's because you connect and disconnect with me so bad that To you, it's sex.
To me, it's not.
No, to me, it's not just sex.
If it was just sex, then I would have sex with everyone.
I don't.
I chose you.
Yeah, but the difference is you say, "Hey, I don't love you anymore.
I don't feel it with you.
Hey, let's have sex.
Hey, we just had a massive fight in front of all of our friends.
Fuck this! Fuck me.
" And that's what it always.
It's always after we have an argument, aggressive discussion.
I mean, it can't Because then we make up.
You're saying that I like to have angry sex.
No, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is you put an emotional roller coaster, and that's why I don't initiate it.
When those thing happen consecutively, and you make it a consistent change all the time with your attitude and personality, I don't know when you're up or down.
You know where passion comes for me, and where strong love comes for me, and great sex is when we can have a good fucking day, G.
You don't have to take a great moment and crush it with something, because you feel like it's going too good.
Do I give you butterflies, Damian? Not right now.
I lost my butterflies.
And I've been trying to get them back.
So you're not in love with me anymore.
I don't know.
Because I have been feeling so up and down, and so in love and then so out of it.
Do you understand? I don't.
That's it.
All cards on the table.
I told you it was all gonna come out at once.
It sure came out.
But nonetheless I appreciate you opening up and being honest.
I feel like it's easier communicating like this, like we're back in the pods, than it is face-to-face.
Do you feel like it's easier? I feel like we just got a lot more on the table than we have in a while.
Yeah.
Samesies.
Maybe I can be passionate now.
What? You're lucky there's a wall between us.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.
What wall? No wall.
You're so annoying.
I can be passionate as fuck.
All this tension and energy is, like, just coursing through my body right now.
I don't know what to do with it.
Like, I'm getting so anxious.
Oh, I honestly hope they like me.
I hope I'm not, like, like I want to be I want them to be impressed by me a little bit, like I want them to be, like, happy for you because of me.
Darling, you are setting a new standard.
I promise.
Okay.
Hey, if you say so.
I am super-excited to get to introduce Barnett to my family.
I told him earlier my mom's gonna be so stoked to find out that I'm engaged, because she thinks it means I'm gonna settle down.
I mean, technically, I mean, yes, but I told him the joke's gonna be on her, because he's as crazy as I am.
- Is that your niece? - That's one of my nieces.
Shoot! I'm nervous as hell.
Addison! Come here! Hi, baby.
Amber's childhood home is in a rougher area, it felt like.
I mean, I wouldn't have, like, imagined it, I guess, that that's where she's from.
One of the biggest things I was worried about when she saw my house is it just wasn't gonna be good enough for her.
Honestly, it made me think, you know, she doesn't care, and there's no reason I should have cared in the first place, and I don't know why I was ever worried, I guess, about that.
- Hi.
- Hi, love.
Hi! You look nice.
When do we get to talk about what's going on? Um, well that's going on.
- You what? - Amber Lynn! I'm getting married.
- Are you kidding me, Amber Lynn? - No, I swear.
Mom, this is Matt.
- Matt, this is my mom, Vickie.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
Hi.
His name is Matt? - Matt.
Matthew Barnett.
- Okay.
This is my sister, Samantha.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
And this is my stepdad, Pat.
Oh, my God! Momma! Come here.
Don't cry.
Mom, stop crying.
What are you doing? - Go get me a tissue.
- I'll go get you a tissue.
That's my baby.
I know.
I know.
Well, my daughter came home, surprised me, and told me she's getting married.
I think my biggest fear as a parent is For Amber, I know that she has been hurt in the past.
She's very friendly, and she's very outgoing, and I'm always so scared somebody's gonna take advantage of that, and she's gonna end up getting hurt.
Are you excited? Yes, I am, but it just - So, but you're stable right? You work? - Um You're reliable? Financially stable.
Mentally, maybe not so much at times.
You're in the right family for that.
He's an engineer.
He works in construction.
Well, I gotta make sure you're taken care of.
