- Love Is Blind season 1 cast embraced the experiment with no preconceptions, leading to authentic connections and experiences.
- Early participants were open about their faults, sharing vulnerabilities without regard for potential fame or public perception.
- Some Love Is Blind season 1 stars have distanced themselves from the show post-filming, despite finding love and new opportunities.
Love Is Blind has been one of the most popular new-wave reality TV dating series in the last few years, but after watching the first season again in 2024, I’ve learned a lot about the way the show operates and what needs to improve. Netflix released Love Is Blind at an opportune time. While the series came out around Valentine’s day of 2020, it was just a month later that the world took pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With everything shut down, many turned to binge-watching and Love Is Blind quickly became a hit for reality TV dating viewers.
While some were confused by the premise of Love Is Blind, the show quickly became a favorite for Netflix viewers interested in the platform’s brand of reality TV. Seeing a group of singles enter into soundproof dating pods where they connected sight unseen was exhilarating. With the strangers-to-lovers element of Married At First Sight and the sleek style of other Netflix reality TV, Love Is Blind had the best of both worlds and gained traction quickly after its release. The series has continued to be popular in subsequent seasons, but what’s changed from the first season to the most recent?
Love Is Blind’s Inaugural Season Was Its Most Authentic
The Participants Didn’t Have Preconceptions
Watching Love Is Blind season 1 after seeing the subsequent seasons, especially the most recent, is somewhat of a culture shock. While the premise of the series is the same, the logistics are totally different. Love Is Blind‘s earliest cast, comprised of now-notable stars like Giannina Gibelli & Damian Powers, Lauren Speed & Cameron Hamilton, and Amber Pike & Matt Barnett, was able to jump headfirst into the experiment without any preconcieved notions. In watching the show again, I noticed the earliest participants joined in on the experiment without much background knowledge, allowing them to be authentic in their experiences.
Without knowing what Love Is Blind was before they joined in on the experiment, the stars of the first season didn’t know what they could expect from participating. The cast may have been aware that they’d be trying to find romantic connections with strangers sight unseen, but they didn’t have the emotional baggage that came with knowing the lore behind Love Is Blind. Watching the show, it was clear to me that stars like Giannina may have been interested in reality TV, but she – and the rest of the cast – was looking make connections in a new, exciting, inventive way.
Love Is Blind’s Early Participants Were More Open About Their Faults
They Shared Everything, Even To Their Detriment
While the whole premise of Love Is Blind is built upon the cast being vulnerable and open with each other, as the series has gone on the cast members have become more aware of the cameras, and thus less honest about their lives and emotions. Going back to Love Is Blind season 1 has proven to me that most of the cast members either weren’t fully aware of what they were stepping into or weren’t at all aware of how large of a phenomenon the show would be. It’s likely a mixture of both that explains their open, honest nature.
Being on reality TV typically requires its stars to be more forthcoming about themselves than they would be in traditional dating situations. Love Is Blind stars are asked to show up and share their shortcomings, faults, and indiscretions with strangers on camera, but the stars of the first season weren’t aware that they were creating a global hit, so they were open without abandon. Having watched every season of Love Is Blind to date, I’ve noticed that stars like Trevor Sova from Love Is Blind season 6 hide parts of themselves while filming, aware of how they could be perceived.
Love Is Blind Season 1’s Cast Had The Right Motivations
They Weren’t Just Looking For Reality TV Fame
While most Love Is Blind stars claim they’re on the show for the “right reasons” of finding love, creating connection, and being vulnerable, it’s rare that the whole cast is actually on the show to look for love. Throughout Love Is Blind‘s run, there have been instances of cast members joining in to find reality TV fame or exposure for themselves. Cast members like Love Is Blind season 3’s Andrew Liu, who brought fake tears into the pods in order to make himself look like he was crying, make it difficult for the cast members who are looking for love.
In watching Love Is Blind season 1, I had a heightened awareness that the cast was interested in finding love, even if some of them were selling themselves at the same time. Cast members like Lauren and Giannina had ambitions that were in the entertainment space, but they were both honest and open about what they were looking for in a partner as well. Meanwhile, cast members like Amber and Jessica Batten, who struggled in her relationship with Mark Cuevas, were wholeheartedly open about their faults, and uninterested in turning reality TV into a long-term career after Love Is Blind.
Love Is Blind’s First Cast Doesn’t Always Support The Show
Some Have Been Outspoken About Their Experiences
While the majority of Love Is Blind stars tend to be supportive of one another during the run of their season, many of the Love Is Blind season 1 cast members don’t like to associate themselves with the show. After having such an extreme and sometimes isolating experience, it’s common for reality TV stars to take a step back from the community as they adjust back to their day-to-day lives. Though many talk openly about their experiences after the fact, it’s been notable that the Love Is Blind season 1 cast doesn’t speak much about their time on the show.
Both Amber and Matt have shared that the show brought them together, so they’ll always be thankful for the experience, but they didn’t enjoy their treatment while they were on Love Is Blind. Giannina hasn’t been quite as forthright but has implied the same on her social media accounts, though she appeared on the Love Is Blind season 6 reunion episode. From my rewatch of Love Is Blind season 1, it’s been interesting to note that the production style seemed similar to the current seasons, but the stars have shied away from giving their support to the show at large.
