⁠"It is explosive," The Never Ever Mets host Ta'Rhonda Jones comments on season 2

OWN's popular dating series The Never Ever Mets is back for a second season, premiering on April 4, 2025, with more secrets, surprises, and emotional breakthroughs in store. The show follows seven couples who’ve built relationships entirely online but have never met in person—until now.

Over the course of three intense weeks, they’ll live together in a luxury villa to find out if their virtual chemistry can survive real-life pressure.

Returning to host The Never Ever Mets is Ta'Rhonda Jones, actress, rapper, fashion designer, and now full-blown relationship guru, who plays a much bigger role than just handing out advice. She helps guide the couples through revealing challenges that either strengthen their connection or highlight red flags they never saw coming.

Hinting at the emotional highs and dramatic turns ahead as these long-distance lovers take the ultimate leap, Jones teases in an exclusive interview:

“It is explosive this season”

Ta’Rhonda talks about Season 2 of The Never Ever Mets

Unlike The Never Ever Mets' inaugural season, in which participants entered the experience with little preparation, Jones notes a significant difference this time around.

"Nobody was coming in blindsided," she explains.

Elaborating:

"Most of them came a little bit more prepared to do what they needed to do to secure their connection."

This preparation, however, doesn't guarantee smooth sailing. If anything, it may have encouraged participants to strategize more carefully about what they reveal and when. Jones hints that this calculated approach creates its own dramatic tension throughout the season.

The host also revealed that jaw-dropping moments occurred during several first meetings. She recounted one particularly candid confession from a male contestant who admitted:

"Listen, I was only so used to talking to this girl from chest up. When he saw her in person, he just wasn't feeling it. He was a little disappointed at what he saw."

Such brutally honest reactions highlight the gap between carefully curated online personas and full-bodied reality, a central theme the show explores.

Jones brings more than star power to The Never Ever Mets. As the show's relationship guide, she creates challenges designed to reveal compatibility beyond physical attraction.

"I give them a series of activities and challenges, and those push the needle to see if their connections thrive or not," she shared.

These exercises serve as relationship litmus tests, quickly exposing which couples have substance behind their online chemistry.

The multi-hyphenate talent known for her breakout role as Porsha on Fox's "Empire" and appearances on "The Real" and "The Steve Harvey Show" approaches her hosting duties with both empathy and straightforwardness. When The Never Ever Mets couples face "catfish vibes" or communication breakdowns, Jones steps in with guidance that's both compassionate and direct.

Her perspective comes from personal experience as well as professional insight. When asked for her golden rule of online dating, Jones didn't hesitate:

"It is mandatory that we meet in person after at least a one-month mark."

She believes prolonged virtual relationships without face-to-face meetings raise serious red flags.

"I'm not going to sit here and talk to you over the phone all these years. That's insane," she stated firmly, emphasizing that physical chemistry can't be fully assessed through screens.

Educational aspects of the show explored

While The Never Ever Mets delivers compelling drama, Jones hopes viewers see it as more than just reality show entertainment.

"I really hope that people look at this show not for dramatic purposes or entertainment at their own demise, but as an informative lesson," she explained.

The presence of relationship experts and carefully designed challenges makes the show a potential learning tool for viewers navigating their own dating lives.

Jones even applies these lessons personally.

"It's funny—when I'm dating and I ask men, 'What does courting look like to you?' they don't know what to say," she revealed.

Elaborating:

"This show teaches you how to connect. I've been using it in my own personal life!"

This educational aspect sets The Never Ever Mets apart from typical dating shows. While viewers will certainly enjoy dramatic moments and surprising revelations, they might also pick up valuable insights about communication, compatibility, and the courage needed to bridge online connection with real-world commitment.

As founder of the S.E.E.D Foundation, which empowers artists and entrepreneurs in Chicago's South and West Sides, Jones brings her community-building spirit to The Never Ever Mets. Her multifaceted career, spanning acting, music, fashion design, and philanthropy, mirrors the show's message that genuine connection requires seeing all dimensions of a person.

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The Never Ever Mets airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on OWN in the US.