Is love truly blind? That’s what Love Is Blind looked to answer. And boy, did it.
I’ll be honest - I’m not the hugest fan of dating shows. I’ve watched them in the past, and have enjoyed them to an extent where I’ve given them all a shot, including dating shows on Netflix such as Love Is Blind. But dating shows usually are not my go-to when it comes to TV. I usually gravitate towards the best fantasy shows, or dramas.
Most dating shows I’ll watch for a season and then move on, because they always feel so fake. For the first time in forever, though, I’ve found a dating show that I’ve actually returned to for Season 2 - and that is Love Is Blind.
I actually felt excited for a dating show rather than wanting to roll my eyes, and it’s for a couple of reasons. So today, I’m going to talk about why I’m obsessed with Love Is Blind even thought I don’t normally watch dating shows.
The Premise Itself Is Better Than Most Dating Shows
Look, I know that dating shows are obviously set up as that - dating shows. I know that everyone is supposed to be conventionally attractive so that way there’s no “bad” picks and that everyone can "fall in love" because they all look good.
But, that’s always been something that annoys me.
I’ve always been a big personality-instead-of-looks person, because a relationship only lasts if you have similar interests and really love each other based off of who you are as a person, rather than just the way you look. There have been other dating shows that have tried to do this, such as Sexy Beasts on Netflix, but I feel that Love Is Blind did it best.
Putting these people behind walls without any way of seeing who they are is a great idea, because that way you really get to know someone for their personality rather than their looks.
What makes it better is that they continue this relationship over the next few weeks to see if this is really what they want. In a lot of dating shows, we sort of just see them get matched up with someone rather than actually experiencing their relationship. With Love Is Blind, we are fully in this relationship at several beginning stages.
Genuine Bonds Are Created Rather Than Just Physical Attraction
I feel like a big reason that Love Is Blind was so popular when it first came out was for this very reason. Again, because people don’t see each other’s faces at first, these decisions that the participants make during the first few episodes are based usually just off of the genuine bonds that they create.
For example, I don’t feel like The Bachelor does that. Sure, we get to see one guy go through several women just to pick one he really cares about, but I feel like half the time, those relationships end terribly and there’s never any real bonds shared. On Love Is Blind, we see these people choose their own match (or matches), and then they’re fully able to devote their time to them.
There’s just something I loved about watching two people speak through a wall about why they like sports so much versus just seeing two people make out because they find each other attractive. It feels more wholesome. It feels like a real relationship is starting, and that’s something I can openly say a lot of other dating shows don’t have.
Contestants Actually Feel Like Real People Instead Of Stereotypes
Okay, so here’s the thing. There are always stereotypes in these dating shows. For example, Too Hot to Handle had plenty of those, from the always-horny person to the jock to the model, all of which usually lead to people ending up in regrettable relationships down the line.
I’m not blind to the ways in which dating shows work. Oftentimes, these kinds of participants will be put in the show usually just for a ratings boost or for the opportunity to get spoken about on social media to increase interest for the show. Trust me, I don’t even watch The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, and yet, whenever there's a new episode, it always finds a way onto my Twitter timeline.
However, Love Is Blind doesn’t feel like that. While I know that Love Is Blind isn’t devoid of any stereotypes, such as the love triangles or any of that, I still feel that these characters feel so much more human than on any other dating shows. We get to actually know their personalities rather than just the stereotypes that many dating shows push towards the camera for views.
Using an example, in Season 1 of Love Is Blind, one of the participants was a woman who had actually served active duty in the army, named Amber Pike. Love Is Blind could have easily turned her into a stereotype with her being the “tough girl” with a brain and making her appearance on the show feel super shallow, but instead, they really let her personality shine, so much so that she and her match became one of my favorites to watch. I need more of that in these dating shows.
It Has Genuine Moments Of Social Commentary On Modern Dating
The big idea behind Love Is Blind was all about the complexities of today’s modern world of dating. In the first couple of scenes of the show, we see the hosts talking about how most of the time, people just scroll through dating apps and swipe a certain direction just based off of looks and not on personality.
Again, I know all these people are conventionally attractive, I’m not blind to that (pun intended), but at the end of the day, even these attractive people feel as if they are judged by their looks rather than their personality, and don't like it. It’s also nice to see that some of the couples had stayed together by the time of that first reunion special, showing that, in a way, this experiment really did work and shows that love can be truly blind and sometimes, all you need is one person you feel safe around.
Sure, everyone here is super good-looking, but I can appreciate, from a viewer's perspective, that the show makes a real effort to have people get to know one another without that being a factor.
With Love Is Blind Season 2 in full swing as of February 2022, it’s no surprise that it’s still just as popular as before. And, for the first time, I’m going to be watching every episode as it airs on Netflix.
