“Love Is Blind”'s Izzy and Stacy Deny Bullying Johnie — Though He Admits to 'Disgusting' Behavior (Exclusive)

Stacy Snyder tells PEOPLE of her confrontation with Johnie Maraist: "She was pushing my buttons. And I just kept letting it slide. And then I'm like, 'This isn't OK for me. You are crossing a boundary'"

Warning: This post contains spoilers from the season 5 finale of Netflix's Love Is Blind.

Love Is Blind's Izzy Zapata and Stacy Snyder want to set the record straight after fans' criticized their behavior during a tense confrontation with costar Johnie Maraist.

Early into season 5 of the Netflix hit, Izzy connected with Johnie in the pods. At the same time, Izzy was also forming a connection with Stacy. Izzy ultimately called things off with Johnie to pursuit Stacy, and the two got engaged.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing as Johnie was quick to criticize Izzy for his choice, claiming he wouldn't be as happy with Stacy and even attacking Stacy for her physical appearance. The trio eventually got into a heated argument at a cast barbecue that escalated to a point where some accused Stacy of "bullying" Johnie.

Now, Izzy and Stacy — who made it to the altar but did not get married in the season 5 finale — are sharing their perspective on the situation exclusively with PEOPLE.

Related: Love Is Blind's Izzy Breaks Down His Emotional Wedding Day and His 'Switch-Flip' Moment (Exclusive)

Izzy admits he has regrets about the situation and wishes he had handled it differently.

"That was disgusting behavior on my end, on how I went about it, I guess how I delivered it," he says. "But ... I don't regret calling her out on the truth. It was just how I did it. So that's what I would say is poor delivery, but I don't regret the message."

"It was definitely worse than what I thought," he says of watching the scene back. "I was really grossed out by myself when we were seeing that. I didn't think it was going to be that bad.... But I learned from it. I saw my mistake, and moved on."

Related: Love Is Blind's Stacy on Izzy's 'Big Misconception' — and Why His Wedding Rant 'Surprised' Her (Exclusive)

Izzy, 31, does not think fans' claims of abusive behavior are warranted, though, and insists he and Stacy, 34, "were definitely not bullies."

"People were like, 'Oh, you're obsessed with Johnie that you have to go back and talk to Johnie.' And I was like, 'I didn't give a s--- about Johnie at that point.' I didn't even want to have to have that conversation with her. I was told to have that conversation with her," he says. "So if it were up to me, I would've not said anything to her and just minded my own business with Stacy, but we had to have that convo."

"Obviously my behavior was bad and the delivery was bad. But at the same time, if y'all are going to sit here and hold me accountable on my behavior, why can't we hold her accountable on what she did?" he asks of Johnie, 32. "There was the thing [with her other pod connection Chris Fox] — me finding out what she said about me once I cut her off — [and] the way she was talking about Stacy. And then she started telling the girls like, 'Oh, he's going to regret it, or he's going to be disgusted with Stacy when he sees her at reveal because she's not attractive.' And so all that was just kind of a buildup to where it escalated."

Defending his now-ex-fiancée, Izzy adds, "Stacy didn't do anything. Stacy minded her own business. In the pods with the guys, we didn't want to share who we're dating because it got sticky that way. So Stacy did that. And just because Johnie was telling the whole world that I was her No. 1, but Stacy just kind of kept it to herself, Johnie thought Stacy was sketchy for keeping it to herself ... Stacy's only human, she's kept her mouth shut after she's hearing all these things that she's saying, like... come on. There's only so much we can take. You have to stick up for yourself."

Related: Love Is Blind's Stacy on Izzy's 'Big Misconception' — and Why His Wedding Rant 'Surprised' Her (Exclusive)

Stacy has a similar perspective, telling PEOPLE: "It happened the exact opposite way that people perceive it, which is super frustrating."

"I get every story's got to have plot or the hero and the villain, but how that whole thing untwisted was literally the opposite way around," she says. "I never felt the need to talk to people about what she was saying about me behind my back because I didn't care and was moving on."

"And then it just was ongoing, where it was like she was trying to put me down, bring me down and make me look bad to other people. People that I knew came to me and told me what she was saying, including my physical appearance that she bashed," she continues. "At the barbecue, it was me, her and Milton sitting outside, and Milton was talking to Johnie like, 'Hey, I don't know if you know Stacy well. I don't really remember talking to her in the pods, but we met in Mexico and she was super cool.' And Johnie's like, 'Oh, she's not memorable?'"

"She was pushing my buttons," she explains. "And I just kept letting it slide. And then I'm like, 'This isn't OK for me. You are crossing a boundary, and I will address it. ... So that's why I was so fired up. I am over here trying to be an empathetic, understanding woman to another woman. And then I find out you're doing the opposite and then you're coming to attack me and say I'm deceitful. My mind was blown. And I had it."

Though Izzy and Stacy were a unit at the barbecue, things eventually fell apart for them on their wedding day as Izzy said yes to forever, and Stacy said no at the altar.

"I do want you, and I want to say yes. But I would be doing you and I a disservice right now to say that 'I do' when I feel like there's a lot things we need — and more than anything, we need time," she told him.

As for Johnie, it was revealed at the cast barbecue that she had rekindled her relationship with Chris at the airport on the way home after the connection with Izzy fizzled.

Related: Love Is Blind's Chris Opens Up About His Pod Breakup, Second Chances and Why He Doesn't Hold a Grudge (Exclusive)

Chris, 28, previously told PEOPLE that he doesn't hold a grudge against Johnie despite being her second choice.

"Through the experience, I fell in love with her and she's an amazing person in and out," he said. "When you give it your all, it's going to hurt if you get rejected. Everyone there is trying to do what's best for themselves, you're trying to find your person. And she's so smart. I'm not going to fault her for actually making the wrong decision, not going with me, but she is making what she thinks is the right decision for her at the time, and I can't be mad at her for that. You just move on."

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Love Is Blind season 5 is streaming in full on Netflix. Fans will find out the status of these couples' relationships, as well as the rest of cast's, when the season 5 reunion drops Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET.

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