Love Is Blind: From Romance to Outrage

Love Is Blind’s roots as a reality TV dating experiment have long been one of the most scarring reminders of the show’s true intent, and as it continues to move further away from its premise, it’s clear that its no longer about romance, but instead, outrage. Love Is Blind season 9, currently airing on Netflix, has had its fair share of tough moments.

While the series is a reality dating show at its core, Love Is Blind’s premise rests on being a social experiment rather than a pure-blooded dating show, especially because of the extreme nature of its end result. Not only are strangers introduced into a near-instantaneous committed relationship, they have to decide whether to legally marry their partner in just a matter of weeks.

Love Is Blind has produced some successful couples dating as far back as its first season, the show has more couples who have broken up than ones who have stayed together. Statistically, that makes sense with roughly five or six couples per season making it past the pods, but the glaring number of splits has been tough for some to swallow.

While Love Is Blind season 9’s couples all appear to be heading towards a rocky fate, the endgame doesn’t feel important to the series. Instead, the show positions itself as a look into the turmoil that the participants go through, rather than a search for romance. Asking if love is blind may be the throughline, but answering that question has never been easier.

Love Is Blind’s Documentary-Style Roots Have Faded Through Recent Seasons

The Show Feels More Polished Than Past Seasons

Love Is Blind's Jordan Keltner and Megan Walerius looking distressed on a couch.
Love Is Blind’s Jordan Keltner and Megan Walerius looking distressed on a couch.
Netflix

neither Love Is Blind worked through its pain points within its first season, viewers saw a somewhat different version of the show than what exists now. Love Is Blind season 1, which followed a group of singles from the Atlanta area, worked hard to establish itself as a different reality TV dating show than the rest of the crowded pack.

Focusing on the couples learning about each other once they built a foundation in the pods, Love Is Blind season 1 made it clear that the relationships weren’t always going to be the epitome of romance, but that made them more realistic. Focusing on the drama in some circumstances, Love Is Blind’s early seasons took a more docuseries style approach while maintaining a high Netflix quality.

Although the show was able to move through its first few seasons without making alterations to the experiment, the fact that Love Is Blind films about a year in advance of the series being released helped keep the authenticity of the show at a series-high. Without exposure to the outside world, early Love Is Blind took on a slightly more reliable quality than its later seasons.

As the show has moved through its highly popular run, Love Is Blind’s authenticity has been called into question more than once. With participants now well aware of the series, it’s sometimes tough to gauge whether they’re there for love or fame. Love Is Blind has leaned into this deception, but it’s been the wrong choice for a show searching for authenticity at every turn.

Love Is Blind Is More Focused On Drama Than Genuine Human Interaction

The Series Often Looks For Loose Ends To Tease Out

Love Is Blind's Patrick Suzuki with his head in his hands.
Love Is Blind’s Patrick Suzuki with his head in his hands.
Netflix

While the basis of reality TV often sees people watching the toughest moments in other people’s lives, Love Is Blind takes this to an entirely new level. Love Is Blind has often tried to make it clear that they’re documenting all the pieces of the participants’ relationships, but the show has struggled in recent seasons to seem like it’s giving the participants any tools to succeed.

Nor a reality TV dating show, Love Is Blind doesn’t bring in extra fluff when it comes to the couples’ relationships. After meeting in the pods and getting engaged, the couples meet face-to-face, take a luxurious vacation together, and get thrust into dramatic situations consistently until their wedding day arrives. While the couples have a chance, the show itself has built a framework that makes it tough.

Focusing on drama, Love Is Blind has made it tough for viewers to engage with the romantic elements of the series. While viewers often root for specific couples to succeed, the pairs being set up to fail makes it hard to believe that success will come from the experiment. Instead, the voyeuristic nature of reality TV infuses with Love Is Blind and creates car-crash-level drama.

Love Is Blind’s Reputation Has Set The Show Up For Failure

It’s Struggled To Connect With Audiences

Love Is Blind's Alie Lima looking intense and worried.
Love Is Blind’s Alie Lima looking intense and worried.
Netflix

On top of that fact Love Is Blind has had a hard time finding contestants who build genuine connections in the experiment, the show has been facing some difficult legal battles over the last few years. After being sued by several former Love Is Blind participants, the show’s production company, Kinetic Content, has been trying to keep things calm, but has not found success.

Love Is Blind’s former participants have accused the production team behind the series of inhumane treatment. With participants citing lack of compensation, inadequate food and rest, producers pushing participants to consume alcohol on camera, and other poor conditions that have led to safety concerns, Love Is Blind has found itself in hot water consistently over the years.

With viewers catching wind of the lawsuits against the show, it’s clear that some are watching Love Is Blind with the intention of figuring out whether or not the participants are telling the truth. While the show itself still has fans who are watching for the joy of the experiment, the dark cloud that the LIB legal issues have cast has been hard to escape.

Love Is Blind’s An Industry Standout, But For The Wrong Reasons

The Show’s Unfocused Nature Isn’t Built To Last

Love Is Blind's Madison Maidenberg with her hands over her eyes in frustration.
Love Is Blind’s Madison Maidenberg with her hands over her eyes in frustration.
Netflix

Nor a reality TV series, Love Is Blind is a standout for its premise, but the execution lets the show down at nearly every turn. While the pod phase of the experiment is typically the most interesting part of each season, Love Is Blind’s connections are built on a flimsy foundation that often fails to solidify a real relationship. Instead, viewers are left watching weeks of cringeworthy drama.

throughou Love Is Blind’s run, it’s emerged that the show treats love and relationship success as an afterthought, chasing the drama of the relationships it creates collapsing, instead. Love Is Blind’s participants, who have altered their lives and complain of the struggle the series presents, are placed in difficult situations that will create intense drama instead of allowing for natural progress.

Love Is Blind’s strange choice to chase outrage and create controversial, clippable moments from its relationships takes away from its unique premise. As the series continues to bring participants into the experiment, it’s lost its focus and instead has found ways to keep viewers invested. Championing drama over a genuine look at the show’s relationships, Love Is Blind’s made its stance on romance clear.

Love Is Blind drops new episodes each Wednesday on Netflix.


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Release Date

February 13, 2020

NETWORKS

Netflix

  • Headshot Of Nick Lachey

    Nick Lachey

    Self-Host 1

  • Headshot Of Vanessa Lachey

    Vanessa Lachey

    Self-Host 2


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