Love Is Blind Season 5 has premiered – and boy, do I have thoughts.
For those who know me, I'm not the biggest fan of dating reality shows, just because they have never been my cup of tea. I'd rather spend my time watching the best fantasy shows because my mind likes to immerse itself in those fantastical worlds. But there are specific dating shows on Netflix that I like to watch – one of which is the famous dating show Love Is Blind.
The series has been running since 2020 and is quite popular on Netflix. It places singles in pods where they can't see the other, but they date and get to know each other. By the end of the experiment, some couples get engaged, and they meet face-to-face. The experiment is to test if love is truly blind.
Love Is Blind Season 5's first four episodes have premiered. As someone who has watched this show – and found issues with its recent seasons – I decided to give Season 5 a try to see if they made Love Is Blind better. And I have plenty of thoughts.
I Like The Diverse Range Of Ages, Nationalities, And Ethnicities
A big issue that Love Is Blind had is that it felt as if we weren't getting that much range when it came to who their participants looked like. There wasn't a huge range of ethnicities or nationalities or even ages, as most people tended to be on the younger side. It was aggravating and made watching some of the other seasons a bit more tedious.
However, as the seasons have progressed, Netflix and Love Is Blind seem to have tried to improve on the diversity of its participants, including the range of ages. At first, it felt as if the people who were brought in weren't aware of what they were doing and weren't mature enough to handle the heavy idea of marriage. But now, we have wider variety of ages.
I also love that you can clearly see the push to try and include more ethnicities and nationalities. While not everyone featured on this Netflix Tudum article was one of the featured stars on the show, you can tell there were so many different ways they went with making sure there was more representation. It could be better, but it's a push in the right direction.
But It's Still Lacking in Diversity Of Body Types
Body diversity is still a problem that we need to address.
I don't think the experiment is accurate when everyone seen here could be a stunning model. And while I believe that anyone, regardless of their body, could pull off modeling, we all know these people are exactly what clothing companies look for.
There needs to be more body diversity. The closest we really got to someone looking slightly different from the typical person in Love is Blind was Alexa during Season 3, but even then she was utterly beautiful and not what you would imagine for a regular dating experiment with seemingly ordinary people. I did love her reaction to the Raven and SK cheating scandal though.
Regardless, there has to be more of a change.
Is It Just Me, Or Did These People Talk Way More About Intimate Stuff In The Pods?
I felt very uncomfortable with some of this pod talk. I'm not sure why.
In the best way possible, some of the stuff that was revealed or spoken about in the pods almost felt like something that shouldn't have been shared on television. I feel like I'm intruding on a private conversation. There was talk of drug overdoses, cheating, and so much more.
Maybe it's just me trying to show respect for people, but the cast members chose to do this, so it's not that big of a deal at the end of the day. It's just how I felt -- not sure if they went deeper or I'm just forgetting stuff from previous seasons.
I'm Glad They Showed Way More Indecision This Time Around Rather Than Someone Instantly Going For One Person
Something that always bothered me with other Love Is Blind seasons is that it felt like some people rushed into marriage so quickly. J.P. and Taylor were the only two that got engaged early in the episodes.
But this time around, these participants are faced with some heavy tasks and we are thrown right into the thick of indecision, which makes for not only good drama but will most likely lead to some fun moments later. I may draw the line at listening in on conversations that feel super private but for the drama like a love triangle? That's the kind of stuff I'm into.
Am I... Actually Invested In Some Of These Relationships?
Truthfully, I'll say that I don't think most of these relationships are going to work out incredibly well. Plenty of miscommunication is already happening, and it feels like a lot of stuff will go downhill fast for particular couples.
But I am invested in these relationships. I enjoy a lot of their dynamics, as interesting and dramatic as they may be, and it certainly kept my attention.
Something else I find myself loving is the friendships that have formed. Those kinds of relationships I'm really invested in. I mean, just Lydia and Aaliyah's friendship and the downfall of that just reeled me in instantly.
Izzy Is My Least Favorite Of The Bunch
Truthfully, most of the men here don't set off a red flag at all. Thankfully, we don't have any Bartise-type people this time around. Bartise called himself out after the fact, so he's not that bad anymore, but still.
But there's one person I'm not a massive fan of: Izzy. It's funny because I did like him at first, but as he started to break up with Lydia and Johnie, in a pretty emotionally detached way, besides shedding a few tears, I got a significant ick. It felt like he wasn't affected that much, considering we saw him build these relationships very quickly.
I wish him and Stacy the best, but I'm not feeling him that much. This is still just a TV show, so cuts are likely made to emphasize the drama, but he's not my favorite. Out of all the men, J.P. honestly stands out. Who wouldn't want a firefighter?
But Overall, I Think This Season Might Be A Fun One - At Least More Than Season 4
Despite the few nitpicks I have, Season 5 caught my interest. I enjoyed watching it throughout the first four episodes, and I am excited about what's coming next.
Is it going to become the dating show it once was in Seasons 1 and 2? No. I think those seasons of Love Is Blind are my favorite, and replicating the binge-ability from them is hard. But I will say that it's at least made strides in the right direction – and I'm eager to see where it goes.
I mean, just from the preview trailer, it looks like there is going to be a lot of drama -- which means a lot of fun wine drinking parties while I gossip with my friends about it.
What are you looking forward to with Love Is Blind Season 5? The episodes premiere weekly, so September and October are about to be dramatic. Let's hope there isn't another live reunion after Love Is Blind's failed attempt at one.
