Are Rylie and Katherine from ‘Big Brother’ still dating?

Katherine Woodman is officially out of the “Big Brother” house, which means she’s seen the backlash to her showmance with Rylie Jeffries.

Some viewers became concerned for Katherine, 23, after watching her relationship with Rylie, 27, develop on the “Big Brother” live feeds. Fans took to social media to accuse Rylie of exhibiting creepy and controlling behavior, pointing to comments like, “I’m being with you outside of this [game], whether you like it or not.”

Since her eviction on Thursday, Aug. 28, Katherine has defended Rylie and said that he never made her feel uncomfortable. She told NJ.com that she thinks the public outcry went too far.

“I do think some of the topics raised are a little too sensitive to be throwing out comments quite as much. Some of the verbiage, I think, is a little too intense for what the situation was,” she said. “I feel a bit disheartened by that, and that Rylie does have to go through that, because it does seem very aggressive toward him.”

Katherine noted that “the concern is appreciated on some level,” even if she thinks it was unwarranted.

“People want me to be safe and other people in the house to be safe, but I was 100 percent safe, and I wasn’t uncomfortable. So, it’s hard kind of balancing the two things,” she said.

READ MORE: ‘Big Brother’ live feed spoilers: Who won Power of Veto week 8?

Since her eviction, Katherine has “had an opportunity to talk to Rylie,” who was eliminated one week before her. While Rylie was talking about marrying Katherine during their time on “Big Brother,” it sounds like they aren’t officially dating.

“I think right now we’re just both dealing with leaving the house and the repercussions of it all and what’s going on,” Katherine told NJ.com. “We’ve had brief conversations, and I just hope that he’s still doing OK.”

As for Rylie’s comments about marriage, which some viewers took as a form of love bombing, Katherine doesn’t think he was entirely serious.

“Rylie was partly joking about things like that,” she said. “He also knows me very well, and he knows that I am a day by day person. He just thought it was more so a reassuring thing [to say], and I told him I’m the type of person that needs a lot of reassurance in situations. I think he saw it that way, and I saw it that way. And I think we also both saw that [being said] more so in humor.”

Rylie reacted to fans’ concerns himself during an August interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“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 would never intentionally disrespect anyone, especially Katherine,” he said. “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. My intentions have always come from a place of care and loyalty, not control.”

Katherine was evicted by a vote of 7-1 after Head of Household Vince Panaro named her as the replacement nominee following Mickey Lee’s Veto win. She called Vince’s decision “kind of a cheap shot,” noting that he saw her as “an easy nomination” rather than a real threat to his game.

“Big Brother” airs on CBS and Paramount+ on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air.