The first season of WE tv’s new Love During Lockup reality series is set to premiere on January 7 and we’ve already got some HUGE spoilers!
Pretty much all of the preview videos for the new show feature 41-year-old Santiba and her hunky convict boo, 40-year-old Talsey. Santiba is is a divorcée who recently lost one hundred pounds. Judging from the racy preview clips, she is very single and VERY ready to mingle!
It’s not all about the lust though. Santiba’s looking for some of that Platonic love as well. “I’m in love with him, and his soul, and his heart,” she says of Talsey.
In addition to Talsey being in prison, there’s another major stumbling block for the couple. Santiba lives in Portland, Maine and Talsey is incarcerated in Georgia. Santiba is not daunted by the distance, and she is ready to pack up and move when Talsey is released. But, is Talsey just as committed as Santiba?
Santiba And Talsey Spoiler
In a bit of good news for Talsey, he is currently engaged and in a happy relationship! In a bit of bad news for Santiba, he is engaged to another woman.
Talsey is engaged to a Georgia gal named Kayla, and the two of them have been together since his release in May of 2020. That’s right, Talsey was released more than a year and a half ago! I will have more on that in a minute.
According to social media, Kayla and Talsey met while he was still in a halfway house after his prison release. They hit it off immediately, and have been together ever since. Their time together looks to include a couple/few months that Talsey spent under house arrest with a family member.
Once released from house arrest, Talsey moved in with Kayla.
Kayla runs her own house cleaning business, and Talsey works with her. The two appear to spend most all of their personal and work time together, and they seen EXTREMELY happy together. Given that the two have been together for 19 months, the fact that they still look to be happy together says a lot. Also, it appears that Talsey has been staying out of trouble, which is definitely a new leaf for him!
Here are some photos of Talsey and Kayla together from over the past 19 months:
Kayla announced on Christmas Day (2021) that she and Talsey had set a wedding date, but they still haven’t revealed what the date is.
Why Was Talsey’s Release So Long Ago?
As mentioned above, Talsey was already released from prison in May of 2020. So why did it take so long for WE tv to share their story?
It is my assumption that Santiba and Talsey filmed for Love After Lockup in 2020. Talsey broke things off with Santiba just before or soon after his prison release, and that meant producers didn’t really have what they needed (i.e. love after lockup) to include the couple on the original show.
However, Sharp later came up with the concept of Love During Lockup, which was a great fit for Santiba and Talsey’s story, even if they didn’t have a relationship after his release. I am curious to see if any of the other couples have a similar story.
Viewers have seen couples that began filming for Love After Lockup only to have the convict’s release date pushed back. (Lizzie and Scott as well as Angela and Tony are two examples that come to mind.) With the addition of Love During Lockup, producers can now flex those couples over to the new show.
Given that Santiba and Talsey’s story line was cut short, I speculate that they will not be on for the entire season. If that is the case, the only question is whether they will be included in the first part of the season, or added later.
On a curious side note, the photos of Talsey used in the preview videos for Love During Lockup were taken when he was with Kayla, well after his prison release.
Meet the cast of @WEtv's new #LoveAfterLockup show #LoveDuringLockup! Includes photos and bios for the 6-ish couples. PLUS, a brand new preview trailer! Premieres Friday, Jan 7 at 9/8c. #LifeAfterLockup https://t.co/RtIlFE1ZEo
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 4, 2021
Did Santiba And Talsey Ever Meet In Person?
Talsey and Kayla started dating when he was in a halfway house after his prison release. That begs the question: Did Santiba and Talsey ever actually meet in person?
I don’t know if Santiba was willing to move to Georgia prior to Talsey getting out of the halfway house, but it would make sense that she would make to trip to at least meet him in person during this time.
However, we have a source that tells us Santiba and Talsey never did meet in person. Once again, this would be a terrible story line for Love After Lockup, but having the relationship fall apart before the two people ever meet seems like an accurate and fitting story line for Love During Lockup.
Regardless of their unhappy ending, Santiba and Talsey’s romantic journey looks like it will be quite dramatic and entertaining to watch! Be sure to tune in when Love During Lockup premieres on January 7 at 9/8c on WE tv!
Meet #LoveDuringLockup star Max (aka Maximus), a model and male escort from the Washington, DC area who also happens to have a master's degree in biochemistry! Why is he dating an inmate? 🤷🏻♀️ https://t.co/x6ONOm8k4U pic.twitter.com/vJOlRMYTtJ
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 1, 2021
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
