What's wrong with Shayne? Like, what is going on there.
Shayne on Love Is Blind is a complicated character. At first, we hated him. He couldn't remember what girl he was talking to, he gaslit Natalie, he played the victim and made her apologize to him, and was overall, just an off-putting man who seemingly refused to blink. (I saw someone describe him as a man who has just seen a ghost but can't tell you he did, and that is accurate.) We all thought he and Shaina would get engaged and we'd love to hate them. But that didn't happen.
Somehow, he woo'd Natalie with his ... energy? She says on screen that she was attracted to his high-frequency energy because she's more down tempo herself, and well, I suppose I can buy that. Their time in Mexico was weird. The editing made it seem like Natalie negged him a lot (I don't believe it) and Shayne begged her to be nice and share compliments. It was bizarre, and no one thought it'd last. But it did.
Then we get to Chicago and these two are vibing. He was very sweet with her family. He shut down Shaina when she tried to get between him and Natalie. We thought after that, whoa. Is Shayne actually a good guy wrapped in a bulging sack of hyperactivity and immaturity? Wow, we were wrong!
But then turns out, our first impression wasn't wrong. Shayne showed his true colors off screen with the pre-wedding fight and told Natalie he hated her and she was the worst thing that ever happened to him, thennnnn sidled up to the bar the next day and said she was the best thing in the world and marrying her would be the best thing he ever did.
Thank god Natalie called it off.
So, what IS "wrong" with Shayne?
Here's what Google autofills with when I ask it "what is wrong with Shayne"...
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It's bleak stuff. I think a lot of us are asking ourselves a lot of those questions, and there is, as of now, no real answer. I do wonder if they'll bring it up at the reunion since clearly, fans are wondering what's going on with him.
My two cents? He's hyper, he's nervous, he can't control his emotions that well, and he's got a victim-complex that makes him retreat, then lash out. What's fascinating to me, though, is Shayne's journey this season. From unlikable (pods and Mexico) to likable (Chicago) to unlikable (wedding) to likable-ish (post-season Instagrams). Seems like I'm just as all over the place as he is.
Make it make sense.
NO ONE and I repeat, NO ONE'S jaw moves like that who isn't on some sort of... substance we shall say. Because at the finale, he arrived and seemed fairly clear-headed, or as clear-headed Shayne could be, and then hours later at the alter he was... off again.
I think Shayne suffers from anxiety and also is probably on addy and that's where we're getting this magnificent trainwreck of a human. Wish him the best, but he's not ready to be a partner yet. His instincts and his responses to conflict and communication are incredibly unhealthy and he needs to do a lot of work from within.
The whiplash of this man is real. Do I think Shayne is a bad person? No. Do I think Shayne behaves badly? Absolutely.
I think he likes the idea of being half of a power couple — hence his attraction to a smart woman like Natalie — but can’t actually handle being the beta of that power couple, so he acts out. It’s too bad, though — there’s something in him that, if matured, could actually be charming.
I think Shayne:
-Thrives off off high energy
-Needs to be liked
-Is unable to accept responsibility
Number two is the reason he is endearing at times — when things are going well, he seems affable and fun. But it's less endearing when someone is mad at him and he turns it into THEIR fault, which bleeds into number three here.
What I think it most confusing about Shayne's behavior is the way that Natalie has been talking about him on IG. I believe it was Natalie who said the fight "the night before" the wedding was actually something that had been happening the whole season, but due to editing, we only were privy to that little bit. But Natalie seems to be standing up for him still...
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