love is blind movie review

Film Review: ‘Love Is Blind’

This romantic drama revolving around a young woman with a vision affliction is twee and troubling thanks to the men that guide the film’s p.o.v.

By Courtney Howard

Courtney Howard

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Directors Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom’s “Love Is Blind” should perhaps be titled “Love Is Arbitrary.” There’s no reasoning to how and why love manifests or dissipates in relationships, in much the same way the film’s character motivations flip and flop as script convenience calls. A hastily-assembled mix of romantic whimsy and offbeat quirk drives this drama about a young woman with selective ocular perception who struggles to recognize the broken people who populate her purview. Her ability to see only what she wants directly correlates to the film’s selective reasoning when it comes to contrivance and cloying poignancy.

Elizabeth Krafft (Shannon Tarbet), known to her friends as “Bess,” lives in an idyllic small town in upstate New York with her ailing father Murray (Matthew Broderick) and an albino peacock named Argus. She suffers from a rare disorder that affects her ability to see people who physically exist. Her discriminating blindness has caused a rift between Bess and her caring mother Carolyn (Chloë Sevigny). Ten years prior, a mysterious traumatic event scarred Bess into believing Carolyn died when she really hadn’t. Murray is caught in the middle of their fractured relationship, which proves difficult as he’s about to have a life-threatening operation without a peaceful resolution in place.

Bess has been working on her affliction with an autistic psychotherapy research assistant, Farmer Smithson ( Benjamin Walker ). His immersive techniques to heal her malfunctioning mind follow a precise, rigorous routine — using such unorthodox methods as simulating rebirth by laying on top of her tightly cocooned body as she struggles to break free of his weight and bondage. She’s also in love with him (in the way that patients in movies sometimes fall in love with their therapists), but he’s reticent to reciprocate, mainly because of his career.

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Their therapy sessions change once misanthropic, caustic construction worker Russell Hank ( Aidan Turner ) barrels into town. He’s a suicidal man with many deep, provoking thoughts, ones that may elicit eye rolls from the audience. He’s demolishing the business next door, but really he’s on a personal self-destructive quest, taunting fate by blowing through intersections at red lights and strangling himself with a telephone cord. The tear-down functions primarily as a metaphor, practically screaming and patting itself on the back for its allegorical value.

Farmer can’t resist the urge to fix this stranger. However, it’s not until Russell spots beautiful Bess entering Farmer’s office that Russell becomes convinced he can change. Thinking these two broken souls can heal each other, Farmer prescribes them to hang out together. Only there’s a big problem: Bess’ current condition applies to Russell as well. Their conversations will be one-sided, which then leads Russell into some fairly troublesome, creepy, stalker-like behavior, at least to the audience watching this story unfold. The filmmakers, on the other hand, think it’s romantic.

The men in Bess’ life almost exclusively drive her decisions, which seems to run contradictory to Delaney, Whitebloom and screenwriter Jennifer Schuur’s clear idea that she’s cast in a power position as the main protagonist. Her motivations are consistently informed by the male characters, from her dad, to his doctor, to the town’s denizens. Outside of the bird’s-nest-shaped treehouse retreat in her backyard wilderness, where she crafts and recalls fond memories of her mother, she rarely exercises her own agency. She has a dream sequence where she dances in a red dress with freeing, vigorous catharsis. However, as we learn moments later, it’s a shared dream. Even the sweet reprieve of sleep isn’t hers alone. Plus, the lazy screenwriting crutch of narration allows Russell to pontificate about himself and how Bess makes him feel, instead of letting Bess express any insight into her pressing personal plight.

Where the narrative and character development flounder, high stylization occasionally kicks in to give the aesthetics extra dimension. The correlations are sometimes literal and obtuse, where others can be subtle. A mirror image of Russell knocks down walls with a sledgehammer as he’s narrating a breakthrough revelation about the human condition. Bess’ craft project becomes animated, showing an origami bird taking flight, connoting the freedom she craves. Fantastical elements are further explored in the slow-motion sequence where Russell lifts her body, levitating her above her bed. The director duo tend to place their subjects in unconventional portions of the frame, speaking to the characters’ skewed worldview. Russell’s world is knocked off-kilter during his first suicide attempt as the camera tilts on a perpendicular plane.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this story is that the filmmakers work from the assumption that the audience instantly cares about these characters. We don’t, especially when we’ve been given no good reason to. As the film’s tagline prophetically declares, “We all have blind spots.” It’s okay to keep this one in yours.

Reviewed online, Los Angeles, Nov. 6, 2019. Running time: 93 MIN.

