Netflix’s The Ultimatum: Contestants Rae and Jake address rumours they had sex on the show

The Ultimatum contestants Rae Williams and Jake Cunningham have addressed rumours that they had sex on the new Netflix reality show.

The Ultimatum, from the creators of Love is Blind, is hosted by Nick Lachey and his wife Vanessa.

Couples torn between whether to get married or not are required to live apart with a new partner for three weeks, before deciding whether or not to stay committed to their original partner.

Contestants Rae and Jake were separated from their partners and appeared to develop a close relationship on the show, casting doubt on whether they should stay with their original partners or forge a new relationship together.

Despite their obvious bond, the pair have denied being physically intimate, insisting that they had a “strict rule as far as physical things went”.

“Me and Rae were very respectful doing the whole situation,” Jake told Us Weekly. “No matter how it looks, we did not have sex. The only thing we did was kiss. I slept in a separate bed for the first five days on the show.”

“I kissed him a lot. I was one who initiated kissing with him, but we didn’t take it past kissing. And that was really important to both of us,” Rae said.

The star of the reality TV show explained that they “definitely both felt guilty” that their bond was so strong.

“The whole time that you’re going on these romantic dates and you’re connecting and you’re living with this person living your day-to-day life with them – in the back of your mind is always the jealousy that you have toward your original partner and what they’re experiencing,” Rae said.

“And then just the guilt for… Sometimes [I’d] get really happy and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I’m so happy right now. I love hanging out with this guy. I can’t wait to go home and cook dinner with him and watch a movie and do whatever’. And then I was like, ‘I should not feel like this.’”

Rae joined the show with her boyfriend Zay in the hope that it would urge him to propose to her after two years together.

Jake was asked to appear on the show for similar reasons, as his girlfriend April wanted a proposal to mark their two-year anniversary.

The reunion episode will be available to watch on 13 April, when all questions will be answered as to whether the pair acted on their connection.

In an Instagram caption, Rae confessed some of moments on the coming episode were “hard to watch”.

She stressed the importance of being kind as the release of the episode draws closer, saying: “As you watch the show please remember to be kind, because we were all extremely vulnerable/ stressed during this time. We love memes, jokes, opinions, & hot takes, but no one deserves hate comments.”

The Ultimatum is available to stream on Netflix. You can find suggestions of similar shows to watch on Netflix here.