THE ULTIMATUM Why Jake and Rae didn’t work out

Within seconds of first speaking to each other, Rae Williams and Jake Cunningham already had a connection. They couldn’t believe how many things they had in common. As they got to know each other more they seemed more and more compatible with each other and by the end of the Ultimatum experiment, they seemed ready to leave their current partners and run away from each other. While they both did eventually leave the partners they came to the show with, Zay and April, they are currently not together. What happened with Rae and Jake and why didn’t they work out?

Did Rae and Jake ever travel together?

At the end of Rae and Jake’s trial “marriage” period, they were already planning for a future with travel, children, and even a schedule to visit Jake’s mom, who lives three hours away from Austin, TX, where the show as filmed.

In the season 1 finale, Jake broke up with his longtime girlfriend April (who is now in a committed relationship with someone else) and asked Rae to travel with him. She said yes to that proposition, but after filming ended she tried to work things out with her ex-partner Zay Wilson.

Although Rae and Zay broke up while filming The Ultimatum because Zay didn’t come home one night, Zay said they immediately got back to together after filming ceased. Rae confirmed that they were still working things out, but didn’t actually say that they were back together. She did say that she didn’t feel comfortable going on a trip with Jake when she was still trying to work on her relationship with Zay.

Rae was the one who gave the Ultimatum to marry or break up to Zay, but the experience made her question if she even wanted to get married so soon after college.

The experience and break up with Zay made Rae realize that she needs to focus on herself and work on healing. “With Jake and April ending things and Zay and me ending things, I didn’t feel comfortable just, like, hopping on a plane and going off to have fun. I really needed to take time to heal,” Rae told E! News. “After the whole process, I need to heal and take some time to myself, to just kind of get through everything.”

Why Rae and Jake didn’t work out

Although Rae and Jake connected very strongly on the show and appeared to be having a better experience with their new partners than anyone else, it wasn’t necessarily the basis for a long-term relationship. Their connection did show them that maybe the partners they were currently with when they came on the show weren’t necessarily for them.

Jake’s mom worried that Jake and Rae were living in a honeymoon phase and weren’t living in the reality of the situation, which rings true. A huge foundation of their bond was over some shared interests and similarities of their backgrounds. They also bonded over another common thread: they were both struggling in their relationships. Venting about frustrations with their relationships might be cathartic for them, but it might not be the best foundation for a long-term relationship.

Is Rae still with her girlfriend

Rae is currently single, according to a recent Instagram Q & A. When someone asked Rae to “show us your girl,” Rae shared that they had broken up. “The girl I got with after the show is very private and we have kinda taken a step back the past few months with everything going on,” Rae explained. “We are still very close and hope to revisit things after the summer.” Rae says that she is now single and in therapy.

Will Jake and Rae ever date in real life?

Rae is currently single right now, and so is Jake, so there is a possibility. The two of them have hung out together after the show, but only after they filmed the reunion special in March, 2022. Jake is currently taking a break from dating, but he told Buzzfeed he still sees dating Rae as a possibility.