• Production: A Uncork’d Entertainment release of a Locomotive production, in association with Regency Enterprises. Producers: Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Alexandra Kerry, Alexis Alexanian. Executive producers: Wassim Rasamny, Malek Rasamny, Lizzie Nastro, Peter Friedlander, Jonathon Kemp.
• Crew: Directors: Andy Delaney, Monty Whitebloom. Screenplay: Jennifer Schuur. Camera (color, widescreen): Monty Whitebloom. Editor: Alex Kopit. Music: Matthew Halsall.
• With: Shannon Tarbet, Aidan Turner, Benjamin Walker, Matthew Broderick, Chloë Sevigny.

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Review: Better off unseen itself, romantic fantasy ‘Love Is Blind’ ponders invisibility

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The term “selective perception” takes on a new meaning in the pretty but dumb romantic fantasy “Love Is Blind.” Bess (Shannon Tarbet) believes her mother ( Chloë Sevigny ) is dead, but she actually just can’t see her, despite the efforts of her father (Matthew Broderick). Meanwhile, Bess’ therapist and lover, Farmer ( Benjamin Walker ), thinks he can cure her through group therapy with a new arrival to their small town: self-destructive demolition expert Russell (Aidan Turner), who wants to be invisible. When Bess can’t see him either, Farmer pairs them up to in an attempt to fix both of their ailments.

Directors Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom have worked in music videos for decades, including making Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and this film has the stylish aesthetic you’d expect from their experience. Shot by Whitebloom, “Love Is Blind” bursts with saturated colors and well-framed shots, but it’s simply a layer of artifice that can’t distract from the shoddy script.

Writer Jennifer Schuur has done smart, solid work previously on “Unbelievable,” “Hannibal” and the silly fun of “The Catch,” but the screenplay here feels inauthentic and makes little sense either intellectually or emotionally. It’s not just its fantasy elements that don’t feel true; these characters are so stuffed with quirks and absent of real qualities that we feel nothing for them — other than annoyance. This is a film that’s better off unseen despite its lovely visuals.

‘Love Is Blind’

Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Playing: Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills; also on VOD

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‘love is blind’: film review.

Shannon Tarbet plays a woman with a strange mental disorder in Monty Whitebloom and Andy Delaney's 'Love Is Blind.'

By John DeFore

John DeFore

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You’ve heard of face-blindness, the phenomenon in which a patient can’t recognize the person in front of her without resorting to clues like the stranger’s voice and clothing. That’s an unbelievable but real affliction. But what about person-blindness, in which someone becomes completely unable to see a specific person in her life, or even to sense them in any other way? Buying into that unlikely conceit is the first of several tough hurdles to appreciating Love Is Blind , Monty Whitebloom and Andy Delaney’s romance about a lovely, lonely girl who can’t see how many people adore her. A pretty fable (the directors made music videos in the 1990s for the Spice Girls and Paula Abdul) that drowns in its own preciousness, it might have remained unreleased if not for a familiar cast including Matthew Broderick and Chloe Sevigny as the heroine’s parents.

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As far as Shannon Tarbet’s Bessie knows, she only has one surviving parent, Broderick’s Murray. She thinks her mother died long ago, and that Murray’s continuing references to her are caused by dementia linked to Parkinson’s disease. Sevigny’s Carolyn calmly deals with being ignored, describing her daughter as a nutcase and seeming to know, deep down, that she caused this delusion herself by being a lousy mother.

Release date: Nov 08, 2019

If that sounds like a shaky assumption to make about a mental disorder, Jennifer Schuur’s screenplay is even less convincing in its approach to autism. Bess has long been seeing a psychotherapist (Benjamin Walker’s Farmer Smithson) who describes himself as “on the spectrum,” and much of his behavior here is dubious. For instance, if those on the spectrum typically value rules as a way of navigating the world, it’s unlikely Farmer would be unperturbed by the sexual advances his patient makes toward him. One often feels that autism is just another set-dressing quirk here, much like the silly decor (stacks of books used as an architectural feature, walls full of antique mirrors) in Farmer’s office.

Romance-wise, Farmer is just the preordained loser of the film’s contrived romantic triangle. Bess’ real soulmate is, naturally (?), the only person other than her mother she can’t see. Russell (Aidan Turner, of the Hobbit trilogy) is a rumpled hunk currently doing demolition work next door to Farmer’s office. The pic presents him as suicidal, but again, his yearning for non-existence is just a useful romantic conceit, an adolescent way of indicating these two troubled souls were made for each other. Farmer takes Russell on as a patient and suggests Bess should start group therapy with him, talking to the stranger as if he were an invisible friend. After a while, she’s able to hear the supportive things he says to her.

