Spoilers for the first five episodes of Age of Attraction ahead. A relationship like 54-year-old stylist Theresa Demaria and 27-year-old TK John Merrill’s seems exactly like what Netflix had in mind when brainstorming its newest reality show, Age of Attraction.
The series, which premiered on March 11, is Netflix's latest “social-experimental dating show.” Long-time fans of hits like Love Is Blind might find the format vaguely familiar: singles date in a secluded location (this time at a secluded nature retreat in Canada instead of in the pods) until they find someone they want to couple up with, and then take on the real world to see if their connection is built to last. The key difference is that, instead of not being able to see each other, the Age of Attraction contestants can’t reveal their ages until they’re ready to “commit” to each other and leave the retreat together.
Even before coming onto the show, season 1 cast member Theresa felt confident she would find someone worth committing to. “There’s something here for me,” she tells the camera in the first episode. “I’m pretty positive.” And indeed there is: Sparks fly from the moment Theresa and John meet. However, the revelation that there’s a 20-plus-year age gap between them throws a bucket of harsh, cold reality onto the couple as they struggle to figure out whether age really is just a number. Below, we break down Theresa and John’s time on Age of Attraction, and whether they’re still together and continued their relationship after the show.
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Theresa and John instantly vibe in Age of Attraction.
What happens between Theresa and John during the 'Age of Attraction' retreat?
From the moment John and Theresa meet during the first episode’s speed dating round, it’s endgame for the two. “Theresa’s hot,” John tells the camera. “Best three-minute date I’ve ever had.” It’s only up from there. The two continue getting to know each other in the days to come, sharing their first kiss on a one-on-one wine date and sticking close to each other during group activity dates.
Without revealing their ages, they share more about themselves with the other person, as well as the camera. Theresa reveals to the camera she’s been married twice and has three kids—ages 29, 25, and 22—a fact she also tells John, but omits their ages. “I’m petrified that he’s too young,” she tells the camera, saying that the best-case scenario would be if he were at least older than her 29-year-old son.
Their connection only grows. Theresa thinks John’s mature and “the full package,” while John says she’s “fully checking off” boxes of what he wants in a partner. “I feel at ease with her and, not to get too deep, but it’s because it’s Theresa,” John says after a group date to a winery, during which Theresa and he peel off for some alone time together. “If I could bottle it up and sell it, I would.”
Theresa Demaria and John Merrill in Age of Attraction in Episode 1.
Do Theresa and John make it to the Promise Room on 'Age of Attraction?'
It’s inevitable when John and Theresa end up in the Promise Room at the end of Episode 1. Despite meeting only a few days ago, Theresa says in a confessional that she feels an “ease” with John thanks to their “super strong” connection. She’s still frightened about their potential age gap, but tearfully says she feels like she can trust him and that their bond is strong enough that he won’t run away when he learns of her age.
“I came here because I thought this was a really great opportunity for me to hopefully meet somebody who was ready for a relationship,” she tells John in the Promise Room. “In the past I’ve been really hurt, and I was really touched because you right away made me feel super safe, and to me, that’s very rare.” He, in turn, expresses that he can be “trustworthy and reliable.” “I’m looking forward to whatever’s next.”
They exchange promise rings and prepare to reveal their ages to each other. “You’re going to die,” she laughs nervously to John. The camera cuts to confessionals from the two, as John says people often think he’s older than he is, while Theresa says she hopes he’s 38 or older. “I’m 27-years-old,” John confesses to the camera in his confessional, his words punctuated by the ominous drone of the music before the camera blacks out on the episode.
“My son is older than you,” Theresa says dazedly when he tells her his age.
“Does it scare you?” he asks.
Theresa pauses for a long time, pondering the question. Then, “You know, honestly, the biggest thing that scares me is the outside perception of everybody in the universe,” she says, admitting she’d probably never date him if she’d known his age. “It’s just pretty amazing I connected with you.”
The couple eventually reveals that he's 27, while she's 54.
Do Theresa and John couple up on 'Age of Attraction?'
Though the two join the rest of the “promised” couples to live in a Vancouver apartment at the end of Episode 4 as they progress into the next phase of the experiment, Theresa still expresses reservations regarding their age gap. “Staying in the bubble would’ve been a much more comfortable situation,” she says. “But that’s not reality.”
At first, reality seems sweet. Theresa’s thoughts still circle her and John’s age gap, only to be met by John’s unwavering faith and reassurance. “Worrying about it is not going to not make it happen,” he tells her during a coffee date. In a confessional, Theresa says it’s shocking John’s so at ease, seemingly exemplifying how comfortable he is in his own skin. While she reassures that she’s happy with her decision, she says she’s still questioning things, and confesses that she wishes John had a few years on her oldest son.
Theresa and John in the Promise Room.
During another get-together with the other couples and hosts Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, Theresa tells the other cast members that John has demonstrated that he does not act his age. She goes on to say that they’ve gotten along super well and that it feels almost “too good to be true.”
She’s proven right when, just moments later, Natalie and Nick reveal to the group that they will be meeting their friends and family in the coming days. This revelation sends Theresa into a spiral, since she has to introduce her new relationship to her adult children. “My reality is my kids,” Theresa says. She admits that she doesn’t know if she could move forward with John if her kids were to express displeasure in their relationship. “Which is heartbreaking to me because I’m already developing feelings for John,” Theresa says through tears. “So to say goodbye to that would also be really hard.”
We'll have to see how Theresa handles telling her kids about John in the coming episodes.
Are Theresa and John still together after 'Age of Attraction?'
Though both John and Theresa still follow each other on Instagram, the teaser shows rough roads ahead for the couple as they finally meet Theresa’s children. “If your kids don’t like me, is this done?” John asks Theresa in the trailer. “Yeah,” she replies. It even seems like Theresa meets her kids without John, and when they ask how old he is, she refuses to disclose his age. When one of the other contestants questions her for this decision, asking if she’s ashamed, Theresa gets angry.
“I have a huge decision to make. I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Theresa says in a confessional. In a teaser shot of the Commitment Ceremony, Theresa tells a bewildered John that he’s been really patient, but that she worries “it’s too much,” to which he replies he “didn’t see this coming.” What that is exactly remains to be seen in the next batch of episodes, due out March 18, but it’s growing apparent that John and Theresa’s age gap might actually prove to be more of an age chasm.