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Two Netflix stars and plenty of drama. As Francesca Farago<\/strong> and Damian Powers<\/strong>\u2019 relationship plays out on Perfect Match<\/em><\/a>, some fans know that they had a history prior to filming the crossover dating show \u2014 but when did the Too Hot to Handle<\/em><\/a> star know the Love Is Blind<\/em><\/a> alum was a potential part of the cast?<\/p>\n \u201cI found out Damian was on the board, I think, [after] the first challenge. I forget who went in first, but I found out he was on the board pretty early on,\u201d Francesca exclusively told Us Weekly.<\/em><\/p>\n At the time, she was spending time with The Mole<\/em>\u2019s Dom Gabriel<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think that definitely hindered my ability to, like, go further with Dom,\u201d Francesca admitted to Us<\/em>. \u201cBut I definitely had a genuine connection with him. I still, like, I love him as a person. I think he\u2019s amazing. We have a great friendship now, but I just don\u2019t think there was, like, that romantic connection. But, obviously, we needed time together to be able to figure that out.\u201d<\/p>\n When Francesca and Dom won their first challenge, she opted to go on a date with Damian, which allowed him to join the cast.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like all of us were pretty genuine on the board with trying to match up people that would actually make genuine connections,\u201d she told Us<\/em>. \u201cI mean, that was my thought process anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to Perfect Match<\/em>, the twosome were seen out together during summer 2020<\/a>. At the time, Damian was still in the middle of his messy relationship with his Love Is Blind<\/em> fianc\u00e9e, Giannina Gibelli<\/strong><\/a>. Fans got a glimpse of the odd dynamic on Love Is Blind: After the Altar<\/em>, which aired in July 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very uncomfortable,\u201d Giannina told E! News<\/em> about Damian opting to bring Francesca to a cast party. \u201cLiterally, I have a lot of heat inside me because I felt my blood literally boiling but then I also just felt bad for her. We all know each other. I hate feeling outcasted at parties. I felt bad for her at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n While they \u201cweren\u2019t in a good place,\u201d Giannina wasn\u2019t expecting to see Damian with another woman. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s why he felt like he had to bring somebody along,\u201d she said. \u201c[We] were dating for two and a half years, so he knew it was coming after that. He knew that I wasn\u2019t going to let him get away with it that easily.\u201d<\/p>\n Damian and Giannina called it quits for good post-After the Altar<\/em> and she\u2019s been linked to Bachelor Nation\u2019s Blake Horstmann<\/strong><\/a> since December 2021.<\/p>\n