Occasionally, Whitebloom and Delaney seem to be influenced by an auteur who came to prominence around the time they started their careers: Hal Hartley, whose art house-beloved first films (set, like this one, just a commuter-train ride outside Manhattan) paired unlikely couples and didn’t require conventionally realistic performances from their casts. If that’s the case, they’ve missed the lessons those offbeat but thoughtful films had to teach. Here, affectation seems to be valued for its own sake, and love is something more talked about than understood.

Production company: Locomotive Distributor: Uncork’d Entertainment Cast: Shannon Tarbet, Aidan Turner, Matthew Broderick, Chloe Sevigny, Benjamin Walker Directors: Monty Whitebloom, Andy Delaney Screenwriter: Jennifer Schuur Producers: Alexis Alexanian, Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Alexandra Perry Executive producers: Lottie Cooper, Peter Friedlander, Christopher Gray Director of photography: Monty Whitebloom Production designer: Javiera Varas Costume designer: Olivia Mori Editor: Alex Kopit Casting directors: James Calleri, Erica Jensen

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Love Is Blind (I) (2019)

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Love Is Blind review: toxic, revolting – and totally addictive

The Netflix dating show that aims to marry off contestants before they even see each other is the final nail in the coffin of civilisation. You won’t be able to turn away

L ay in victuals and potable water. Put your cats in a cattery. Hand your children over to a reliable childminder or, if you’re not that bothered, an elderly aunt. Then, and only then, do I advise that you settle down to watch Love Is Blind . And this is because Love Is Blind (the Netflix reality dating show in which participants communicate with each other only from isolated pods and decide to get engaged on the basis of conversation alone, then live together for a month before the actual wedding – an actual wedding – takes place) is, basically, crack. Or meth. It’s crack-meth. You will decide to give it five minutes before bed one night and find yourself still on the sofa as the sun rises on another day. You will be bleary-eyed and shattered from all the shouting you have done, the emotional investment you have made, the WhatsApp messages you have typed to a specially formed group and the heartfelt contributions you have made to various internet forums on the subject.

It’s that good, is what I am saying. Not “good” in any moral sense, obviously. In many ways, it is the final blow to the final nail in the coffin of civilisation, and possibly humanity, as we know it. It is, after all, a reality show that requires participants to communicate with each other only from isolated pods, decide to get engaged on the basis of conversation alone, then live together for a month before the actual wedding – an actual wedding – takes place . Could we exploit emotional frailties, profane the sacred, make the private and precious public and worthless and turn it into voyeuristic ratings-bait any more ruthlessly or efficiently?

But it is good in reality-TV terms. Which is to say, in exploiting emotional frailties, profaning the sacred, making the private and precious public and worthless and turning it into voyeuristic ratings-bait. It gets under your skin. You will want to slap sense into some contestants, and cradle others in your arms. You will care whether 34-year-old Jessica chooses Mark or Barnett, or wonder whether Amber’s self-confidence could be tapped and redistributed to those in deficit around the globe. You will find yourself cogitating upon the potential ramifications of a 10-year age gap. You will ponder long into the night – and for many nights after – which one you would have picked, whether it is possible to fall in love without seeing someone in the flesh and much, much more.

Your subconscious will be mulling it over, too, and unwanted realisations will fall on you as you are going about your mindless business elsewhere. I was in the self-service queue at the supermarket, for example, when I was vouchsafed the realisation that, embedded so deeply in the show as to be almost invisible, is the belief that life is over at 35. Jessica is the oldest contestant and both she and everyone else feel that the show is absolutely her last chance saloon.

For a UK audience there is perhaps even more to boggle at than for a native US one. The shameless speechifying about their trust issues, their traumas, how easily they love, how much they have been hurt, how they see themselves, how others see them, how much they are connecting with the person in the other pod (described in real time) … It is horrifying, emetic and absolutely transfixing. They must put truth serum in the water supply. It’s incredible.

A UK audience may also be more alert to the one great failing – possibly a deliberate one that amounts to an act of cowardice – of the show. Every one of the candidates is hot. Maybe some are a little hotter than others, but they are all camera-ready. There are no real risks taken here. There is no real testing of the central hypothesis that looks are unimportant in the quest for true love. Or, I suppose if you were looking more kindly on the decision, there is no setup for schadenfreude here. When the doors pull back to reveal the betrothed to each other, there is no chance viewers will get to crow with delighted horror as one perfectly contoured face struggles to maintain its composure as a warty homunculus with a great personality shuffles towards them, trailing clouds of stink and flies. I mean, there are limits to social experiments, right?

Anyway. Love Is Blind is absurd, revolting, endearing, toxic and wholesome by turns – and addictive as hell throughout. I bingewatched as many episodes as reviewers were given and bayed for more. I have never felt better or worse about myself, the world or my fellow citizens. Book the cattery. Enjoy.

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Is It Time to Stop Watching Love Is Blind ?

