Love Is Blind's Leo Defends His 'Fiery' Meltdown About Hannah in the Pods: 'I Definitely Lost My Cool' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Warning: this story contains spoilers from episodes 1-6 ofLove Is Blindseason 7.

Love Is Blind’sLeo Braudyhas some regrets about his behavior in the pods.

In the first batch of episodes from season 7, Leo flipped out onHannah Jilesafter she ended things with him in the pods, and opted to pursue her connection withNick Dorkainstead.

Leo’s response to the news? An emotional and rageful rant, in which he berated Hannah for her decision, claiming that she was only choosing Nick because he was “the first person to say ‘I love you’” and that she was who he wanted to “fight for.” The conversation ended with Hannah in tears, and after some space from each other, Leo determinedBrittany Wisniewskiwas the better match for him.

Looking back on his reaction to Hannah’s breakup, Leo, 30, admits he should’ve handled things differently.

“I definitely lost my cool,” he tells PEOPLE. “I wish that I could have handled it with maybe a bit more grace.”

“At the same time, I was really vulnerable, and it’s not something that I’m used to doing,” he continues. “I got really hurt [and] I acted in a way that wasn’t my best self. So while I regret how fiery I might have gotten, I don’t know if I could have done anything any different because I was just so open.”

Hannah Jiles and Leo Braudy from ‘Love Is Blind’.Adam Rose/Netflix

Adam Rose/Netflix

“And sometimes when you’re open and you get hurt, you act in ways that you wouldn’t act if you were a little more guarded off,” he adds.

“It was just a very confusing situation because I knew he was dating Brittany and I decided to choose Nick. So I went in there and I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to break up with him. If you say that you have this great connection with Brittany, it shouldn’t be a problem,'” she recalls. “So I think I was shocked. I was just like, whoa. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Leo Braudy in ‘Love Is Blind’ season 7.Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

“I don’t really know exactly if it was a switch-up or not, but I just wasn’t expecting that conversation we had,” she continues. “I think how someone handles difficult rejection, it really shows a lot about them. And so maybe he just didn’t handle rejection that well.”

Asked whether he thinks he would’ve proposed to Hannah had she not ended things first, Leo insists: “Brittany was my top choice. I still think I would’ve proposed to Brittany.”

Brittany Wisniewski on ‘Love Is Blind’ season 7.Adam Rose/Netflix

“It doesn’t mean that I didn’t really like Hannah. And I was super hurt and my ego was hurt,” he continues. “I’m a logical guy. I want to have all the information to make a decision, which as I said, it’s something I’ve kind of learned maybe has some cons, but I really wanted the most time with whoever I was with because this is the most important decision I may make in my life.”

“And so I felt angry that I wanted more time to make my decision, and that’s a me thing,” he adds. “But all that being said, Brittany was for sure my number one and who I would’ve proposed to.”

Hannah also agrees that Nick was always her top choice and confirms that things wouldn’t have changed if Leo reacted differently.

“I think if he would’ve handled it better, yes, maybe down the road, we would’ve been fine,” she says. “But Nick was who I wanted and no matter if he was being aggressive or he was being cordial, it still would’ve been Nick.”

Hannah Jiles and Nick Dorka.Adam Rose/Netflix

After Leo and Hannah went their separate ways in the pods, she got engaged to Nick and they jetted off to Mexico for the couples’ getaway. As of episode 6, the two remain together, but both agreed they have some “concerns” they want to “address” before heading to the altar, including Nick’s disrespectful actions in the duck incident and Hannah’s bullet point list of red flags.

Leo and Brittany also got engaged in the pods but after an “awkward” reveal, it was confirmed that the two later called things off.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Episodes 1-6 ofLove Is Blindseason 7 are now streaming on Netflix, and episodes 7-9 will drop Wednesday, Oct. 9.

source: people.com