Overview
Ali Lima is a nurse who appeared on the Denver-based ninth season of Netflix’s Love Is Blind. Her engagement to Anton Yarosh was the first of the season, and their relationship became one of only two to reach a wedding ceremony. The pair did not marry: after Anton accepted the commitment, Lima declined, explaining that their life together outside the pods had changed her understanding of their compatibility.
Born in Brazil, Lima described learning English and establishing a life in the United States as important personal achievements. Netflix’s introductory cast profile presented her as someone balancing nursing work with plans for further education. She wanted an ambitious partner who would understand the demands of studying for another degree, and identified humility and a strong work ethic as qualities she valued in a relationship.
Her first conversations with Anton drew on their experiences of immigration and adapting to another language. Netflix reported that both had begun learning English at eight, worked at McDonald’s as teenagers and shortened their names to fit into American life. Those similarities helped make their pod courtship unusually swift. In an interview with TODAY, Lima said the pace had not felt excessive because she had been confident about the connection from the beginning.
Living together introduced practical questions that the pod dates had not resolved. TODAY described the difficulty of combining their night-shift jobs, expectations about household work and different lifestyles. In Netflix’s October 2025 post-reunion interview, Lima discussed wanting to continue her education without stretching herself between full-time work and study. She also chose not to disclose her dating status. Her public account of the experiment centers on the distinction between an emotional bond and the everyday compatibility needed for a marriage.
Sources: Netflix’s Season 9 cast guide; Netflix’s post-season interviews; Axios Denver’s cast identities; TODAY’s interview and wedding recap.
Television
2025 · Love Is Blind — Season 9 participant