- I can take care of myself, Mom.
- I don't care.
I know you can, but that's besides the point.
Because you kids are all I have.
I know.
She never got to know her father 'cause he died He died when she had turned five, so She had it tough because it was just me and them.
Yeah.
Why are you marrying my daughter? 'Cause the way she makes me feel.
I just can pretty much be myself with her, and that's really all I've ever wanted out of someone that's gonna be my wife.
Aww.
You just better take care of her.
I'm going to.
You raised a good girl, too, so She's a very good girl, and she's smart, and she don't take no crap.
That's one of the things I love about her, so I like it.
In the moment, I couldn't tell if she was angry or happy, 'cause she started tearing up.
But I know she wants the best for her daughter.
That's for sure.
So, I want her mom to like me, and I want her mom to think that I'll be a great husband for her daughter, and it would be tough if she didn't approve.
You've just been engaged for two weeks, huh? What did it for you? I don't know.
It kind of occurred to me.
I was like, "The conversation is so easy, and we had so much fun.
" I was like, "He's gonna be my best friend.
" After he proposed, I still didn't know what the hell he looked like.
It's all based on just hearing each other, and talking, and getting to know each other that way, and you went for it.
- Yeah.
- Very good.
Hey.
Yeah.
No, I mean, it wasn't that.
I just really wanted y'all to meet her.
Yeah, I got you.
We were supposed to go see Damian's parents, and, um They canceled, last minute.
This was me really wanting you guys to meet her, and she's excited about meeting you also.
You know, I'll try and figure out a way to, you know, let her meet you guys.
So All right.
Okay.
I love you, too.
Is it me that they don't want to meet? What did you tell them? Like, who wants to feel that? This is so annoying, like My parents are supportive of me, but I don't know if they're supportive of how this experience is going.
I'm not going to make them do something they don't wanna do.
Honestly Oh! I'm thrown for a loop right now.
You know how your parents react.
Do they even know what's been going on this entire time? No, they're very familiar with what's been going on, and that's why I was saying it wasn't you that they didn't wanna meet.
You know how your parents are.
You knew this would be a problem.
You didn't do anything to prevent it.
You didn't give them the full story beforehand.
I'm just saying we could have handled it differently.
There's obviously a bigger issue here.
You're not really fighting for them to meet me.
'Cause this is the only time that I have, that we have to see them.
All I know is that, before leaving to come here, Damian's mom says, "Don't marry some whore off a reality TV show.
" So, they probably think I am some whore off of a reality TV show This is gonna be really hard.
We knew that this is what we signed up for.
We knew that when we met our parents, it had to be in this process.
- You knew that.
- I didn't know that in the very beginning.
- Hello! - Everybody reacts differently.
You've known this for three weeks.
- I'm over it.
- One, don't yell.
Do not yell at me.
- Okay.
Fine.
- Don't yell at me.
- 'Cause that's gonna ruin our whole day.
- Okay.
And if my family, they don't wanna do all this, then I may not like it, but it's still my family at the end of the day.
And I would not disrespect you and your family because it is last-minute, and it's stressful.
And right now, I feel like you're jabbing at my family, and I don't appreciate that.
- I am not - That's what it feels like.
- Okay.
- That's what it feels like.
Okay, that's what it feels like.
Thank you for telling me what you're feeling.
G may not get a chance to meet my family.
And the question is do we go through with the marriage without my family being there? Or if they are there, without really knowing her? I'm so Like, this was already a really stressful morning, and I don't wanna make it more stressful on you, 'cause I know this is really stressful on you.
I'm not.
But I also think that you should see a bigger picture, because it's a really big thing right now.
I mean, like So, what? Am I just gonna meet them at the wedding? Maybe.
Maybe? You're gonna leave me till last minute? No.
No, I'm gonna handle it.
I fell in love with Damian in the pods, fell in love hard.
Do I still love him? Yeah.
Do I want those butterflies back? Absolutely.
Do I want someone that I have to teach and tell, "Hey, babe, touch me like that"? No.
