So, let's talk about the couple everyone loved to hate—and the couple that, honestly, proved everyone wrong. If you’ve spent any time on Netflix, you know the Barnetts. Matthew and Amber Barnett are basically the poster children for the "experiment" actually working, even if their journey looked like a total train wreck on our TV screens back in 2020.
Seven years. That’s how long they’ve been married now. Let that sink in for a second. In reality TV years, seven years is basically an eternity. Most couples from these shows don't even make it to the reunion special without a messy Instagram Story breakup, but here they are, still standing.
The Elephant in the Room: That "Debt" Narrative
Remember the $20,000 student loan debt? And the makeup credit card? The show really leaned into the "irresponsible party girl" trope with Amber. It made for great TV, sure, but it wasn't the whole story.
Basically, the edit did her dirty. While everyone was busy calling her a "gold digger," the truth was a lot more boring and human. Both Matthew and Amber Barnett actually had debt—Matt had plenty of his own from school—but the producers conveniently cut his confession out. They wanted a specific narrative: the stable engineer rescuing the damsel in distress.
Amber has since cleared the air on TikTok and various podcasts, explaining that she was actually in the middle of a legal grievance with a former employer during filming. She had been injured on the job as a tank mechanic (yeah, she actually did that) and literally couldn't talk about her employment status while the case was active. It wasn't that she didn't want to work; she physically couldn't at that moment.
Life Beyond the Gold Goblets
These days, the Barnetts have pretty much ghosted the Love Is Blind machine. You won't see them at the cheesy "After the Altar" specials or hosting "dating expert" panels. They've been very vocal about their distaste for how the production team manipulated footage.
They’ve moved on to bigger things. Specifically, parenthood.
In April 2025, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter. Amber’s pregnancy wasn't exactly a walk in the park, though. She dealt with Hyperemesis Gravidarum—that's the severe morning sickness that makes you feel like death warmed over—and even had a scare with preterm labor earlier in the year.
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What really happened with Matthew and Amber Barnett during that time was a total shift in priorities. Matt, once the "fun-loving" guy who couldn't choose between three women in the pods, became a self-proclaimed "girl dad." Amber went back to school before the baby arrived, wanting to pivot her career now that her legal hurdles were long gone.
Why They Actually Lasted
It’s kinda wild when you think about it. Jessica Batten was the "third wheel" in their story for so long, and yet, the Barnetts didn't let the noise get to them.
The secret? They actually like each other.
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- Adventure: They didn't settle into a boring routine. They travel, they hike, and they keep that "wild" energy they had in Season 1.
- Privacy: By stepping away from the Netflix spotlight, they protected their marriage from the constant "clout-chasing" that ruins most reality pairings.
- Honesty: They were candid about nearly getting a divorce early on. They didn't pretend to be perfect.
Honestly, the biggest misconception is that Amber "trapped" him. If you watch them now, it's pretty obvious that Matt is the one who's totally smitten. He sold his house to help clear their collective debts and simplify their lives. That's not something a guy does if he's being forced into a marriage.
What You Can Learn from the Barnetts
If you're looking at their story and wondering how to make your own relationship work (minus the cameras and pods), here’s the tea.
Stop listening to the "producers" in your life—friends, family, or social media followers who think they know your business. Matthew and Amber Barnett succeeded because they stopped caring about the "edit" and started caring about the person sitting across from them.
If you want to keep up with them without the Netflix filter, check out their guest appearance on Lauren and Cameron’s podcast, The Love Seat. It’s probably the most honest they’ve ever been about the reality of reality TV.
Next Steps for You:
If you're following the Love Is Blind journey, stop taking the "villain edits" at face value. Look into the post-show interviews on independent podcasts where contestants aren't bound by those strict NDAs. You'll find that the "irresponsible" partner is often just someone dealing with a normal life crisis that doesn't fit a 40-minute episode's plotline.