When a prospective student rolled up to his informational interview on a longboard – and popped it into his hand with a practiced kick – Jennifer Joseph, an assistant professor in the Rutgers Health physician assistant program, was horrified.
“I thought, ‘I have to meet with this punk for the next half hour and try to give him advice?’” said Joseph, laughing.
But that meeting turned into an hour. By the end, she was sold.
“We became fast friends,” she said. “He had a place in my heart from that time forward.”
That “punk” was Joey Leveille — best known for skating down the aisle during the most recent season of Netflix’s reality dating show Love Is Blind. While things didn’t end with a wedding, Leveille, a 2015 graduate of the Rutgers School of Health Professions’ physician assistant program, won over viewers with his sincerity, his quirkiness and his fun-loving personality.
A Reality Romance (Sort of)
Leveille, who lives in Minnesota, said he turned down producers twice before finally agreeing to appear on the show, which was filmed in 2023 and 2024, premiered in February and concluded in March.
“I was dating someone the first few times they called, but that didn’t work out – and then the third time was the charm,” said Leveille, who works as a physician assistant and administrative manager at a same-day clinic outside Duluth.
The premise of Love is Blind is simple: Fall in love with someone – and get engaged – before you ever see them. In Season 8, Leveille was one of a group of hopefuls looking to meet their match through a wall. The then-35-year-old quickly connected with Monica, a 27-year-old digital marketer.
They bonded over a mutual dislike of country lyrics, a shared love of swing dancing, and that The Sound of Music is their favorite movie.
After proposing to Monica during “pod week,” Leveille met her face-to-face, bounding into the room in his signature energetic style.
He saw a tall-dark haired women in a gown. She saw a fit man with shoulder-length tresses and an exuberant smile. His enthusiastic wave as he exited – still riding the emotional high – later became a lighthearted moment on social media.
“It was the wildest thing ever,” he said. “You know this person – but you don’t know this person. You’re connecting emotionally first, then meeting physically. It was like a mind explosion.”
Compared with others on the show, their relationship was surprisingly drama-free – until Monica’s sister refused to give her blessing, and she began to have doubts.
On what was to be their wedding day, Joey rolled up to the altar on his longboard dressed in a baby-blue suit, but Monica ultimately said no. Joey took it with grace. In an interview, he said they actually had agreed the night before that neither were ready, and the refusal did not come as a surprise.
Viewers were sympathetic – until the reunion episode, when Monica surprised him with pointed remarks and unexpected criticisms. The moment sparked a few unkind comments online.
“It sucks,” Leveille said. “It feels awful to be misunderstood – like you’re being judged off an edited version of yourself.”
He said he was somewhat disappointed by how one-dimensional he appeared on screen.
“There were a lot of deep conversations that never made it on air,” Leveille said. “They leaned into my goofy, energetic side, which is me – but not all of me.”
Still, he said he is reflecting on what he could have done better, especially when it comes to expressing affection.
“I don’t want to be too hard on myself, but I do want to grow,” said Leveille
The experience, he said, changed his view of relationships. He’s learning to be more open, more vulnerable – something that hasn’t always come easily.
Leveille said he struggled with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, shaped in part by a difficult upbringing and the loss of his 16-year-old sister, with whom he was extremely close. He added he has worked on being more carefree, present and joyful.
Despite the on-screen heartbreak, Leveille has formed lasting friendships with several other contestants – they even have a trip to Las Vegas planned.
Back to Real Life (With a Little Fame)
Off-screen, Leveille is back to work. His appearance on Love Is Blind, followed by talk shows, have made him somewhat of a celebrity.
From left: Kate Gribetz, Leveille, Aaron Smith, Kimberly Winiarczyk, Jennifer Joseph, assistant professor, and Mary Joseph.
“That guy gave me a strep throat test!” one fan posted online.
Leveille said he doesn’t mind the attention.
“People ask me for pictures, and I’m glad to do it,” he said. “I’m an extrovert – I don’t mind at all.”
Leveille, who was home-schooled through high school, was a student at a Minnesota college when he came to Rutgers through a summer program for low-income students to participate in research. That experience led to publishing a paper on Alzheimer’s disease – and a meeting with Joseph to learn about becoming a physician assistant.
Two years later, he was accepted into the Rutgers Health physician assistant program.
“He had so much depth and compassion,” Joseph said. “At the time, he was working overnight shifts at a traumatic brain injury facility to pay for school — and still had a 3.9 GPA. He loved working with people and helping them.”
She added, “So, the boy with the longboard turned out to be one of the best students I’ve ever met.”
As for the longboard? Leveille calls it his “emotional support.” Skating helps ease his anxiety. And yes, it really was his idea to ride it up to the altar (with Monica’s consent).
Leveille is hoping to return to Rutgers in the fall as part of a panel of alumni to speak with students.
He might even glide in on his board.