But, I mean, it just depends.
How strong is your love? How much are you willing to fight for it? I have no idea what's gonna happen at that wedding.
I'm gonna handle it.
The sun is just hot enough To light our fuse - Will you do me a favor - Yeah.
and text my parents and tell them that we're on the way? Got ya.
Kenny is gonna be meeting my parents today, and then later on in the evening, Kenny's parents will be coming over, and the families will meet.
I've told my parents about my engagement.
Their reactions, actually, were better than I thought they were going to be.
- Are you writing a novel? - Huh? Are you writing a novel? Giving her details.
I'm saying, if I just said, "ETA's 40 minutes," she's gonna come back and say, "Why are you doing this and that?" Kenny reminds me of my dad.
My dad has the nickname "Detail," and Kenny is all about telling me, like, every detail.
I think she's gonna appreciate that text, too, 'cause it shows my personality.
Yes, it does.
I definitely think that my parents and Kenny will get along really well.
Almost there! Deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
Oh oh oh Reaching up, Up above Your sky high love Sky high love Today, I'm going to get to meet my soon-to-be in-laws.
- Are you ready? - Let's do it.
Hello.
- Hi.
- Hola.
I've got little hints of anxiety and nervousness, just Which is natural.
It's like, "Okay, stakes are on.
" It's a make-it-or-break-it moment.
So, tell me what was the deciding factor that attracted you to Kenny? If you're not seeing the person, right, - and you're just talking - Right.
So, something he said On our third date, in a sense, we just connected more.
- Um - Mm-hmm.
I asked him what his favorite, like, childhood book was or something, and it was the Love of You Forever book, - and that was something - Oh, yeah.
- You know.
- You love that book.
And that was your favorite book, too? It was my favorite book.
I mean, childhood book.
That's really interesting.
It still is, actually.
No, I'm just kidding.
- It is! - I didn't graduate off of that, yeah.
It is tough to, you know, provide all the details, right, that matter most to how you guys can interpret it.
- Right.
- To make sense of it.
But it was just based off the connection that we, we knew that we had.
You know, we dated.
And that was in October.
We were engaged by December, and we were married in August, and it's been 38 years.
Wow! So, I keep saying to him, "Keep an open mind.
" Yeah.
That's how I feel.
How do you feel, hon? Um, yeah, I just, like Even though, you know, it's only been weeks, actually, and so I kind of had to wrap my head around, like, the quickness of it all, but me being 60-something years old and thinking about it, and my young daughter, you, you tend to think, "Well, it sounds a little bit crazy.
" But if I think back to how I was when I was younger, and falling in love with somebody, I could see, you know, that's Sometimes things just work out.
Kelly has been not quick to date someone.
So, this is really a leap of faith for her, but I trust her judgment, and if she tells me that this guy is somebody special and somebody to be, you know, in love with, then I'm okay with that.
This morning, I was thinking about you, Kelly, and I was getting really emotional, 'cause I was like, "Oh, my gosh!" She'll always be my baby.
For 33 years we've been very, very connected.
Now, I'm gonna get upset, too.
But Kelly It's okay.
Because I want her to be happy, and I want her to find someone.
She's been yearning for someone for a very long time.
When she told me that she found someone, I was like, "Yes!" You know? And then the other side of me is like, "I just want him to be good to her.
" This morning, when I woke up, I was like, "Oh, my gosh!" You know, "This is it.
" And then But then I started thinking, "You know what? I'm not losing my daughter.
I'm gaining a son.
" - Right.
- So I'm very happy for that.
I feel like I wanna give you a hug right now.
I love Kelly's parents.
They're very sweet people, very genuine.
Clearly, they care about their daughter.
And I know they're gonna get along with my mom and dad.
Uh, so that's kinda like icing on the cake.
Oh! - Give you a hug.
- Hey! How are you? - How are you? - Hi, Marcia.
I'm Jeff.
Nice to meet you, Jeff.
This is great.
I think meeting Kenny's parents is a big deal.
