If you don’t knowtheir backstory, here’s how their fairytale romance began.
He offered to buy her a drink, and the rest went down in reality dating history.
Throughout our conversation, the playful pair seemed closer than ever and literally finished each other’s sentences.
David: We applied to be on the show.
I had been living in Asia for over five years.
Kind of reinvented myself.
I went to Thailand and reinvented myself.
Then along the way of working in China and working in Asia, I met Annie.
I wanted to share that story.
David: It wasn’t a long time.
I don’t remember the weeks…
I forgot how long it took at this time.
Annie: Usually after you apply and the interview, I think it takes only a week.
It’s very fast.
David: For interviews, but I don’t know when the exact final decision was made.
When you both saw each other back in Thailand, what were your first impressions?
David: Well, I heard Annie singing, and she has a voice of an angel.
We have mutual friend who has a travel agency in Thailand.
They weren’t open yet.
There was a bar right next to it, which was outdoors.
And when somebody has a birthday, they have karaoke.
So she was singing.
Annie: Yeah, I have been singing since I was 12.
Annie: No, not really.
David: It took me about 10 days.
And to me, I was like, “What a genuine heart she has.”
Annie: I remember when he took me to [the] Thai-Cambodian market.
Yeah, he was asking me whatever you want to shop.
Over there, they have a lot of stuff.
The socks and stuff like that.
David: It was getting into the colder season so she even bought jackets.
“I didn’t see this scene.
I don’t remember seeing that.”
David: We love the show.
We like to talk crap about everybody, including ourselves.
When you look back on Season 5, are there some scenes that are hard to watch?
One of the hardest scenes is when Annie was saying goodbye to her mom.
You just don’t know when…
It was like, “I’m leaving on a jet plane.”
What’s supposed [to be] America in my mind.
When I [said] goodbye to my mom, I don’t know.
I [was] not even [sure what] my future [held].
It’s back into that.
It’s even hard today to watch because I never say goodbye.
Like I say, I never say goodbye to my family.
That was definitely sad to watch.
When did you see your family after that?
David: It was about 18 months.
Because it took a long time.
So a big part of your season, at least in the beginning, was the dowry process.
What can you tell us about that?
You know the water buffalo with all the gold and that’s like what do you call it?
[A] culture thing.
David know[s] exactly what it is because he had lived in Thailand.
David: Yeah, I was very familiar with Thai culture.
Part of the reason why our relationship has worked is I lived there.
I had a better understanding of Thai people, Thai culture.
I think that’s one of the [reasons] Americans … struggle with it.
You look at [90 Day’s]Jenny [Slatten] and Sumit [Singh].
She’s lived there.
She understands the Indian culture, whether she agrees and disagrees.
That’s what keeps their relationship so successful.
Was it what you imagined?
Annie:Well, the first landing was in L.A. or Hawaii.
Honolulu, we spent 24 hours there and then came to LAX airport.
It’s kind of like busy.
A lot of people, different types of people.
It’s like, “Wow, what is this?
What’s outside the airport, I just can’t wait to see.”
David: You know?
Yeah, cause West Hollywood obviously is evolved.
And there’s a lot of people that are homeless there.
Then, we went into the sex shop and she got a whole new side to see of America.
Annie: I have a lot to see.
America is big country.
Have you ever been to New York?
Because that’s where I’m from.
David:I grew up in New Jersey.
That’s where I’m originally from.
It’s the crossroads.
Right where the interstate, the parkway, and turnpike intersect.
I was in North Edison through high school.
And after high school is when I went to Louisville.
That’s why I don’t have a Southern accent.
I don’t have a distinguishable accent.
Just one thing I worked on over many years was not to be…
Unless I’m drinking, then you’re free to tell the Jersey comes out.
Do you keep in touch with any of them?
David: David [Vazquez Zermeno] and Evelyn [Cormier].
In fact, they were here with us Thanksgiving and for Annie’s birthday.
Molly [Hopkins].
We’re very close with Molly.
Think the world of her.
Talked toAndrei [Castravet] and Elizabeth [Potthast]because…
Annie: Sometimes.
Josh and Aika [Batterson], we…
Annie: Never see.
David: Yeah, we met when we first came out here.
But they’re so busy, we haven’t seen them since then.
What do you think are the reasons why you’re a reality TV couple that stayed together?
David: Well, we went through…
I was very unprepared coming back to America.
Everybody says, “Do you think you were portrayed the right way?”
I was not in a good place.
I can’t blame anyone else for how that came out… We stuck together.
This is the advice I will tell every couple.
We say this to everybody: “If two people stick together, you love together.”
Speaking of sticking together, what have been the positives and negatives of being quarantined?
David: The positive side is it just really, for us, showed how strong our relationship is.
I mean, the negative is that we can’t do things that we would like to go do.
Annie: Not travel.
David: Yeah, we travel, but not like we would.
Annie: Wearing masks all the time.
David: Like everybody else, it’s been difficult.
We’re going to get through this.
Better days are coming.
I think we’ll all be stronger from it.
Yes, it’s testing people, it’s breaking some.
Your cooking show,Spice It Up, is also a positive of the quarantine.
