Here Are Top 10 Secrets About Netflix's Reality Show 'Love Is Blind' That'll Blow Your Mind
Secrets about LIB you didn't know you needed.
The "pod" life of Love Is Blind contestants was daunting as it was oddly interesting. Amid a sea of several reality shows, Netflix came up with the concept of helping desperate singles find love but with a twist. In 2021, the show aired its first season and now the sixth season is set to go on air and it's safe to say, that the reality drama quickly became everyone's guilty pleasure. Here are 10 secrets about LIB you must know.
1. The 'Pods' experiment lasted 10 days
The famous pods in Love Is Blind started off as an experiment of 10 days between 40-50 cast members initially. The singles who participated were inside over the course of the 10-day filming period and after that, some were let go. Producer Chris Choelen explained, "There was a certain point where we did a whittling down of people just to focus internally, to allow them more time. We ended up having maybe 20-25 people in the pods at that point."
2. The cast members were from the same city
LIB's cast, for the first season of the show, was all from the same city- Atlanta. Similar to the other reality show based on relationships, Married At First Sight, producer Coelen explained it was a conscious decision by the show's makers. "There were practical considerations as much as any creative considerations," he said. He appreciated Atlanta's "great production support system" and highlighted they got the huge studio space they needed for the pods. However, it happened only for season one.
3. A participant was "not single" when he joined LIB
In a show that's dedicated only to singles, one contestant named Mark Cuevas was rumored to have been in a relationship when he joined LIB. Apparently, it was reported that the youngest male contestant secretly had a girlfriend, which he later denied. "I did not have a girlfriend the whole time," he said on Be There in Five podcast. "I was single before. I'd never had a girlfriend. Where was the time to be in a relationship," per E! News.
4. Kenny and Kelly had no plans to get married at the end of filming
In the case of contestants Kenny Barnes and Kelly Chase, they had no plans to walk down the aisle, "We were adamant that we're not going to get married," per PEOPLE. "And really, the engagement was just to extend the experiment. And we were both committed to that." However, she admitted, "That was until Kenny admitted on the wedding day he was not 'emotionally available' to do so. I felt very rejected, like, 'That wasn't the plan. What the heck?'"
5. Jessica tried to quit the show but wasn't allowed to
Exits are not always as easy as they seem. Jessica, LIB season one's most polarizing contestant, revealed in an interview she tried to leave the show but wasn't allowed to do so. She told Entertainment Weekly, "I mean, I had to stay. I definitely had a conversation about leaving and I wasn't able to do that. My dog got sick too, and almost died during the show, I had so much other stuff going on," adding, "It was really frustrating."
6. Contrary to the allegations, cast members had no obligation to make it to the altar
In a report, the cast of Love is Blind complained of many things, including their reluctance to walk down the aisle in such a short time. However, according to the show's executive producer, Chris Coelen, It wasn't the case, "They certainly could choose to do whatever they wanted to do." He clarified the confusion around the wedding, "Again, being there on the wedding day, I personally, knowing these people and their stories, I didn't know what was going to happen."
7. Who paid wedding expenses?
The elephant in the room is who pays for the weddings in the reality TV show, Love Is Blind, and a Netflix spokesperson revealed to Women's Health, "[Production] supplies some of the basics, but because these are their real weddings, it's up to them as to how to spend their money." In a separate revelation, a contestant clarified Refinery 29, "This is a real legally binding marriage. This is not for TV. This is our life," since viewers had doubts.
8. One of the couples got engaged but later broke up
A couple on season one of LIB got engaged but broke up afterward- Rory Newbrough and Danielle Drouin. Newbrough was often seen giving other men relationship advice and flew to Mexico to continue filming along with other engaged couples. However, after they returned to Atlanta, they split "amicably." And the reason for it was a love triangle as Drouin realized she had feelings for another cast member named Matt Thomas. "She ended up wanting to pursue that," Newbrough told PEOPLE.
9. Season one weddings were filmed in 2018
Although season one of Love is Blind aired in 2021 on Netflix, the show's wedding sequence was filmed two years back in the fall of 2018. This means two couples- Cameron and Lauren, and Amber and Barnett, who were sure of each other and wanted to take the next step had to keep their relationship a secret for 18 months. Expectedly, when the show went on air, the couple had their two-year wedding anniversary and posted a wish on Instagram.
10. Singles are given "talking points" before heading to their dates
"Sal" Salvador Perez from season two of Love is Blind revealed the singles were handed over "talking points" before they went out to meet their prospects for a date. However, it was up to them to use it or not. In an interview with E! News, contestant Kyle revealed, "There were kind of topics for the day. It was good if there was a lull in conversation, you just refer to the little notebook and you can drum up conversation."
