Did Harry Jowsey and Melinda Berry really lock lips during the boys’ day out at the cenote? That question became the ultimate “he said, she said” debate of Perfect Match Season 2. Well, everyone found out the truth in the Season 2 finale.
In the second batch of episodes, a kissing scandal emerged between Harry and Melinda. As Melinda watched the episodes back at home, she refused to back down from her claim that she and Harry kissed while he was still very much with Jessica Vestal. “Wow. Wow. Oh, I cannot wait for the truth to come out. Oh, God,” Melinda said on her Instagram Story on June 14.
So, what really went down between Harry and Melinda? Let’s break down the kissing scandal and the truth.
What happened between Harry & Melinda?
In Episode 8, the contestants still in the game were separated from their matches. The matched-up couples faced the ultimate test when past singles returned to try and find new matches. Harry, who got hot and heavy with Jessica early on in the season, offered to carry Melinda as they went to get another drink.
Harry could be seen carrying Melinda in the footage. As Harry discussed how he was “100 percent” in with Jessica, Melinda brought up how Harry had just kissed her. Immediately, Harry denied the kiss happened and walked off. “You’re making s**t up,” he said to Melinda.
The alleged kiss sparked a heated discussion at the cenote. While Xanthi Perdikomatis believed Melinda’s word, Stevan Ditter said he didn’t see anything.
Harry didn’t budge on his stance, and he mentioned that there was no video evidence of this supposed kiss. “She’s trying to do this s**t for clout,” he said.
In his confessional, Harry stressed, “I did not kiss her. That was a deepfake. But Melinda is telling everyone like it’s fact.” He felt like Melinda was “trying to get as much screentime and as much clout off this whole situation as possible.”
Harry knew this was going to cause issues with Jessica and cried in his bed over it. He apologized to Jessica for hurting her, but he claimed that he only carried Melinda.
When the ladies met up, Jessica revealed what Harry had confessed to her. Melinda then explained her side of the story and swore that she and Harry kissed. Melinda and Harry argued in front of Jessica and the others about what happened. “No one saw it. You’re making it up,” Harry said. Melinda turned to Brittan Byrd, who claimed that she saw Melinda’s makeup on Harry’s nose.
Harry and Jessica attempted to work through this scandal. “There’s her story, there’s my story, and there’s the truth,” he told Jessica. “I love you deeply. I wanna continue to blossom this.” He begged Jessica not to let this drama ruin their relationship. Ultimately, Jessica couldn’t get over that she couldn’t trust Harry. She didn’t want to match with him again, so they both ended up leaving the show. Jessica was brought back in and matched with Izzy Zapata briefly before admitting that she wasn’t ready for something new after her breakup with Harry.
Did Harry & Melinda really kiss?
When the entire cast got together before the final vote, the kissing scandal was a major topic of discussion. Harry and Jessica came face-to-face for the first time since their breakup. He admitted that he was “disappointed himself” over his behavior and “wasn’t honest with someone I care about.”
New footage from the boys’ day out at the cenote revealed the truth. Yes, Harry and Melinda kissed, and he lied about it to Jessica’s face. While we didn’t see the kiss, you could hear the audio of Melinda and Harry discussing their makeout session. Melinda acknowledged their “treacherous kiss” and told Harry she “wanted to just dog your face out.” Harry responded, “Oh yeah, I wanna f**k you.”
Harry went on to tell Chris Hahn that he “did something really bad.” He walked over to people filming the show and asked, “Did you guys get footage of me and Melinda kissing or not? I didn’t mean to do it.”
Jessica admitted she was “heartbroken” about how everything turned out and revealed how she felt about Harry post-scandal. “I think that good people can make bad decisions,” she said. “I think Harry is a good man. I think he wants to do better. But is he the kind of man I want to lead my life right now? No. But I don’t regret it.”
Harry and Jessica got back together one month after filming ended. However, they broke up just one week after filming a video where they stated they were “still going strong.”
Perfect Match, Season 2, Streaming Now, Netflix