Thousands of people apply to be on ‘Love Is Blind’ every year, but only 30 make it to the pods each season
The Love Is Blindcasting teamis always looking for its next group of singles to join the pods.
The Emmy-nominated Netflixshow, which was the most watched series across any streaming platform in March 2024, has been hosted by husband and wife duo Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey since its debut in February 2020. Due to its success, the show has expanded internationally with versions like Love Is Blind: Brazil and Love Is Blind: UK.
The experimental dating show features a cast of nearly 30 singles exploring emotional connections before physical ones. They sit in an enclosed room, also known as a pod, and go on dates with fellow contestants from the other side of the wall. The catch: they must decide to get engaged before meeting face-to-face.
Following their proposal and reveal, couples move from the pods to the real world, where they test their relationships by moving in together before saying “I do” or “I don’t” at the altar in front of friends, family and millions of viewers.
So, how do you become one of these lucky singles? Donna Driscoll, VP of Casting at Kinetic Content, tells PEOPLE that since thousands of applications pour in each year, aspiring contestants should show authenticity, self-awareness and confidence to stand out.
“Don’t be afraid to be a unique voice when filling out your application,” Driscoll says. “We are looking for people who are ready to tell their story, comfortable with who they are and understand what they bring to the table when it comes to finding a forever partner.”
If you’re ready to find out if love truly is blind, here’s how to get cast on Love Is Blind.
What are the requirements to get cast on Love Is Blind?
Contestants must be at least 18 years old and be residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Ireland. When the cities for each season are selected, the casting team wants folks within 50 miles of the chosen locale. However, there are exceptions for regional casts, such as season 4’s Seattle group and an upcoming New England cast (which is in the casting process as of summer 2024).
Driscoll says that they make a concerted effort to find “people who are there for the right intentions.”
Influencers, aspiring actors and individuals who have appeared on or applied to multiple reality shows are ineligible.
What is the casting process for Love Is Blind?
The first step to being a contestant on Love Is Blind is to apply on the show’s website. There’s a written application with nearly 40 basic personal and deeper short-response questions ranging from, “Why are you single?” to “Who are your relationship role models?” to “What do you think you bring to the table as a potential strong partner?”
“We really try to get a good sense of where their head is at when they find their way to the application site, and a lot of the questions will help reveal that for us,” Driscoll says.
Applicants can also submit a 60-second video on the Netflixwebsite to further showcase their passion for the experience. According to the site, the video can be done as a selfie video, but it should be filmed vertically in portrait mode and include your name, age and where you are from.
The portal allows you to provide your social media handles, such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, which the casting team may review to better understand who you are.
Once the online application has been submitted, the casting team will review your complete application and decide whether to select you for the interview process, which begins with a phone call.
From there, anywhere from 400-600+ applicants will move forward to the video call portion, consisting of one or more Zoom calls with the casting team.
Driscoll says the team of casting directors may also reach out to friends and families of applicants to get an idea of how serious they are about the opportunity. Once the team has selected the semi-finalists, there is a compatibility questionnaire to help them narrow it down to the finalists.
The team then presents the finalists to their partners at Netflix, where it becomes a collaborative experience to narrow the cast down to 30 people ready to enter the pods. Finalists also undergo a psychological evaluation and background check before being selected to enter the pods.
How hard is it to get cast on Love Is Blind?
According to Driscoll, thousands of people apply every year to be on Love Is Blind, and only about 30 contestants — 15 men and 15 women — make it to the pods each season. The good news: the casting team reads every submitted application.
“It does take a lot of bravery and courage to apply, and that in itself will eliminate people who maybe are feeling like this isn’t their path,” Driscoll says.
Although it can be a long process, Driscoll says they make efforts to support the applicants throughout the casting process. For example, season 4 alum Chelsea Griffin began working for Kinetic’s casting team in 2023 to bridge the gap between production and applicants.
“There are some periods and gaps and gray areas where you may not hear from somebody or you’re like, ‘Am I doing the right thing in this process?’ ” Griffin told PEOPLE in August 2023. “I think my hope is to kind of reinforce and tell people that, ‘Keep your head in the game and stay focused and stay positive. And focus on you and your life and the things you have going.’ “
What have the casting directors said about getting cast on Love Is Blind?
Driscoll shared a few key elements that the casting team looks for among applicants, like comfort in themselves and “having a good sense of what they bring to a relationship and what they are looking for in a lifelong partner.”
The casting team is particularly intrigued by applicants who seem to have everything in their life going for them: a solid career path, a great relationship with their family, a support system of friends and an active, abundant social life.
If they sense that maybe all that person is missing is that final piece of love, the team “gets excited to be part of helping them find that final piece … a partner for life,” Driscoll says.
Above all, they prioritize marriage-minded people, as the show aims to take contestants from blind dates to the altar within seven weeks. Whether or not contestants leave with a spouse, Driscoll says the experience is life-changing for all contestants.
“For those who don’t find someone in the pods, they often learn so much about themselves that they find love shortly after,” Driscoll says.
How do you increase your chances of getting cast on Love Is Blind?
According to Driscoll, the more authentic you are on the application, the better your chances.
“Be yourself and lead with that,” she says — which is exactly what Griffin did before landing her spot in the season 4 cast and meeting her husband, Kwame Appiah.
While speaking with PEOPLE in August 2023, she reflected on the “cringey as heck” poem that she read aloud during her video submission.
“I remember I was like, ‘I don’t know … what they’re going to think of this at all. But I’m not going to overthink it,’ ” Griffin told PEOPLE in August 2023. “And I feel like they kind of got to know or just see me. And it was kind of a funny moment or entertaining. I mean really, you kind of want to stick out in some ways.”
When filling out the application, Driscoll’s advice is to “take your time” and “try to tell your story and explain what makes you unique.”
“Explain why all of your past experiences have landed you in a space that makes you excited about the opportunity to find love in such an unorthodox way,” Driscoll says.
While the vetting process can be lengthy, according to Driscoll, “putting in the work on the application” and “being present for the phone and Zoom interviews” will increase your chances of being chosen.
Love Is Blind season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.
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