‘Love at First Flight’ Couple Breaks Down After Love Song Challenge Goes Wrong

What started as a romantic love song challenge quickly turned into the possible end of Alma Lopez and Michael Naccari’s relationship on Tuesday’s episode of Love at First Flight.

The two have been one of the more promising pairs during the premiere season of Lifetime‘s newest reality dating show, which follows two strangers as they come together for a travel adventure designed to help them make a love connection within 30 days or less.

Sent to Nashville, Tenn. in the most recent episode, Naccari was totally on board when the couple was tasked with writing a romantic love song about their burgeoning relationship, while Lopez was nervous about showcasing her musical skills, or lack thereof.

But when they learned of the challenge twist — that they would have to sing their song on the streets of Music City while busking for cash — Naccari was quick to shut down and refuse to help Lopez in any way.

“I enjoyed every part of it until I was really thrown out of my element and had to approach people on the street, which you saw that I did not do,” Naccari told Lopez after the two had time to reflect on the experience. “So I think from there I kind of dropped the ball.”

“I did get very frustrated, I did,” Lopez responded. “And I thought that you were just gonna shut down and that you were gonna piss me off the rest of the day.”

Naccari’s so-called abandonment of Lopez in her time of need, no matter how low the stakes, reminded the Chicagoan of her father’s abandonment of her family when she was a kid.

“I will never marry someone that can walk away, because my dad and my mom were married and he as still able to kinda leave,” she told cameras. “And it’s like, is that what’s gonna happen? Am I gonna fall in love with someone who looks like a prince, just like my father, and then they’re just going to walk away?”

Naccari, while admittedly a panhandling failure, wasn’t following his possible future bride’s logic here, however.

“I’m confused now,” he told the cameras. “It’s not about abandonment, because there was no abandoning that actually happened. So I think that this could have just been about her past.”

To Lopez, he added, “I feel like you’re kind of projecting something.”

That set her off. “If you’re not going to be there the way you should be, maybe you shouldn’t be here at all,” she said angrily, adding, “What I’m saying is maybe the way you do act is not for me.”

Storming out of the hotel room, Lopez yelled, “I need a break!” before hitting a stairwell door and cursing.

It looked like this might be the end of the couple’s journey less than a week in, but the next morning, both Lopez and Naccari were willing to admit where things went wrong.

“I had opened up to you and told you I felt alone and out of place,” Lopez said of the songwriting portion of the challenge. “What made me run was I had opened up to you, but you, like that’s not your style.”

She added, “I’ll step out of my box, but I need you to do the same.”

Heading off to the next challenge, Lopez promised that she would be less sensitive when it comes to her issues with her father, and reflected on how that relationship might have influenced her romantic life thus far.

“I think my dad has pushed me to be so damn picky,” she said. “He was able to convince my mom he was a great husband and father and then he left. And Mike is not my dad. I have something to work on.”

Love at First Flight airs on Lifetime Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Lifetime