Now that the reunion of The Ultimatum has been released, more and more behind-the-scenes secrets have been revealed about what life was like while filming this relationship experiment for over six weeks. Everything from the interview process to what the cast thought the show would be like was dissected.
Fans of the show quickly went to the cast's Instagram profiles to see if they were still in the same committed relationships or if things changed for the worse since the reunion. And luckily, the cast has done plenty of interviews as of late, describing all the details of one of Netflix's top reality dating shows.
What Kinds Of Questions Were They Asked During The Interview Process?
BuzzFeed sat down with three of the show's cast members (April, Madlyn, and Jake) to find out more about what life was like behind the cameras.
Once producers found potential cast members for the show, they did a lengthy interview process to make sure they'd be a good fit for an ultimatum. BuzzFeed noted things like "What kind of things do you fight about? What's your family history? What's your living history? What are your boundaries?" were all asked.
No One Knew They'd Be Dating Other People While On The Show
One of the messiest parts of Netflix's The Ultimatum is that the original couples had to separate for three weeks while they dated and lived with another person they were attracted to.
In an interview with PopSugar, Randall said the cast had no idea they'd be dating other people. He said, "I had no idea what the concept was. I just thought it was us going through therapy, sitting down talking to somebody, and then us working things out. Not us dating other people for three weeks,"
Producers Tried To Be Match Makers During The Interview Process
It would be an unpopular opinion on The Ultimatum to think that a few of the trial marriages weren't better than the original couples. Trial couples like Jake and Rae and Madlyn and Randall appeared to be in a better space than they were in their original relationships. This, of course, was by no accident.
The creator Chris Coelen did an interview with E! where he explained what the casting process was like. To make it more exciting, they had to play "matchmaker" and theorize what people would be good together, despite their dedicated relationships. He said, "We weren't matching these people up into their new relationships, they were doing that on their own. But we wanted to make sure every person who was participating in the experience had people that we felt like, at least on paper, that they would be interested in."
They Had More Freedom Than Viewers Knew
In most shows like The Ultimatum, the castmates aren't allowed to see their original partner, have their phone, or have any real connection to the outside world. Social media especially is prohibited. Coelen told E! that they gave the cast members full reign to do what they pleased with their time.
Since the cast members were able to work and go out, the cast hung out a lot on and off-camera. Coelen said, "If you are familiar with Austin we were right near downtown where a lot of the bars and restaurants are and so we had a cast, some of whom had jobs where they work in bars or restaurants and some of them were like, 'Oh my god, we just want to go hang out.'" He ended it by saying, "We don't police people. If you're going to do that, you're going to do that."
The Couples Still Saw Each Other During Their Trial Marriages
Speaking of not policing the cast members, the group was also allowed to see their original partners during their trial marriages. While fans wondered which The Ultimatum couple was still together while watching, the cast members probably had a good idea in their heads of what they were going to do because they could see both people.
During a podcast on The Viall Files, April shared that while she was living with Colby for their trial marriage, he'd sneak off to be with Madlyn. "I'd go downstairs, and Colby would secretly meet up with Madlyn and their two dogs, and then Shanique and Randall just happened to be there at the same time," she said.
Jake Was Going To Propose On His Own Before April Signed Them Up For The Show
Some of the best quotes from The Ultimatum came from April because she was so passionate about her love for Jake and wanting to be a wife and a mother. She and Jake were on the show because she was ready to settle down while Jake needed more time to get his life in order. But in a shocking twist, Jake told BuzzFeed that he was going to propose to April before the show got involved.
"She didn't know anything about it. Obviously, I wanted it to be a surprise, and she had bugged me all the time. We had a two-week cruise to the Caribbean going to Barbados, St. Lucia, and a couple other places," he said. "I was trying to figure out exactly what scenery and spot I wanted to do it at. [The cruise] was the same time the show was being filmed, so before I was even able to do that, I had to cancel all the plans to go on the show." It turned out to be for the best because April and Jake realized they weren't right for each other in the end.
...And He Didn't Know There Was An Ultimatum Until The Show
What made The Ultimatum one of the best reality dating shows was that the cast didn't know an ultimatum was involved before the show.
In the same interview with BuzzFeed, Jake said he was shocked when an ultimatum was on the table. "We actually didn't even know there was an ultimatum, going on the show. We were told we were living with other cast members, we were going to be dating and moving in with them, and then after the three weeks, we'd be moving back in with our ex," Jake said. He continued saying that they didn't find out about the ultimatum aspect until later on.
Production Made Sure These Couples Were Real
One of the things The Ultimatum fans should know about the Netflix show is that producers put the time in to verify that these couples were real, in love, and had some problems to iron out before they continued their relationships.
Coelen told E! that not only did they do extensive interviews with each couple but they also interviewed the couple's parents and friends to make sure they were the real deal.
The Cast Are Still Friendly With Each Other Today
After a dark few weeks of dating each other's partners, one would think that this group of castmates wouldn't stay in touch after the show wrapped up filming. However, Colby told PopSugar that the group still stays in touch.
He said, "We have a group message going with the [cast] and it's just funny how everyone responds to each other and how the conversation goes." What's more, Rae and Jake (although they're not together anymore) are still close with Shanique and Randall.
Madlyn Knew She'd Eventually Marry Colby
Madlyn and Colby had a whirlwind of a romance on The Ultimatum. Colby was the one who gave Madlyn the ultimatum because he was ready to settle down, but Madlyn wasn't sure. Throughout the process, Madlyn showed more admiration for her trial marriage partner, Randall.
After moving back in with Colby, Madlyn made up her mind about what she wanted to do in the end. After asking her mom for advice, Madlyn told Vulture, "I really did the pros and cons, but it came down to me saying, 'Can I walk away from him? Am I willing to walk away from this relationship?' And I wasn’t."