Reality TV Romance
Who Is Spicy Mari? Meet the ‘Sneaky Links’ Relationship Expert
Romantics rejoice, your newest reality TV obsession is here!
The first season of Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark hit Netflix on May 21, bringing situationships out of the dark and into the reality TV landscape. The show features “six sexy singles [who] check into a motel in pursuit of true love, only to be reunited with their long-term booty calls, or ‘sneaky links.'” Along the way, the singles “must navigate three exciting phases, each designed to challenge the rules of sneaky linking” with the help of the show’s host, Perfect Match alum Chloe Veitch, and Spicy Mari, the relationship expert who serves as a cross between the show’s dating coach and semi-therapist.
On the May 21 episode of fellow Perfect Match contestant Harry Jowsey‘s podcast, Boyfriend Material, Veitch (who we recently interviewed about the show) gushed about her time working with Spicy Mari. She shared, “[Spicy Mari] is not one to be f***ed with. She is so good at her job, but she is so direct. She doesn’t cut any corners.”
While Veitch did not know Spicy Mari before the show, she shared that they balanced each other’s energies. Veitch explained their roles by saying, “I’m going to be your big sister. I’m gonna be one who can relate to certain situations that you’re in. And if someone is crying, I can be that shoulder to cry on because I’ve been there. But with Spicy Mari, she holds more of the respect title. When she speaks, you listen, and take on her advice. So her aim for being on the show with me was just so that I didn’t get an HR issue.”
Read on to learn more about Spicy Mari and her role as the relationship expert on Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark.
Courtesy of Netflix
Who is Spicy Mari?
Spicy Mari is Maricela Soto, a self-described “Magnetic Matchmaker,” who serves as the relationship expert at the Sneaky Links motel. While she is not a certified therapist (she studied communications), Spicy Mari holds a dating certification from the International Dating Coach Association. She is also a certified domestic violence advocate for the state of California and a certified Bumble Dating Expert.
On Sneaky Links, Spicy Mari hosts a nightly Link Lowdown, where contestants have conversations about their progress, discussing important topics like boundaries and self-worth. Beyond Sneaky Links, Spicy Mari has appeared in The Love Experiment and Love Allways.
Courtesy of Netflix
What does Spicy Mari do for a living?
Spicy Mari is the CEO and Founder of The Spicy Life, a relationship consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California. “Spicy Mari’s life purpose is helping people to find love and teaching them how to sustain it,” the firm’s website reads. According to The Spicy Life, “Spicy” stands for “Self, Passion, Intimacy, Communication, and learning to say ‘Yes.'”
Spicy Mari is also the host of The Spicy Life, a podcast where she “brings you raw and uncut expert advice from the relationship industry’s top professionals.” Recent episodes include topics like “How to Solve a Sexless Relationship” and “Are You in Love With a Man-Child?”
Is Spicy Mari in a relationship?
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Yes, Spicy Mari is married to Chae Waugh, the author of Marriage & Finances. Spicy Mari met her husband through a mutual friend. However, as she told Cocomelody Magazine, “I was coming out of a bad relationship and wasn’t in the headspace to recognize how amazing he was. Months later, we ran back into each other at [a] party and have been together since.” The couple got married in December 2017 at Montego Bay in Jamaica. In a recent Instagram post, Spicy Mari confirmed that they are still together, captioning the video “Spicy Wife, Spicy Life.”
Does Spicy Mari have kids?
Spicy Mari has a son who is nearly four named Princeton Chae. Spicy Mari and Chae Waugh have not hesitated to post public pictures and videos of their son, stating in an Instagram caption: “As a 3yr old employee of The Spicy Life, Princeton will master the art of confidence, connection, and communication. As a son, he will learn that interpretation, self-expression, and contribution are appreciated.”
True to the Spicy Life brand, the statement continues, “As a future man and husband, he will learn that love isn’t a feeling, it’s actions and choices.”
Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark, Season 1, Netflix, Streaming Now
