‘Love Is Blind’: Are Joe Ferrucci & Madison Maidenberg From Season 9 Still Together?
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers from Love Is Blind Season 9.]
We can’t get enough of the drama on Season 9 of Love Is Blind. Six couples made it out of the pods, five made it to Mexico, but for the first time in Love Is Blind history, zero couples made it to “I do.” Madison Maidenberg and Joe Ferrucci’s relationship went up in flames pretty much the moment they hit the beach in Baja.
At the start of the season, Madison and Joe left the Season 9 pods engaged and were one of the strongest couples of the lot. However, paradise came with drama when an overindulgent pool party quickly escalated into one of the worst conflicts of the season. After working to patch together their relationship for the majority of their engagement, Joe became the season’s “runaway groom” and called it quits with his bride-to-be.
Now that the Season 9 reunion has arrived, we’re breaking down everything that happened between Joe and Madison, especially what wasn’t caught on camera. Scroll to find out everything we know today about the Season 9 exes.
What happened between Joe and Madison in Baja?
Things took a turn in Mexico when the Season 9 couples’ first big social gathering — a pool party — went sideways. For Joe and Madison, it quickly became a tipping point. It was the first time all the engaged couples were together, and tensions bubbled beneath the surface. Madison seemed frustrated when Joe kept talking over her, and she gently suggested he slow down on the drinking.
Courtesy of Netflix
Instead, Joe excused himself for a nap, telling Madison cryptically she could join him “if she wants.” Later, Madison went to check on him and found Joe confused and disoriented, so much so that he didn’t recognize that she was wearing the same outfit. He repeatedly asked her the same questions, brushing off her concerns with, “Are you coming in hot?” Madison left in tears, while Joe laughed with production — oblivious to her distress. Clearly, Joe had blacked out, and Madison made it clear she was not okay with that.
“It was definitely kind of a scary moment,” Madison told Swooon. “I genuinely was like, ‘Do I need to get you electrolytes?’ I’m kind of looking around at the crew, like, ‘Do we need to do something here?’ It was very confusing. I didn’t understand who this person was and what was going on with him. I felt really disappointed. I felt like, this is how you’re choosing to have this experience and have today end up?”
Madison told Entertainment Weekly: “He was still very drunk. It was confusing… I’m trying to engage with him, and you see that he’s not responding… we’re not really having a whole lot of dialogue.”
But she insists the worst wasn’t even caught on camera. After cameras were off and dinner was announced, Joe seemed fine — popping out of bed and chatting — which pushed Madison over the edge. She apparently told him, “Get out, get your own room.”
Madison told E! News: “I was concerned at how drunk Joe got at the party. We’re here to further our relationship… and I was so disappointed that he wasn’t showing up for me — that he wasn’t being the person I met in the pods.”
Netflix
Are Love Is Blind’s Joe and Madison still together?
As of Episode 11, Joe and Madison have officially split. While they pushed through their chaotic night in Baja, Joe ended up calling off their engagement after crashing out at his tux fitting.
According to Madison, “Joe said, after his tux fitting, like, he had a total breakdown. He felt completely detached.” Ultimately, he told her that he would say no at the altar, so there was no reason to move forward in the experiment together. While Madison was understandably heartbroken, she made it clear that she wouldn’t have wanted to go through the dating experiment with anyone else.
When did Joe and Madison get engaged on Love Is Blind?
Joe’s handwritten love letter made Madison feel chosen, and by the end of episode 2, they were engaged. But their fairytale hit turbulence at the reveal ceremony. Joe admitted struggling to connect the emotional bonds formed in the pods to the real Madison in front of him, calling her at times a “stranger.”
He also revealed she wasn’t his “usual type,” noting he typically prefers smaller frames, a comment that stung. Madison picked up on these cracks, noticing she was always the first to say “I love you,” except in their intimate moments.
Who else did Joe and Madison date in the pods?
Madison quickly stood out in Season 9, not just because of her charisma, but because of her candidness about living with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye condition that might eventually cause complete blindness. Joe met this revelation with empathy, promising to support her through it.
They connected fast, discussing living arrangements (Madison’s condo wins here), Joe’s divorce, and shared guilty pleasures like karaoke and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. While Madison shared that she had multiple other connections in the pods, there was no evidence of serious connections elsewhere in the final cut.
Who has Joe dated since filming ended?
Normally, we don’t know a former Pod Squader’s relationship status until the reunion; however, Joe’s post-show love life has been put on full blast in the days leading up to the big night. According to Joe’s current girlfriend, who’s not from the Pod Squad, Joe went on a few dates with fellow Pod Squadder, Kacie Anita McIntosh. Now he’s dating a Denver-based dating coach named Averee Madison. While Averee confirmed that she won’t be present at the reunion, it’s clear that his dating history will be a major topic of discussion.
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Episodes 1-12, Streaming Now, Netflix
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Reunion, October 29 at 9/8c, Netflix