I've grown such a unique bond with their son in such a short amount of time, and I want them to truly feel that.
But it's just nerve-racking.
Well, I have to say when Kenny came in, and we started talking today, and he's just a breath of fresh air.
He's just delightful.
- He looks like the Ken doll.
- He does.
- How old were you when you got married? - I was 25.
- So, we met at a swimming pool.
- Yeah.
And I had just happened to come by the first hot day of spring, and she was playing hooky from school and actually sitting with her boyfriend by the pool, and I wasn't coming on to her.
We just kind of talked and started talking and talking.
We talked for a couple of hours like we'd known each other forever.
- So - And that was it.
- Destiny.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
What year did you do get married? - '86.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Long and short, we only dated It wasn't even three months before we got married.
My parents and Kenny's parents, they dated for a short time before they got engaged, and I think that they understand us and our connection with each other because of that.
Are they gonna have wine at this reception? Yes.
I mean, it's a wedding.
If not, I'll bring us in some wine.
Aw.
A marriage is between the two people, but it can be enriched by the support of the extended family.
So for Kenny and Kelly, they just won the lottery, because both sets of parents We're all-in.
We're going to support them.
I'm very happy for you both for a successful engagement.
I think you're beautiful together.
- Cheers! - Cheers! Yeah.
No my heart won't say it No my heart won't say it Hello.
- Hi! - What's up? Hey.
Mark, how are you? I'm going with Mark to his family's house for their Sunday get-together.
This is Jess.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm Jessica.
It's nice to meet you.
You, too.
Thank you for having me.
Everybody, this is Jess.
Introduce yourselves.
If I'm his mom, and he brings a girl ten years older than him to meet me, I'm not happy.
I think I probably am about to get grilled.
I just think it's funny because Mark is so gung-ho about, "Oh, yeah, babe, don't worry.
Nothing to worry about.
" And I think it's probably not gonna go that way.
Thank you.
- Mom, you said you wanted one, too? - Yeah, babe.
That's for me, for the queen of the house.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
- Thank you so much.
- I'm hoping you like this.
- Wow! This is beautiful.
Thank you for doing all of this.
I'm the skinnier one, so - I feed everyone.
- John, you ready? Me? Not yet? Not quite? Okay.
- And dig in.
- Let's try the Cuevas' dinner.
Hopefully You didn't get too crazy with the lasagna, right? - No.
- All right.
- You know what I was thinking? - What? What I really need to know is how you guys got together? Well Yeah.
Yeah, because in two weeks, he's engaged.
Oh, my God! Well, so here's the deal.
There's this whole setup.
It's called "the pods.
" It's almost like a confessional.
Like, if you're a Catholic, and all of a sudden you hear, "Hello.
" From a guy.
- Oh! - And you're like, "Hey.
" So, you know, I just start talking, and I got through a couple really terrible dates, and my third date was Mark, and it was so easy with him, immediately.
"Where you from?" "Chicago.
" "Cool.
What's the coolest thing about you?" "I've got a golden retriever.
" "So do I.
" "Makes Italian beef.
" That's cool.
All right, "Chicago.
" And I'm writing my notes in there, like - I do make Italian beef.
- She.
.
She, yeah It's the one thing I make, yeah.
She makes Italian beef.
And I, like, starred it.
"Italian Beef.
" All right, awesome.
Cool.
And I'm a super-Christian person.
I go to church and wanna raise my family in the church.
And we're just, like, "This is my same person.
" I mean, I know how he is.
I mean, he's a great kid.
He thinks very, very, very highly of you.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
When he told me, "I met this girl.
Her name is Jessica.
She's a little bit older than me.
" I thought, "Oh, that's great.
" Because a lot of the girls his age they a little bit crazy.
So, I figured And I've been through a lot of that.
I think the thing for me is, like, my twenties were so amazing.
You know, with him, I'm like, "Are you sure that you would want to give that up?" I mean, that's a really prime time of your life.
I feel like if I was 34, there wouldn't have been any doubt.
