Big Brother's Rylie Jeffries and Katherine Woodman Give Update on Controversial Relationship at Finale

Unlike many showmances that emerge on Big Brother, Rylie Jeffries and Katherine Woodman were both evicted from the house before the Jury portion. That meant they weren't involved in determining this season's big winner -- but it also meant they didn't have to spend the rest of their summer sequestered from the outside world.

This gave them the opportunity to actually take some time, decompress from their experience inside the house -- and become suddenly aware of just how many people in America were not at all feeling their young romance. In fact, there was a whole lot of concern as their burgeoning relationship was the dominant BB27 topic for those first few weeks.

The biggest reason for many online was what they perceived as a series of red flags from Rylie for how he talked to Katherine, with words like condescending, controlling and manipulative flying around from one armchair social media psychologist to another.

These comments primarily came from watchers of the live feeds, as television viewers didn't experience any of the perceived problematic moments. Instead, they witnessed what looked like another typical showmance between two young people. So what was the reality for the couple at the heart of these differing perspectives?

It turns out that their take on what was happening between them was much more positive than many of the live feed viewers, and it's progressing very nicely for them, thank you very much!

When host Julie Chen Moonves asked Katherine where things stood with Rylie now that the dust has settled and they've had some time away from the stress and chaos of the BB experience, she said that "it stands at a really good place."

"We are together and having fun, just hanging out," she added. "I just visited him and it was great."

Rylie chimed in to express that Katherine is "the most beautiful, kind-hearted," adding that "it's been nothing but a blessing and an honor to be able to get to experience this."

Rylie was in a much happier seeming place than when he first exited the house to an onslaught of negativity about how he treated Katherine in the house. He took a rare pause after his exit before speaking to the media, and then only did so via email. Nevertheless, he took some ownership of his behavior, while largely saying he was misunderstood.

In an email interview with Parade, the magazine called out some of the concerns: "At times, you expressed anger that she wouldn’t kiss you or sleep in the same bed as you. You were telling her at points to watch her attitude and tone, and that 'I'm being with you outside of this, whether you like it or not.'"

They went on to tell him that fans perceived this behavior as Rylie "talking down to her, being controlling, and not consenting to boundaries that she’s placed."

"I hear those concerns, and I want to say first that I never intended to make Katherine feel uncomfortable or disrespected," Rylie responded. "I care about her deeply, and every emotion I showed came from a place of love."

In an email interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rylie said, "I understand how things may have come across, but I speak with passion. I love with my whole heart, and maybe that intensity was misunderstood."

"I respect her deeply, and she’s her own person, makes her own choices. I think some moments just don’t reflect who I truly am," he continued. "My intentions have always come from a place of care and loyalty, not control."

While he acknowledged that he will grow from his experience in the house, as well as the backlash, that doesn't mean Rylie thinks fans have got it right about him. "I’m a kind-hearted, loving man that wears my heart on my sleeve," he explained. "I wish people would see past the inaccurate version of me that’s being spread online."

A week later, Katherine was eliminated and went from being excited to reconnect with Rylie outside of the Big Brother house to facing the still massive controversy over their perceived relationship during the game.

After being briefed on some of the online reaction, Katherine was asked by EW if she was "ever upset or disturbed" by Kylie's behavior or comments. "No, I was not. I genuinely ... I was very surprised to hear that any of that was taken wrongly," she told the outlet.

She then added: "I think it's really concerning hearing that he wasn't being seen in the best light, and I hate that I had, like, any part in that. And yeah, I'm excited to get to talk to him and offer him some reassurance that I never felt that way around him or with him. And I genuinely love that I got to share my experience in the house with him."

Once again, Parade got a little more specific, noting how it seemed Katherine would "put up boundaries, like not wanting to kiss or sleep in the same bed, that he would not consent to" -- while saying how fans perceived his behavior as "being controlling."

"I think with things like kissing and stuff like that, it was more so, at least for me, founded in reasons that weren't necessarily that it was crossing a boundary. I was just thinking of having to watch me kiss somebody!" she told the outlet, reportedly with a laugh. "Like, I don't want to see that! But I was excited to kiss him. I was glad when I did."

"I would have been near him all the time every day if I could. I didn't want to bug other people in the house. That was the main issue as to why I didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him most of the time, or I didn't want them rolling their eyes at us," she added. "I didn't want to feel like there was animosity towards both of us and make his position or my position in the house more precarious. So that was mainly the concerns with things like that."

"But I never felt uncomfortable or unhappy with anything," she insisted.

Now that the show is over, Katherine said that she and Rylie have continued checking in with one another and are focusing on their well-being. They have not publicly defined their relationship status, but with Katherine saying they're "together," things certainly appear to be moving in that direction.