How do you film that?
What kitchen are you using?
Otherwise you’re like back to the cameras.Spice It Upwas done with a full crew.
It was a lot of fun because that’s how we are.
I don’t really cook well, but she is a leader in the kitchen.
Are you allowed to tell me about that?
David: It’s filmed in our bedroom.
Especially as you see the last few episodes, that is our house.
That is our bedroom.
Annie: It might have some set-up like to make it look good, beautiful.
But everything is just in our bedroom.
David: Especially pre-pandemic when you had full crews, it was a lot of people.
A lot of work goes into that.
It improves your English, actually, understanding and comprehension.
OnSelf-Quarantined, you spoke candidly about getting anti-Asian messages.
How does that affect you?
Annie: Well, just recently we went to a COVID testing.
The one lady come[s] up and she looked at my face.
She say[s], “Are you Asian?”
I say, “Yes, why?”
I say, “Well, I’m not [eating] dog.
That’s not all the Asian countries, you see that?
What are you watching?”
She said, “That’s all of Asia.”
I say, “Well, oh yeah, f*** you.”
That was a shock.
But in general, that happened at the beginning on social media, you get some messages.
Then, especially at that time, people are angry.
2020 was, I would say, the angriest year for multiple reasons.
Everything that has been boiling came to a head.
And we are now dealing with it.
And I say, “Excuse me, what have [you] done for this country?”
I’m an immigrant, but it’s [a] pandemic.
I donate, work my a** off.
“What you have done for the country you say you love so much?
And you say I just suck the life out of you?”
I’m very exhausted.
You couldn’t find it.
That’s what was the genesis for her to get a sewing machine and start making masks.
Can you buy me a sewing machine?"
… One day I pick[ed] up and learn[ed] how to sew.
Usually I know how to sew it, but not from the machine, but from the hand.
My grandmother taught me.
David: She shut down our kitchen and literally opened up a factory.
When we lived in the condo in Old Town, Scottsdale, she would make them.
She’d post and I’d get 10,000 messages.
We mailed them to New Yorkers because New York was the hotspot at the time.
We mailed them to nurses and frontline responders in New York.
Then we stayed local.
We gave them to prisons.
We gave them to people working in the grocery store.
There was a maid in a hotel that they couldn’t get masks.
Annie: Also, I have to thank some fans.
It ran out everywhere.
And some fans, they said, “I have elastics.
I want to send to you.”
And some nurses sent flowers.
That’s the thing.
Like [gave] me more energy to [do] that.
Have you gotten any interesting or unusual ones?
David: We do.
We’ve done a Cameo for just about every reason.
We’ve proposed to people.
A lot of people obviously, they [needed cheering] up during the pandemic.
There’s been a couple of them that really stood out.
One was on Mother’s Day.
We did the Cameo.
I reached out to Cameo, they sent her an email with resources.
She sent me a message.
“Thank you.”
And I sent her the suicide hotline and said, “There’s resources.
Just know, as long as you have breath, you have hope.
And we’re here.
There’s people here who are professionals.
I’m not.”
We had a weird one that was for his grandma.
I actually have a screenshot of it.
Annie: All the weird things, he always screenshots.
I don’t know if you could… [Holds phone to the camera.]
We just, we twisted it on him in a sense.
Cameo has been a way to really connect with fans.
Yes, it’s lucrative.
Cause we’re not celebrities.
… We’re everyday people.
Annie: Yes, really.
Every time I meet people because I know we know somebody, I don’t have to be fake.
I don’t have to be always beautiful.
Like last time David’s been out to the corner with the shirt.
David: I got a shirt that has our picture on it.
Annie: With my face and his face.
David: Fans asked, “Can we take a picture?”
So we take a picture, and they said, “I wish Annie was here.”
I said, “Well, here she is.”
[Points to his shirt.]
We’re everyday people who just happened to be on TV.
We’re humbled by it.
It’s been an awesome experience.
I think a lot of the strength, as even Annie posted this morning, it cheers us up.
I just want to thank them for that.
David: Yes, we take a stab at be very positive.
We did a Cameo somebody had requested for one of the new people on the show…
I wasn’t going to be denigrating to the other cast member.
It’s tough coming to America when it’s a different culture, it’s difficult as it is.
Obviously the fans, they love the show.
They get into the show.
When I see Yazan [Abo Horira] onStrikes Back.
When I see him laughing, I say, “Oh, thank God.
Yazan can laugh.”
Because on the show, we always see him with all the situations.
But withStrikes Back,he is with a translator.
They sit in the car and laugh at themselves.
That’s why we haveStrikes Back.
That’s [a] positive thing.
David: Well, maybe we can do one.
HavePillow Fightwhere we just come back and defend ourselves.
David: Just a joke.
There are too many shows.
That leads me to my last question.
What are your plans for the future?
David: No, we love it.
We love sharing our life.
One, we love the content on it.
So to be a part of it is amazing because I love travel.
I love obviously cultures and food.
And discovery+ has something for everyone.
David: And we love working with the folks.
The producers and TLC…
It’s like a family to me, I feel like.
I was going to say, you must be a family at this point.