With 24 and 34, it's, "What does society think of us?" We made such a strong emotional connection, but when reality hit, it's like something's off.
And that may be an insecurity, that might be a past relationship trauma, but are you going to let that stop you from really finding the love you deserve? I don't think the age matter.
But for me, I think it's just I think when you know it, you know it.
It doesn't matter.
I think people I got married when I was 18.
So, you know Love conquers everything.
Absolutely.
- And so - Yeah.
We've been married forever.
- How long? - Oh, Lord! - Thirty-one.
- Wow.
Wow, congratulations.
- Thank you.
- That's amazing.
You're right.
It's the connection that you just know, and I knew I tried to pump the brakes on it every single time.
I was like, "Let me take my time.
" And the more and more we talked, I was like, "Yep.
" - Well, that's good.
- Yeah.
Whenever I do something, I'm, like I'm all in, and I don't - Yeah.
- I don't look back.
I like you already.
Yeah, well, I'm happy to be here.
I haven't sat down to a family dinner in Atlanta ever.
This is your home, and we will be happy to be your family.
My family isn't here, so it means everything.
I listen, and you know That's exactly how my dad is.
You guys enjoy.
I enjoyed that you guys are here, so Well, cheers for having Jessica here.
- Salud.
- Salud.
Thank you for having me.
I was expecting a bigger reaction on the age difference, and they didn't give it to me at all.
It was easy.
So I think a lot of it's in my head.
So far, no one has said anything negative, but I don't think anyone would to your face, though, so Mark's perspective is, "We're happy.
It doesn't matter, and who cares?" But that's one thing that I challenge him on is we haven't really experienced it yet.
We haven't experienced anyone calling us on it, and it will happen.
I know that I need to give you A little more time babe A little more time babe I'm working hard but I know That's not enough for you Perfect.
Enough for you Ooh ooh Are you excited to eat my arepas? [Damian Those look really good.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
You haven't seen nothing yet.
So today, Damian is meeting my parents.
It feels like a really, really surreal experience.
Parents are meeting your fiancé, who they have never met before.
They don't want to let just anyone in.
I need the love and support of my family, and I can't marry someone if I don't have that.
- Are you excited? - I'm excited.
I wrote a poem for your parents.
- Oh! - I'm kidding.
- Wow.
- I'm gonna be Pod Damian.
Oh, they would love Pod Damian! You are Pod Damian.
Gigi's family has come in from Florida.
Part of me is nervous.
The other part is excited, 'cause she's talked about them so much.
She's like, "They're really excited to meet you.
" "You think I'm a lot to handle? Wait till you meet my mom.
" And I'm like "What?" "Don't tell me that, G.
" Hola, mami.
It's gonna be interesting.
She said mostly they speak Spanish, so that's something I'm not used to.
- Milady, Damian.
- Pleasure to meet you.
Damian, this is Oscar.
Oscar, pleasure to meet you, sir.
I don't know a lot of Spanish.
I'm willing to learn.
But we'll see how it goes.
- Are you guys hungry? - Yes, we are.
Yes? Wanna help me.
He's helping me.
- What are you doing? - Mom, he's helping me.
- Arepa! - Arepa.
Ah! I made three different types of arepas.
- Why? - Why not? Let me speak in English so he understands.
Uh, biscuits from the United States, "arepas.
" I was trying to explain it to him.
This is what I grew up eating every single day.
- Damian, I have a question.
- Yes, sir.
What makes you think that you're ready to get married? It's something that I've always wanted, 'cause I want family.
Family means everything to me.
That's, that's the most important thing.
I don't think you ever really know you're ready until you meet somebody.
And against all odds, I found Giannina.
Giannina, what about you? What make you think you're ready to get married? That's what I've been figuring out this whole time, and it freaks me out.
Because I see that it can be not pretty.
I don't want to get a divorce.
I don't.
I want to be ready to get married.
But I have to figure things out first, and I'm sorry that I put you through so much - It's okay.
- to figure that out.
I'm so sorry.
Don't apologize.
