‘Love Is Blind’ ‘s Bartise Felt ‘Ashamed’ Watching Show Back — but Vows to ‘Learn and Grow’ from Experience

Bartise Bowden knows he may not have come across perfectly on Love Is Blind.

In a conversation with PEOPLE, Bartise, 27, recounted his relationship with Nancy Rodriguez on the series — and reflected on backlash he’s received since season 3 of the reality dating series aired on Netflix.

When asked if Bartise had any regrets about his time on the show so far, he answered: “No.”

“I love my journey with Nancy because, especially watching it back and watching myself, kind of feeling embarrassed to have watched myself say some of the stuff that I said and ashamed of myself,” he said. “I like that journey because I’m able to learn from it and grow from it.”

On the series, Bartise was seen debating his attraction to fiancée Nancy, 33 — even, at points, telling her he wasn’t physically attracted to her. He also admitted he was more attracted to fellow costar Raven Ross, who Bartise connected with in the pods before popping the question to Nancy.

Some fans were shocked by Bartise’s blunt honesty when it came to how he really felt about Nancy’s appearance. Bartise later admitted to PEOPLE that he realized just how hurtful these admissions — however honest — would be to Nancy.

“I learned that I need to be more sensitive to my partner’s emotions and not speak my mind to the fullest at all times, which I put my foot in my mouth,” Bartise said, before gesturing to his fellow Love Is Blind costar, Cole Barnett, with a joke: “Just as much as this guy does.”

Ahead of the finale, Bartise addressed the backlash surrounding his relationship on TikTok. A commenter let him know they’d “just finished watching episodes 5-7” and Bartise questioned how they even made it to that point in his storyline.

“Kudos to you for making it that far. I don’t know why you just didn’t fast forward my parts, or cut that s— off. Cause,” he sighed, “What a mess I made.”