'The Ultimatum' star Rae Williams shares where she and Jake Cunningham stand after the show
Netflix
- Rae Williams explains the status of her relationship with Jake Cunningham.
- They arrived on Netflix's "The Ultimatum" with other partners, but fell for one another during a "trial marriage."
- Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Netflix's "The Ultimatum."
Sorry, Rae and Jake fans: Rae Williams and Jake Cunningham did not fly off into the sunset together after "The Ultimatum." But that does not mean their story is over.
"The Ultimatum" follows six couples where one person is ready to marry their partner and the other is unsure. Throughout the season, the participants select a new partner from one of the other couples to have a "trial marriage" with. They live with that person in a three-week "trial marriage" and see if there is a "connection" that might be stronger than what they have with their original partner.
After three weeks with their new partner, the participants are reunited with their original partner for a second "trial marriage," where they ultimately decide if they are better off marrying their original partner, being in a new relationship with their trial partner, or leaving alone.
During the initial trial marriage, Rae, who participated in the show after issuing an ultimatum to her then-boyfriend Zay Wilson, lived with Jake, who joined the show with his then-girlfriend April. In that time, April lived with Colby Kissinger, another person who came on the show after issuing a marriage ultimatum to his girlfriend, Madlyn Ballatori.
Rae and Jake developed a connection on the show during their trial marriage, and the season finale's "Ultimatum Day" even ended with the two deciding to be together after their respective breakups. (Rae split with Zay Wilson during an explosive argument in an earlier episode of the show, while Jake opted not to propose to April in the finale.)
Despite that ending, the reunion, which aired Wednesday, confirmed that the two ultimately decided to give one another time to transition from their breakups rather than jump into a new relationship.
"Jake and I are cool," Rae told Insider in a recent interview. "I feel very protective over him. I think he is an absolute gem."
During the season finale, Jake presented Rae with a plane ticket to take a trip anywhere in the world together. But Rae told Insider they never ended up going on that trip together.
"I just felt like going on the trip would've been too much too soon. I think that Jake and April still had a lot to work out with them breaking up. I was still getting over my breakup with Zay so I didn't feel like I could just hop on a plane," she said.
Rae explained that Jake isn't currently trying to date anyone new. "His DMs are closed, if anybody's wondering," she said. "Jake needs time to heal. Him and April went through so much, and they went through so much after filming."
She also revealed she was curious about what would have happened if she and Jake connected without a camera crew present. "Jake is amazing. I just wonder how things could have been if we met outside of this," she told Insider.
Their relationship might have ultimately been hampered by the guilt Rae said she felt for building such an intense bond with him during the show.
"The whole time I just felt awful connecting with him — seeing April, and knowing that he had feelings towards her. It was just really hard for me," she told Insider. That said, Rae hasn't ruled out a potential relationship with Jake in the future.
"Who knows? Maybe one day in the future Jake and I can connect," she said. "I will definitely be checking in with him."
All 10 episodes of "The Ultimatum" are now available on Netflix.