The Ultimatum recap of the re-coupling episodes

Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Ultimatum season 1.

When you give someone an ultimatum, you have to be prepared to lose them. That's what Netflix's new series The Ultimatum puts to the test — and was made particularly clear during the chaotic dinner where the couples chose new partners to enter into a trial marriage with.

From the creators of Love Is Blind — and also hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey — The Ultimatum tests the relationships of couples by having them enter into trial marriages with new people after one person in the relationship gives the other a choice: engagement or ending the relationship. After a few days of getting to know one another, the cast members made their picks for new partners in a memorable dinner with a few surprises. Here's a breakdown of what went down:

Shanique

First to choose is Shanique, who gave the ultimatum to her original partner, Randall. "I want love to feel like something that you just crave. I want it to feel easy and to feel like it's always evolving, it's always growing," she says during the dinner. Between her love for Randall and the connections she made with both Zay and Nate, Shanique is conflicted about who to choose.

In the end, she chooses Zay to spend three weeks with. He chooses her back, forming the first new couple. The choice clearly frustrates and confuses Nate, who said in his confessional that Shanique was his first pick.

Jake

Jake was brought into the experience by his girlfriend April, who gave him the ultimatum. During the dating period, he quickly learned that he needs to speak up for himself more. He formed a strong connection with Rae, who was honest about the strangeness of the experience and feeling jealous about seeing her partner, Zay, going on dates. During the whirlwind process, Jake and Rae supported one another, so they choose to enter the next stage of the experience as a pair.

Zay and April are both worried about seeing their original partners building a strong connection with one another so quickly.

Madlyn

Madlyn — who was given the ultimatum by boyfriend Colby — was all about her dates with Randall. It was clear from the moment she started speaking that she was going to pick him, which is exactly what she does. Madlyn often mentions that Randall seems to have a more realistic outlook on relationships than Colby. Randall also feels a connection, and chooses Madlyn back.

April

April wants kids more than anything and is ready to get married, which is why she brought Jake to The Ultimatum. During the dating stage of the experience, she connected with Colby, Nate, and Hunter. With Colby she'd have the most fun, Nate and her connected on wanting children, and she felt like Hunter would ground her. She chooses Hunter (another blow to Nate) — and here's where things start to get juicy.

Before Hunter can make his choice, Vanessa points out that Alexis, who had posed the ultimatum to Hunter, does not seem very happy with April's pick. "I don't want him living with someone else, I don't want him dating someone else," says Alexis, who didn't connect with any of the other men during the first stage. "He is mine. Get your hands off of him. ... I want to marry him, not see him date other people." After Alexis goes on to express the clarity she found, and confirms that even though she loves Hunter, she will walk away if she has to, Hunter stands up and declares, "Guys, I want to marry Alexis."

He proposes to a room full of surprised faces, ending his and Alexis' experience on The Ultimatum to a round of applause. The shocking turn of events bums April out because she feels like her week was wasted and she still doesn't have a partner for the three-week trial marriage.

Colby

"I'm a man who knows what he wants," Colby said in an earlier confessional. When it's his turn, he starts to talk about his connection with Lauren (who was given the ultimatum by Nate over their disagreement about whether or not to have kids). But Alexis chimes in to say she doesn't think Colby is a good person, after he told her he wasn't interested during the dating stage. What follows is an awkward exchange about what kind of man Colby is, but Lauren supports him by saying she had great experiences with him. Colby, who was understanding about not rushing Lauren into a choice about having kids, stays true to his word and chooses her.

Nate was frustrated after Shanique and April both chose other people, but Colby choosing Lauren seems to be his breaking point. He believes that his relationship with Lauren works apart from the topic of having a family, which is one huge problem.

Before Lauren can make her decision, Nate stands up and walks over to her, causing confusion around the table. Even Nick and Vanessa are concerned about what Nate is doing, which is proposing to Lauren. Given that it was Nate who initially gave Lauren the ultimatum, and that he just said having kids was an "all-encompassing" issue for him, several cast members ask about how they'll resolve that issue. Colby even presses Lauren about the lack of excitement he saw in her moments after she enthusiastically said "yes" to Nate's proposal. Nate says he's willing to sacrifice having kids in order to be with Lauren, a major turnaround from his stance four days earlier when this journey began.

The Post-Proposal Chaos

Before the dinner ends, April gets up to give an emotional speech about seeing Jake connect with someone else. She also criticizes Nate's "fake ass proposal," saying she feels like people are not actually invested in the experience, which requires them all to risk their relationships by putting them to the test. In front of an increasingly agitated Nate, April says Alexis should be livid about Nate's shallow gesture after Hunter's proposal.

April's words strike a chord with many people. Nate is pissed about what she said to the point of Jake stepping in to tell him to "let someone f---ing talk." Alexis jumps in to say she thinks a lot of people are feeling what April is about the experience and Nate's surprising move, because it doesn't seem like Nate and Lauren have settled the question of having a family. After saying in a confessional that she doesn't think the issue of having children could even be resolved during the entire experience (let alone four days), Madlyn says at the table that just ten minutes before his proposal, Nate said he was going to choose her.

Eventually, the group gets up and awkwardly says their goodbyes. "I was not expecting that," Vanessa says in a post-re-coupling confessional with Nick. "I'm just curious if they [Alexis and Hunter and Lauren and Nate] made the right or wrong choice, and that they didn't do this tonight based on fear."

After the new pairings, engagements, and confusion, four new couples stand to begin three weeks of a "trial marriage": Rae and Jake, Shanique and Zay, Madlyn and Randall, and then April and Colby, who were both left single after the two proposals. Alexis and Hunter and Nate and Lauren leave the experience engaged.

Episodes 1 through 8 of The Ultimatum are streaming on Netflix now, with episodes 9 and 10 dropping April 13.

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