Shayne Jansen may not have found his happily ever after on “Love is Blind,” but that didn’t stop him from giving it another go on a brand-new “ultimate Netflix dating competition.”
The spirited, authentically himself Wisconsinite was cast on “Perfect Match,” which premieres on Valentine’s Day (how appropriate). In a recent Instagram story, Jansen described the show as a mix of “The Challenge,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “Love Island.”
The show brings together “Netflix’s most eligible singles” from “Love is Blind,” “The Circle,” “Too Hot to Handle,” “The Ultimatum,” “Twentysomethings,” “Selling Tampa,” “Sexy Beasts” and “The Mole” for “a new spin at romance,” according to the show’s teaser.
The reality star-studded cast includes fellow “Love is Blind” alums Bartise Bowden and Lauren “LC” Chamblin; “Too Hot to Handle” contestants Francesca Farago, Georgia Hassarati and Chloe Veitch (who also appeared on ‘The Circle’); “The Circle” champ Joey Sasso and Mitchell Eason; Zay Wilson from “The Ultimatum”; and more than a dozen other hopefuls.
Wisconsin’s Shayne Jansen made a name for himself on ‘Love is Blind’ Season 2
Jansen, who grew up in De Pere and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, made a name for himself on “Love is Blind” Season 2 with his intense energy, distinctive voice and laugh, quirky mannerisms, and of course, the drama he got into.
This is how Jansen described himself in the first episode: “Do I think I’m a huge tool? Absolutely, 100%, and I own that. That’s fine. I get it. At the same time, I have a really kind heart and I really am passionate about life and who I am. I feel like there’s a lot more to me than meets the eye.”
And by his own admission, his mouth gets him in trouble — “a lot.”
Jansen, a realtor, and his partner on the show, Natalie Lee, ultimately did not get married following an unaired argument not long before their wedding day. At the altar, Jansen said “I do” and Lee said “I don’t.”
Shayne Jansen’s personal struggles, tragedies were amplified by ‘Love is Blind’
In 2022, Jansen did a “tell all” interview — his first official interview since the show ended — with Waukesha native and “Bachelor” franchise veteran Nick Viall on his popular podcast, “The Viall Files.”
He revealed how his personal struggles and tragedies were amplified by being on “Love is Blind.”
Jansen’s father, Wayne, passed away in March of 2021, months before the show was filmed. And Jansen’s “severe, severe” ADHD made the show environment — spending hours in a tiny room while having deep conversations — uncomfortable for him.
That — coupled with Jansen’s love of espresso — made him very anxious and bounce off the walls. Viewers took to social media to question if this behavior was drug-related, which he made clear on the podcast that it was not.
Jansen also shared that he tried to back out of the wedding the night before, but producers said, “We have to see it through.”
“I didn’t know what to do at the time,” Jansen said on the podcast. “At that point, I was so mentally exhausted by everything that was going on in my life.”
Shayne Jansen’s mom passed away after ‘Love is Blind’ aired
In October 2022, Jansen’s life was struck by heartbreaking tragedy once again.
He lost his best friend who he did “everything” with: His mother, Karen. Viewers got to know his mom, her warmth and genuineness through her cameos on “Love is Blind.”
When Karen and Lee met for the first time on the show, Lee told Karen how Jansen “thinks the world” of her, and that Jansen thought and talked about her a lot. Before Jansen walked down the aisle on his wedding day, the words his mom said to him were: “Love ya, love ya, lova ya.”
After the show concluded, Jansen continued sharing his beloved mom with the world through social media.
“For the last year we have been inseparable,” Jansen said in an Instagram tribute to her. “Coffee every morning to Schitt’s Creek every night. I’m broken inside but I know I can live with zero regrets knowing we did everything together. I’ll never be able to replace my FaceTime partner on the daily.”
His profile picture remains a photo of the two of them together.
Shayne Jansen answered ‘Perfect Match’ questions on Instagram
Earlier this week, Jansen shared the “Perfect Match” teaser on his Instagram page with “just know you’ll be entertained” in the caption. In the video, Jansen and fellow castmate Colony Reeves from “Selling Tampa” are seen spraying each other with bottles of champagne.
After his announcement, Jansen took thoughts, questions and predictions via Instagram stories.
Someone asked if he was reluctant to work with Netflix again after everything that went down on “Love is Blind.” He said “Perfect Match” was filmed “fresh off” of “Love is Blind” airing. So at that point, he hadn’t processed it all.
Another question Jansen responded to: “Were you afraid of being judged if someone saw your LIB season?”
“No I’m much more prepared this time around,” Jansen wrote. “We will be judged regardless and mostly it is our own faults so we have to own it.”
He also thanked his followers — he has 546,000 of ’em — for their support.
Kendra Meinert of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this report.
