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Nick and Vanessa Lachey shock fans by kicking couple off Netflix show
After Jebin’s scathing letter was exposed and read aloud by his girlfriend Alex, Vanessa Lachey told her, “I feel like this needs to be a massive wake-up call. You should never be spoken to that way.”
Joelle GoldsteinUSA TODAY
July 15, 2026, 12:22 p.m. ET
Warning: This story contains spoilers from “The Ultimatum” Season 4, now streaming on Netflix
Nick and Vanessa Lachey will not tolerate any disrespect from the cast of “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On.”
Season 4 (streaming now on Netflix) started with a bang when the show’s hosts took a stand and demanded that participant Jebin John leave the show in Episode 3 after he secretly passed a scathing note to his girlfriend, Alex Johnsen, criticizing her for fully leaning into the show’s experiment. The move marked a first for the franchise as the Lacheys have never kicked off a couple
“Jebin, I think I can speak for the room about the clarity you’ve given us on you not being ready to be involved in this experiment, and I think that it’s going to negatively impact the rest of the group, if I’m being honest,” Vanessa, 45, said
Nick, 52, chimed in, “So, Jebin, unfortunately, we’re going to ask you to leave the experience at this point. You can go ahead and go.”
The note that led to Jebin’s demise
As the title suggests, “The Ultimatum” brings couples to the show who are on the brink of marriage and facing an ultimatum. Each season, participants are given eight weeks to decide if they want to get married. First, they must explore a three-week trial marriage with a chosen person from another couple. Then, they all switch back to their original partners and pursue another three-week trial marriage. At the end of the experiment, participants decide whether to marry their original partner, break up for good, or pursue a relationship with their trial marriage partner.
Alex seemed to be committed to the process, attempting to form a connection with fellow participant Killian Grondin. But Jebin’s experience was very different. After he failed to make a genuine connection for his trial marriage, he started to spiral
Jealous of Alex’s budding connections, Jebin chose to express his thoughts on pen and paper. He then suspiciously passed the note to Alex at an Episode 2 cast gathering. But that letter was intercepted by producers and later given to Nick, who requested Alex read it aloud the next day at The Choice ceremony
“Communication is paramount in this entire experience, I think you’re all aware of that,” he told the six couples. “But that communication, frankly, has to happen on camera. That’s part of this experience.”
What did Jebin’s letter say that got him kicked off the show?
Alex read Jebin’s handwritten note aloud, which said in part, “I’m really not sure what you came here to do. You already had two dates with Killian. Then you look me dead in the face and say you’re falling for someone
“Up until this point, this experience has made me feel less confident in you,” it continued. “It’s clear you have something else in your mind. I’m not the focus for you. I don’t want you to make me look dumber than you already have. You ruined it. You ruined everything
“I want to say things can get better, but this time you did it. I honestly hope to God you guys weren’t touching on camera,” the note read. “I’m not (expletive) doing this. Who knows what else you’ve done? You’re into him. I don’t even know. There is no way we are getting married.”
After reading the letter, Nick emphasized that Jebin was clearly “not ready” to invest himself in the experiment. Vanessa also emphasized the red flags in the situation
“The way that you spoke to her, you’ve been with this girl for six years. What if she said that to you? You’d be out,” she said to Jebin before telling Alex, “I feel like this needs to be a massive wake-up call. You should never be spoken to that way.”
Participant Luke Wesselhoff also pointed out how it impacted every woman on the show. “I don’t want someone who speaks like that to someone he loves to be in a trial marriage with my ex,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable with it any longer… that affected way more than just you and her.”
Alex gets emotional – then gets booted
Though Alex was upset by the note, she insisted she was innocent in the situation and simply embracing the experiment. “I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong,” she sobbed. But she got more bad news after Jebin was officially kicked off
“You’ve got to find someone that grows with you, that evolves with you, most importantly, that respects you and loves you,” Vanessa told Alex moments later. “But because he has left, and there is an awkward number [of couples], we unfortunately will have to also ask you to leave, as well.”
“He’s stolen this from you, and that is super unfortunate,” Nick added
Another couple leaves the show after Jebin and Alex
Jebin and Alex weren’t the only ones who dramatically departed the show. Joining them in Episode 3 were Jessica Grace Booker and Edris Khalieque – but their reason was a much happier one
Midway through The Choice ceremony, Edris got down on one knee and asked Jessica Grace to marry him. The moment was unexpected, and also a big one, as Jessica Grace was the ultimatum-giver
“Trust the process, apparently!” she quipped before they left the show