I am, 'cause I really, really need to, 'cause Because of every single thing that we've been through, I know that Damian is someone that will stick by my side through everything.
When I'm committing to marriage, I'm committing to that person, good or bad.
And I've shown him everything.
Everything.
I needed someone strong, 'cause I'm a lot.
I'm 100% crazy or 100% sweet, and a lot of people can't handle that.
Marriage is not about these happy moments.
Marriage is about - Forever.
- Long-term.
- I think you need more time - To know each other.
to know each other.
More time.
Damian is a good guy.
He's a gentleman.
Damian is ready to be married, but.
.
I think she need more time, but she will be married with him.
Absolutely.
- More time.
- A little more time.
At the end, it's your decision.
We can only give you feedback.
- Thank you.
- And - I like this guy.
- We appreciate it.
- I mean, it is something - We have to be honest.
Me and her are trying to figure it out through these processes.
- We have to be honest with each other.
- And not only for her.
It's also for you.
Because I tell you this: You're married to a tough woman.
It's a tough decision, believe me.
Cameron is a great guy.
I think that he will make a great husband and a great father.
Just honestly, tell me how you feel, Ma.
- Well, I haven't met him yet, but - I mean, just period, with everything.
- I mean, do you really - I'm excited for you, because this is a big step for you, and you made a decision, and I mean, I just feel like, like my whole life, you were like, "Well, you need to get a husband, Lauren.
You're single.
You need a husband.
How are you going to find a husband in the house, Lauren? Oh, you're by yourself.
Oh, Lauren, your eggs are drying up.
Oh, you need to have kids.
" Finally.
Cameron is gonna meet my parents separately because they're divorced.
But what questions do you think you wanna ask him? - Anything you wanna ask me before? - I'll be like this.
"So, who are you really?" I do that all the time.
My mom is a very interesting lady.
She's very quirky.
I think that's where I get a lot of my quirks from.
She definitely says what's on her mind.
So, you know, I'm just hoping that everything goes smooth on both ends.
Oh, my God! It's Cameron! - Hey.
How are you? - Hi.
I'm great.
Thank you.
Cameron, this is my mom.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, too.
Pam Speed.
Well? How do you feel? I'm very excited to finally meet you.
- Yeah.
- And, uh So you think you're gonna go through with this? - Oh, 100%.
- 100%? Well, just jump right into it, Ma.
Yeah, I mean, I love your daughter very, very much.
- Okay.
- And, uh And I feel 100% in, and then there's no one else I would want to be with.
Oh, my! So, the experiment worked according to you, huh? - Yeah.
- Oh, wow! - Yeah.
- Yeah.
She's an amazing woman.
- Okay.
- Hee-hee.
Well, that's great to hear.
I'm glad you feel that way about her.
I've been anxiously anticipating meeting Lauren's mom.
I'm the first white man that she's dated.
And also I'm the first man that she's ever introduced to her parents.
But, you know, I'm gonna give her the old Cameron charm, and we'll see We'll see if that wins her over.
So, Ma, what questions do you have for Cameron? Yeah, lay them on me.
How did you feel when you met her for the first time you saw her? - Physically? - Yeah, physically.
I mean, I was blown away.
Oh - I was very stunned.
- Really? Yeah, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
Oh, thank you! She's saying, "She looks like me.
Mm, thank you.
" No, I'm very serious.
Yeah, she looks like a lot of my pictures when I was at her age.
I noticed, yeah.
She showed me some of the photo albums.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Definitely the smile.
- Yeah.
- And a lot of the - Yeah, somewhere in there.
- Yeah.
- That's my mama.
Well, I heard something.
She said that you were in a rap group at one time.
Yeah, back in college, I used to do a lot of I was in a hip hop group, and we performed a little bit.
Do you remember any? - You want me to do that? - Yeah, why not? Sure.
