Okay; I’ll admit it. I was VERY skeptical of the show, #BlackLove, because I thought that it was going to be another “whoa-is-us” clown show depicting black women in the worst possible light. And worse, I thought there’d by black women grabbing on the ankles of black men, begging them to…whatever.

I guess I should have gotten some clue when my hubby was watching it, and told me that it was a decent show, and that the cast of women were dating and connecting with men of all races and backgrounds.

One such connection happened with Laree “La” Thomas met Karl, who is quite obviously melanin challenged (hahaha).

And so it’s #aquarius season and with that I want to wish this #special gentleman a #happybirthday ???? And yes he is now a #beardgang member ?

A photo posted by Laree “La” Thomas (@lareelathomas) on Feb 11, 2016 at 5:05am PST

I got a chance to speak with Laree tonight about her experience, and to see if this was a real “thing” or a play for the cameras. It wasn’t. They made a connection on the show, and they are continuing the relationship.”Karl and I are still together and we’re holding it down,” she says.

She was a stand out on the show, because of her gorgeous dark brown skin and edgy hairstyle. She runs her own travel business, and I encourage you all to check it out here.

I asked her about how she reconciled her preference for black men while getting serious with a non-black one. “My first initial preference will always be black. I’m a black woman and I love my black people. But at the same time, I won’t close myself off to other cultures. I travel a lot, and theres’ way too many gorgeous men out there!”

Now that she’s found her boo, she has some advice for all the single ladies who were once in her initial position–“Work on loving yourself and being clear of what you want in a man, outside the physical.”

Cheers to Laree and Karl!

To see full episodes, visit the FYI website, here.