Dating Around season 1 star Gurki Basra may not have found love in front of the cameras, but it looks like she stumbled upon The One behind the scenes! The brunette beauty revealed her romance with Netflix director James Adolphus when she posted a cozy photo with the caption “Who said I didn’t pick a second date?” on June 14, soon after the season 2 premiere. Now, she’s opening up exclusively to Life & Style about how their “professional relationship” blossomed into something more.
“I was focused on giving the experience and the guys I met on the show a chance,” she explained, but one of those guys, Justin, verbally attacked her over her parents’ arranged marriage and her own divorce in one of the most uncomfortable moments of the series. “In hindsight, I feel fortunate for that horrific date with Justin and don’t actually think James and I would be dating right now if it wasn’t for Justin’s antics.”
“Being the consummate professional that he is, James stayed stoic with me the entire time we filmed,” says Gurki, though she admits she did “flirt” a little toward the end. “When the Justin date wrapped, he immediately came up to me though to ask if I was OK and hugged me because I was crying. He wasn’t OK with how the date went.”
In his own Instagram post from 2019, James explained it was “uncomfortable” filming “the explosive interaction that was brought about by a man and his brand of toxic masculinity.” The director explained that “growing up in a home of domestic violence kept me on the edge of my chair as I didn’t know how far the man on screen would take his antics,” and that he felt “a deep kinship with the gentlewoman on screen and no one was going to stand around much longer while she endured his abuse.” It seems that Gurki made a real impression on him when she “arrived with gifts for the crew” the next morning to thank them for their support.
“He then checked in on me the next day via Instagram to make sure I was OK and the communication started from there,” Gurki continues. The pair enjoyed a dinner together after filming wrapped, but realizing their lives were on opposites sides of the country made them go their separate ways. “Several months later, and before the show aired, he was in New York for work and we went out for drinks, and after that moment we knew we wanted to give this thing we were feeling a chance,” she reveals.
After some visits back and forth, the couple decided to quarantine together in Los Angeles amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m someone that thinks if there is love, you can make anything work,” she says. “He’s much more pragmatic, and our relationship probably falls somewhere in the middle of my romantic outlook and his loving but rational point of view on life and love. He’s a dad so I totally appreciate that rational outlook because it balances mine out. We aren’t perfect but taking the time to be vulnerable, honest and open about our needs as well as flaws with one another has allowed us to build a real love together.”
The pair officially moved in together in early June. “I’m excited for this next phase of our life together!” Gurki says. “We both want a ‘Ride or Die,’ but no matter what happens with our romance, we love each other unconditionally and will always support one another. Oh … and we met two years ago this week! That’s how long it takes to build a romance.”
After a career change, Gurki recently launched her own consulting company for retail and fashion brands and is looking for new clients in Los Angeles. James, aside from Dating Around, is currently working on “a few projects in L.A. critical to the empowerment of Black people and the ending of racial injustice in the United States.” We can’t wait to see what’s next for this power couple!