I'm feeling like a kid with you You're my main chick Those other girls are previews Hop in the back Rolling up Then we're free to cruise I drop the top down Feeling like we can't lose I'm living in the dream And those haters wonder why Why I'm so high up I feel like I can fly So we throw our hands up No concern for those lames That desert us They don't deserve us Blast off The course is like a crash collision 'Cause every choice we make Is like a rash decision But the truth is hard to swallow We're the leaders, baby And they just hope to follow - All right! - Yay! That was great.
I definitely think that Cameron, uh, won my mom over.
I saw her soften up right before my eyes.
I mean, she's all laughing at Cameron's jokes.
I do think that my mom was impressed by Cameron's rapping.
I think he gained some extra points.
So it's like we're opposites, but we have a lot in common.
We have a lot in common, yeah.
And I'm sure Lauren's told you by now that my parents are also Pam and Bill.
Yeah.
Isn't that - That's crazy.
- It's so weird.
So weird.
Did you tell your dad? Yeah, I told him.
He's just like, "What?" - Wait till you meet him.
- Oh, yeah.
- Looking forward to it.
- Yeah.
He's really crazy about his daughter, his one and only daughter.
- Right.
- And he'll probably tell you Take no offense at this.
"I will kill for her.
" - But I mean, that's just - I mean, even literally He won't kill you.
He will kill you.
I mean, he would be just in doing that if I did something, you know When Lauren's dad meets Cameron, I would love to be a fly on the wall, because he's just always wanted our kids to marry within our race.
So I don't know how he'll handle that.
You guys make a cute couple.
That means a lot to me, to hear you say that.
My family, like, they had this party phase, and now they're not there anymore.
So, literally, I'm the only one that drinks in my family.
Oh, God! Oh, Lord! Amber's personality, with my family, makes me nervous, because they are more on the conservative side.
I think one of the biggest things in my life is I've always wanted to do what my family thinks is best, I guess.
And I'm scared of disappointing them.
I'm scared of doing something wrong in their eyes.
I think Amber is gonna be fine, but I'm still scared that they're gonna ask her lots of questions and try to figure out real quick who she is.
So, this is my home, or where I lived for a long time.
- I don't wanna get out yet.
- No? - I'm nervous.
- We can wait here a sec.
I know I can be a lot to take in.
It's a lot of personality, and I'm just a little scared I'm gonna say the wrong thing.
- What's up, guys? - Hey! This is Amber.
Hi.
It's so nice to meet you.
I'm sorry.
I'm freaking out a little.
I'm shaking a little.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey.
- We're here together.
- Oh, my gosh! - Hi.
- I'm Debra.
- I'm Amber.
- This is my mom.
So nice to meet you.
Oh, my God! I'm like Holy crap! - I'm Danny.
- This is my brother, Danny.
Hi, Danny.
I'm Amber.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, Amber.
It's okay.
I'm freaking out.
What is this? - Chillax.
- Hi, how are you? Oh, gosh! How's it been? It's been a lot.
How have you handled the stress? - Beer? - Salud.
Yep.
Shh.
No, I'm kidding.
She's been more stressed out than I have.
So, what what's the worst thing that you've learned of Matt? Besides the fact that he's totally okay with farting on me? - If that's the worst thing - That wasn't that bad.
It caught me off guard, too.
So.
.
Oh, my God! My parents, they seemed a little uncomfortable.
Maybe shell-shocked is a good word for it.
Yeah, very spur-of-the-moment.
Matt, once we got further along in the process, I realized it's really hard to get him to open up.
It's like pulling teeth.
He's very stubborn.
Notice the ring.
That ring is on there because he kept changing his mind between me and another girl.
- And I was like - What? He likes to keep his options open.
Well, I told him, "Hold up.
Give me your hand.
Put this on.
You're not changing your mind again.
You're stuck.
You're not going nowhere.
" Amber's personality Very friendly, very outspoken.
Knows what she wants.
I can see why Matt would be attracted to her.
I'm may worry that's lust.
It's not really love.
Why marriage, though? What I'm trying to say is that you start out in a In a lust mode.
You have a spark, and, and in that spark, you do everything to make the other person happy, but after ten years of marriage, things get real.
