Ali and Anton (Image via Tudum by Netflix)
Love Is Blind season 9 fame Ali Lima has finally spoken out about Anton Yarosh’s drinking habits and party lifestyle, sharing what went through her mind after she made the discovery through his friends.
In an interview with Swooon, on October 11, Ali looked back on the moment she found out from one of Anton’s friends that he was a bigger partier than she had originally thought and said:
“Hearing from Melissa [Anton’s friend], obviously, she’s a third source. I didn’t know her. I knew Anton much better, but it is kind of, you know, alarm bells ringing in your head when you hear that about your significant other.”
What “alarmed” the Love Is Blind cast member was how Anton presented the narrative, making his other friend, Joe, look like the “instigator,” when it seemed like it was “very much both of them.”
It was in episode 8, titled Stripping the Veil, that Anton introduced Ali to his friends, Joe and Melissa.
While the meetup started on a positive note, it soon took a turn when Melissa made certain revelations about Anton.
While in the bathroom, she told Ali that Anton liked partying and visiting strip clubs with Joe. Although she clarified that he had stopped since getting into a relationship, Ali began questioning his intentions.
Love Is Blind season 9: Ali sheds light on her pod experience with Anton, his lifestyle and more
Ali has been a fan of the series since season 1, as she told Swooon that she had been following the show “this whole time.”
It was only after being encouraged by her friends and getting “reached out on Instagram multiple times” that she decided to participate in the dating experiment.
During her time in the pods, viewers saw her develop a connection with Anton and become engaged to him in the first episode.
However, Ali revealed that she and Anton both dated other people.
“I dated Chase [Navarro] and Patrick [Suzuki]. But I very early on knew that it was Anton for me,” she said.
In reflecting on her experience with Anton in the pod, Ali noted that several aspects about him stood out to her, but were not included in the final edit.
From culture and religion to upbringing and experiences, the couple had “many deeper conversations outside of what was shown.”
According to Ali, those discussions helped them relate to each other and find compatibility.
She particularly appreciated his outlook on caring for his family, noting that it was a quality she wanted her partner to have.
Reflecting on the moment she first saw Anton, Ali revealed that he did not look how she had pictured him.
Ali mentioned that although Anton had shared his nationality with her, she expected him to have blue eyes and blonde hair.
Regardless, she was “very happy” with how he looked and added that they “hit it off” at their reveal.
However, after they returned to Denver from their honeymoon, Ali began to notice differences in her and Anton’s lifestyles.
“I think it was just the drinking. The thought of coming home from a shift and then, you know, having a couple of beers to wind down. That was kind of the main thing that I was like, ‘Okay, this is a very different way to live,’” she recalled.
The Love Is Blind star shared that she was an occasional drinker, and so, to see someone drink after every shift stood out as a major lifestyle difference to her.
Ali added that she and Anton did discuss their lifestyles in the pods, and at the time, she did not think his lifestyle would emerge as a difference.
Her concerns heightened when she found out that Anton was equally into partying.
During her meeting with his friends, she noticed how he tried to portray himself as the bigger party person, when in reality, he was just the same.
In episode 9 of the series, Ali was shown sharing her concerns about Anton with her female co-stars, leaving fans wondering about the longevity of their relationship.
With new episodes set to air on October 15, 2025, fans will have to wait until then to find out if Ali will marry Anton or leave the altar single.
Stay tuned for more updates.