Kyle also talks to ET about Shaina being dubbed the 'new Jessica' of season 2.
Spoilers ahead! If you have not watched the first five episodes of Love Is Blind season 2, bookmark this for later or proceed with caution.
The second season of Netflix's hit dating experiment Love Is Blind is certainly not lacking in drama. The first five episodes were released last week, and already fans are all about following this season's love triangles and biggest shockers.
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping moment thus far happened early on when Kyle Abrams shocked Shaina Hurley by proposing with his mother's engagement ring after the pair had expressed some fundamental religious differences -- he is an atheist, she is a Christian.
Shaina surprisingly accepted the proposal, but it was clear from her on-camera reaction that she was very conflicted. She also expressed multiple times to having lingering feelings for Shayne Jansen, who had moved on with Natalie Lee.
If the proposal moment wasn't enough drama for viewers, Shaina then turned around and approached Shayne in the pods, confessing her feelings for him despite being engaged to Kyle. Shayne told her it was too late and they both ultimately went to Mexico with other people. Shaina then bailed on the trip early, and all that was left in her wake was a confused Kyle. The two reconnected after Mexico and it seemed like they might try to work things out, but then a teaser for upcoming episodes saw Shaina confront Shayne about his relationship with Natalie, calling it "laughable."
ET's Will Marfuggi spoke virtually with Kyle about what was going on behind the scenes and how much he knew after Shaina accepted his proposal and approached another man about her feelings.
"It's crazy, because watching it back, I had no idea any of that stuff was happening behind my back," Kyle admits to ET. "I didn't know. It was a little hard to watch."
Kyle says he felt "a little annoyed," "kind of sad," and "a little bit angry" watching the episodes back, but felt it was important that ultimately, "I know that I gave it my all."
Kyle notes that he was hopeful that his religious differences with Shaina wouldn't be a deterrent, but rather an inspiration to others.
"I thought that our story would be inspiring," he explains. "The fact that we had such different beliefs... Those things bothered me in the past. If that was real life, a regular date, I would've closed the book on her. But again, I wanted to keep going and try and move past it. I was never going to try to change her opinion on that, because that's impossible."
Kyle admits he and Shaina "were never solid," and that he thought his proposal could go either way, saying they'd never talked about a hypothetical engagement before he popped the question.
"I didn't want that," he says. "I felt like if I said that, that would make me sound unsure and insecure."
Noting he had no idea Shaina was so conflicted during his proposal, Kyle adds, "I thought she was all in like I was."
Of Shaina's post-engagement confession to Shayne, Kyle says it was tough to watch.
"That hurt. That one was rough. That was twisting the knife because it's almost like she never said any of those things to me. And I'm not mad at Shayne because I know his feelings for Natalie," he explains. "That one stung. That one hurt."
He admits to thinking that Shaina might have agreed to the engagement to advance on the show.
"I was worried about that," Kyle says. "It did cross my mind that maybe she just wanted to get to Mexico, and then she could confess her love to him directly. But again, I wasn't going to quit. I didn't want to quit. I didn't want to give up."
Despite what the cameras showed, Kyle says he and Shaina "had a blast" in Mexico together before her abrupt exit. He also shares that they "went home together" after filming and "went out on a date off-camera," which prompted them to give the romance another go.
Kyle also responds to Shaina's comparisons to last season's villain, Jessica Batten.
"I'm like, 'This is hilarious.' The stories are so similar, but I embraced it," Kyle says. "I'm like, 'That's how it went.' It was a slug fest for her, though. I felt like it was a lot of hatred towards her."
Kyle shares that in upcoming episodes, he "tried even harder" and even met Shaina's family, and adds of his current relationship with Shaina, "We're in touch."
ET's Kevin Frazier previously spoke with Shaina about her decision to accept Kyle's proposal.
"I love Kyle. I think he's a great man. Looking back on it, I should have been a lot more forthright," she explained. "I struggled with people-pleasing my whole life, so I kind of own that. And I should be more forthright, stayed true to myself."
The first five episodes of Love Is Blind are currently streaming on Netflix. The next three episodes will be released on Friday, Feb. 18, and the finale will air on Feb. 25.
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