When I tell you the way that we match up is unrealistic.
- It doesn't make any sense.
- It's unrealistic.
And I'm a huge weirdo, and I am all over the place, and, like, every time I jump from one kind of crazy to another, just the oddness, Matt's right there with me.
And I feel like there's enough differences that we get to learn from each other.
It won't get boring.
But also we're so similar in so many of the ways that matter that it just makes sense.
You guys know me.
I wouldn't make this decision unless I was 100% sure, because Were you, though? You went back and forth, from what we're hearing.
So, so, so Hold on.
Because she was so passionate and so, like, into me.
And I was like Like, I knew how our relationship would be, and we got along so well.
But I just knew that I would be loved the way that I wanted to be loved, and I think that was kind of what sold me.
I know my brother, and, like, he thinks I'm crazy.
He's not saying it.
He's not saying Yeah, but he thinks I'm crazy.
You take one side of the table.
I'll take the other.
- Can I just get under it? - If that's what you wanna do.
I don't think he understands it.
He's never seen me act like I'm acting.
He's never seen me certain about anything like that before.
I always compare myself to him and what he has.
I'm nervous that he's not gonna be accepting of what I'm doing.
It's, it's hard to explain it, I guess, in a way that makes sense.
I'm I rush into relationships.
I have.
This is something different.
It's like She is She's cooler than me.
She, she understands me, my humor.
I can literally say anything, do anything, and be myself 100% around her, and I've never once felt like She loves it.
Like, it's so crazy.
I don't want you to be jumping into something because of how you guys met.
So many other things that are involved when saying you want to marry someone, because marriage is the hardest fucking thing I've ever done in my life.
Right? - And I think - And it took me two to three years to even get married, much less two to three weeks.
You don't even realize how difficult it really, really gets.
Marriage is about stopping Forgetting about yourself, and making sure that you put that other person before your needs in everything that you do.
Are you willing to give up everything for this person? Everything? This is the moment we've been talking about for a long time.
Are you nervous? You know, of course, I want him to like me and to approve of us.
Yeah.
There's definitely been a lot of build-up leading to today.
Because today is the day that Cameron's going to meet my father.
Okay.
My dad is also very vocal about the black community and, um, you know, keeping the black family structure strong.
So I just You know, I don't know what to expect.
I'm hoping that everything goes smooth, but I know that Papa Speed is ready to grill Cameron.
Very high anxiety, very high anticipation.
It is truly and honestly the craziest set of emotions that I've ever felt in my life.
It would be nice to find some common ground with your father.
Don't look so nervous.
You think I look nervous? Just relax.
I think when you're dating someone, you really have to impress both parents, and, for Lauren, her dad is absolutely her role model.
So, I know how important it is to impress him.
Lauren has told me many times that she feels like me meeting her father was one of the biggest things on her list of potential roadblocks on our path to being husband and wife.
She wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly, and that her father really approves of me.
- Let's go meet Papa Speed.
- All right, let's do it.
I know that my dad is concerned, and I definitely value his opinion.
So if he doesn't like Cameron, I don't know what I'm going to do.
Let me call you back, man.
Bye bye.
Hi, sweetheart.
Hi, Dad.
- Hi.
- This is Cameron.
This is me.
- This is Cameron.
- Okay.
- Finally, you know, we get to meet.
- Well Yeah.
Hmm.
I got a million questions.
Um, I mean, I I want to put your mind at ease as much as I can.
Really? What kind of life do you intend to give my daughter? I want us to be equal partners in our marriage Mm-hmm.
and I want to do everything that I can to make her happy.
Well I don't really know you.
- I have to get to know you.
- Sure.
- You know what I'm saying? - I want you to know me.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
The fact that she has chosen you It's not gonna be a gauntlet.
But until I feel absolutely comfortable I am the diamond I am the diamond YouâÂÂll never find me All that you find is lost Oh I am the diamond I am the diamond YouâÂÂll never hide me Keep me from shining on