Milton Johnson and Lydia Velez Gonzalez were the ultimate nerd couple from the moment they bonded over sedimentary rocks in the Love Is Blind pods.
“I think [what] it really just comes down to is our values were the same,” Milton, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 5 premiere of the Netflix dating show. “We had the same morals, we wanted the same things out of life. From day one, it just kind of felt like a hit, just felt like a match. So, we just wanted to really pursue that and see where it could take us.”
Milton and Lydia, 32, immediately connected inside the Houston, Texas, pods thanks to their similar careers. Lydia is a geologist, which piqued Milton’s interest as he is employed as an engineer in the oil and energy industry and often works with rocks.
While Milton was smitten from the get-go, Lydia pumped the brakes after learning that they had a seven-year age gap. At the same time, she was involved in a pod love triangle with Izzy Zapata and Stacy Snyder before Izzy, 31, ultimately broke things off in the first episode.
“Izzy cut me off and it sucks; it’s s—ty [since] he really didn’t give me a reason, but I know I have to pick up myself rub my back and continue and go on,” Lydia tearfully recalled in a confessional during episode 2.
Moving on meant continuing to pursue her connection with Milton.
Milton Johnson and Lydia Velez Gonzalez. Monty Brinton/Netflix (2)
“I think the thing that I liked most about Lydia is [that] we’re so similar in a lot of different ways when it comes to what industry we work in and we’re both born on islands, but when it comes to our emotional intelligence and being vulnerable, we’re on the complete opposite end of the spectrum,” Milton explained to Us. “And that’s something I really value because there’s a part of me that understands like, ‘Hey, maybe this is abnormal. Maybe I am a little bit too emotionally reserved.’”
Milton confirmed that Lydia is on the “whole opposite end of that spectrum” in terms of processing her feelings, which fans saw in the second episode during their “beach” date when they discussed future family plans.
“I [was] like, ‘Surely there’s a middle ground that we need to meet.’ So, I think that really just drew me toward her,” he told Us earlier this month. “And then after the pods, just like any relationship, there’s work [you need to put in to maintain the bond].”
Love Is Blind season 5 premiered its first four episodes on Friday, September 22. New episodes drop weekly on Netflix.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
