Nick Lachey says this 'Perfect Match' couple was 'genuine' from the start

(Warning: Spoilers from the season finale of “Perfect Match” are ahead.)

As the host of Netflix’s “Perfect Match,” Nick Lachey had a front row seat to all the romance, drama and scheming that took place during the show’s first season.

In the final episode of the dating competition show, Lachey watched the remaining couples reunite with all the contestants who appeared on Season One.

Lachey asked the five pairs (Bartise Bowden and Izzy Fairthorne, Chloe Veitch and Shayne Jansen, Dom Gabriel and Georgia Hassarati, Joey Sasso and Kariselle Snow and Lauren “LC” Chamblin and Nick Uhlenhuth) to explain why they were the strongest couple and should win “Perfect Match.”

Sasso and Snow seemed like the clear frontrunners as viewers saw the two get engaged during their final date. They revealed that Sasso had popped the question before the past contestants secretly voted for the winner.

Despite the surprise engagement, the cast thought Dom Gabriel and Georgia Hassarati should be declared the perfect match and the couple received a trip for two to anywhere in the world.

Although Sasso and Snow did not win the show, Lachey gave the pair a major compliment during the final meeting between all the contestants.

He told the newly engaged couple that their relationship reminded him of his connection with wife Vanessa Lachey.

In an interview with TODAY.com, the 98 Degrees singer explained how the start of Sasso and Snow’s romance resembled the beginning of his relationship with his wife.

Lachey pointed out that Sasso and Snow had previously dated before going on the show.

“(Sasso) had a past with her. As soon as you saw her come in it’s like, ‘OK, I’ve got unfinished business with this person,’” Lachey said. “They were genuine with things right out of the gate.”

The same went for the Lacheys.

In the early 2000s, Lachey and the “NCIS: Hawai’i” star met for the first time on “Total Request Live,” or "TRL," which she hosted from 2003 to 2007. But it wasn’t until after his divorce from ex-wife Jessica Simpson, to whom he was married to from 2002 to 2005, that Vanessa and Nick Lachey reconnected.

Their romance began when she starred in his music video for the single “What’s Left of Me” in 2006.

Continuing to speak about the similarities between his marriage and the relationship between Sasso and Snow, Lachey said, “They were challenged along the way, but they really did stick together. I guess what reminded me of Vanessa and I in watching them was just their fiery passion. That’s kind of how she and I are as well.”

He added, “We’re both Scorpios. We’re both really hot-blooded, fiery people. We’re passionate people. We love each other and I got that same kind of vibe from the two of them.”

Lachey previously told TODAY.com that he was able to bond more with the contestants while filming “Perfect Match” in Panama than he was on his other Netflix shows “Love Is Blind” and “The Ultimatum.”

The musician said he enjoyed getting to know the cast and acting as a “support system” for them, but he did miss his wife, who co-hosts the other two dating series with him.

“Clearly, I love hosting with Vanessa. So, I missed her and the kids,” he said, referring to the couple’s 10-year-old Camden, 8-year-old Brooklyn and 6-year-old Phoenix.

He added, “We enjoy doing ("Love Is Blind" and "The Ultimatum") together. But, this is really cool to be able to step out and do my own thing.”

Speaking of “Love Is Blind” and the “The Ultimatum,” Lachey suggested a few cast members he would like to see join “Perfect Match” for a possible second season.

Netflix’s newest dating series already included a few recognizable stars from past seasons of “Love Is Blind”: Damian Powers (Season One), Diamond Jack (Season One), Chamblin (Season One), Jansen (Season Two) and Bowden (Season Three).

“I think Cole (Barnett) and Bartise (Bowden) both should be a part of ‘Perfect Match’ going forward,” he shared, referencing two polarizing figures from “Love Is Blind” Season Three.

Lachey continued, “It’d be really interesting if you threw like Zanab (Jaffrey) in there. Throw (in) a couple who didn’t work out in "Love Is Blind" and see if they rekindled that in "Perfect Match" or if it was just oil and water.”

The host said he would also want Jake Cunningham from “The Ultimatum” to get another chance at finding love on reality television.

Netflix has not announced if “Perfect Match” has been renewed yet, but casting Barnett and Jaffrey for Season Two following their breakup at the altar and Cuties disagreement will surely get fans to watch a second season.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com