When Netflix first announced Love is Blind, my mind went to Dating in the Dark and the Circle. When it launched, what I got was more “90 Day Fiance”. I’m really curious about why Americans love these sorts of “experiments”? When the UK tried to do Married at First Sight, it was a lot of people being disgusted at the altar but American shows seem to thrive off this dynamic?
The show starts with the hosts explaining how it works- it’s pretty much blind dating (emphasis on the blind) that can lead to an engagement and then marriage. I wonder who picks and buys the rings? Does the show supply them? Also, apparently, 8 couples got engaged but the show only followed 6, which is kind of sad.
So they enter pods and start dating. I was watching lazily at first until I heard Lauren say “I love you” after like two days of talking to Cameron. I screamed when he said it back and neither of them seemed to be joking! Lauren said it best when she said “I have food in my fridge that has been there longer than I’ve known him”- exactly girl.
Lauren and Camron are the least of our problems- Barnett (who thought Diamond was a stripper off her name alone) is juggling three girls. They may not be able to see him but they definitely feel his frat boy- unserious- will hundred- percent -be- bad- for- you energy and they are loving it. His favourite seems to be Jessica, but she’s also juggling Mark. Maybe it’s because Mark is 24 or she’s going back to a shared house with two other girls interested in Barnett, but Jessica gives Mark the “it’s not really me and it’s not really you, but I’m out of here” and she’s all set to tell Barnett he’s her number one! But again, Barnett, right on form, is suddenly confused even though he told Jessica she was top runner. She flies into a fit and leaves him alone in his pod with his words hanging from his mouth but then she goes back to the house to try to convince the other girls that like him to leave him alone- obviously, they are looking at her like ??? That’s just one less person to compete with.
Jessica goes back to Mark with her tail between her legs and he happily takes her back seeing as he didn’t have any other options and he really wants to prove that he’s the one for her.
Diamond and Carlton both share really deep experiences with each other and end up engaged, so do Kelly and Kenny (who we know basically nothing about) Giannina and Damien, Barnett and Amber, Jessica and Mark and Lauren and Cameron.
When the couples meet each other, they all seem fairly happy. Damien and Amber are happier than anyone else- It’s safe to say that in the real world, they often date people that fall below that bar. It’s interesting to me that Amber says that she struggles to date in the real world because she’s too attractive? And then it’s impossible for people to see past that but her relationship with Barnett hinges on that physical connection.
Also, there seems to be a standard level of attractiveness throughout the cast. Everyone is kind of in the generally accepted realms of attractive. I’m curious about that casting choice- maybe Netflix didn’t want discussions to be focused on looks and more on the couples and it seems to have worked.
On the first night in a Mexican resort, 3 couples proceed to have sex. Giannina is ready to go for it, after a dry spell of over a year - Lauren and Cameron already seem married and are so sweet about it and Amber and Barnett- duh.
You can immediately tell that Jessica is slightly repulsed by Mark and she quickly shuts down any talk of physical activities. Kelly also does the same.
Diamond and Carlton aren’t even at that point, because he’s too busy being rude and a bit aggressive. Because they’ve bonded in the pods, she identifies that something is wrong and pushes him to talk about it. His secret is that he’s bisexual. Diamond is taken aback on two fronts- one, that his sexuality is different to what she thought and two that their honest bond wasn’t as honest as she assumed. As he bursts into tears, she comforts him by rubbing his back but also says that she needs to think about what it means.
In the end, we never get to hear Diamond’s thoughts because Carlton bullies her out of having thoughts and feelings and without enjoying the resort paradise, they go their separate ways.
And now there were 5. Now all the couples meet for the first time. Jessica is instantly attracted to Barnett and Amber is holding on tight. Kelly is randomly talking about Cameron being attractive and I’m kind of like - chill babe, he’s not here for you. Jessica has picked up on the physical vibes between Barnett and Amber and you can see her playing her + Barnett in her head (he on the other hand doesn’t seem at all interested). Then she hit us with “if I had coupled up with Barnett, you would be seeing a more sophisticated, more mature Barnett”. She can’t stop talking about this guy and Mark is getting more and more desperate to hold on. In the end, she reneges on the engagement but still wants to try and see where their relationship goes?
Jessica is quickly becoming the villain of the series. It is clear that she doesn’t like Mark- not as a friend, not as a colleague and definitely not as a person to marry. I don’t know what her motivations are yet, but hopefully, they will become clearer.
And I almost forgot about Giannina and Damien. He put his job in jeopardy to come on the show? I definitely feel like there’s a lot that he’s hiding and I can’t wait for his truth to come out because she has been nothing but honest and upfront and I think she deserves at least that back.
As it stands now, the only couple I can see getting married is Lauren and Cameron, I’m even happy for them that they came on the show because they seem to have gotten the most out of the experience. I just don’t see any of the others making it to the altar?
What are your thoughts on the show and the couples?