Major spoilers for the sixth season of Love Is Blind below.

For the sixth time, Netflix has thrown a bunch of lonely singles into “pods” for sight-unseen speed dating, exploiting their hopes of finally finding true love. Love Is Blind claims to be a radical social experiment in human connection — can emotional bonds forged through a glowing blue wall translate into lasting companionship in the real world? — but that experiment, faulty as it has always been, broke down entirely during the fifth season last fall. The show’s latest offering, premiering this Valentine’s Day, attempts to pick up the pieces.

When Love Is Blind debuted, shortly before the world went into lockdown in early 2020, the show captivated and comforted millions with fun, juicy story lines and a genuinely surprising love affair (between Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton , one of the show’s rare success stories). By now, though, the spell has broken. Not only does a series of recent lawsuits against the show’s producers allege potential labor violations and questionable working conditions behind the scenes — reason enough to stop watching — we’ve also seen the same tired formula play out so many times with so many of the same types of clashing personalities that there’s nothing novel or intriguing about watching sad people try and fail to fall in love through a wall.

We all know that in Love Is Blind , the game is rigged from the jump. If love really were “blind,” casting agents might try throwing some people who aren’t considered conventionally attractive into the mix. Season six, to no one’s surprise, features a group of mostly thin, able-bodied, reasonably good-looking people from Charlotte, North Carolina. The first episode opens with Matthew, a front-runner for the season’s villain, who simply gets up and leaves dates with women he decides he doesn’t like while they’re in the middle of a sentence. The reveal at the end of the episode — Matthew was wooing two women, feeding them the same lines, word-for-word, about romancing and running away with them — is the most exciting twist all season, though where I might once have been reaching for my popcorn, I started to wonder whether I was watching the prelude to a future lawsuit.

The exploitative nature of reality TV is nothing new, of course, nor are reports of the devastating effects these shows can have on their participants’ mental health. But there are a mounting number of actual lawsuits that the producers of Love Is Blind should be worried about. Some participants from earlier seasons claim they were put through “inhumane” working conditions; others say they had panic attacks and were told they had to stay on the show even after confiding in producers that they had experienced “suicidal thoughts.” The recent allegations from season five stopped me cold: Tran Dang, a contestant whose story line was ultimately cut from the show, is suing production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV , claiming she was sexually assaulted by her former onscreen fiancé, Thomas Smith. She also alleges false imprisonment and negligence. (Kinetic and Delirium TV deny all of these claims.) Another season-five contestant who wasn’t ultimately featured prominently on the show, Renee Poche, claimed to Variety last month that she too had been emotionally abused by her fiancé, who she alleges was “not only broke and jobless but also homeless, violent, estranged from his parents, and actively addicted to amphetamines and alcohol.”

As I plodded through the first six episodes of season six, which Netflix shared with the press as screeners, I couldn’t stop thinking about those allegations. Knowing that producers would then go after Poche for a whopping $4 million for violating her nondisclosure agreement — despite the fact that she made only $8,000 from the show — made watching this season feel only worse. How could I justify sticking with the series now that we all know a little too much about how this messy-ass sausage gets made?

Reality television has to walk a fine line. You want the onscreen tension to be explosive and messy enough to be entertaining, but if a show gets too nasty, bingeing all that bad behavior can give you the equivalent of an emotional hangover. (I was pretty grossed out after finishing the latest season of The Ultimatum, another Netflix dating show, which ended in domestic violence and the cops getting called .) At least the Real Housewives franchise, which is experiencing a labor-rights reckoning spearheaded by Bethenny Frankel , remains a lot of fun to watch; the recent Salt Lake City finale was one of the best in Housewives history. Entertainment value can’t cancel out a show’s behind-the-scenes bad vibes exactly, but perhaps it can balance the scales. In Love Is Blind’s case, the potential for exploitation seems far too high for how little fun I’m having.

The main tension hanging over season six involves a few love triangles and could-have-beens. One participant, Chelsea, is extremely jealous of the other woman her love interest, Jimmy, was seriously dating in the pods, who turns out to “look like a Kardashian,” he later tells her, quite cruelly, after seeing the woman’s photo. Meanwhile, Chelsea discovers that another guy who professed his love to her in the pods is a big beefcake, more in line physically with what she usually goes for IRL. Laura and Jeramey, who are engaged to each other, hit the rocks during their trial marriage when he stays out until 5:30 in the morning “just talking” to Sarah Ann, another girl he was seriously considering proposing to in the pods. Kenneth and Brittany, also engaged, are both pleasant enough toward each other, but it quickly becomes clear they don’t really have much in common and they just sit there in awkward silence most of the time. Riveting!

Sure, the red flags this season feel more mundane than they have been in the past, but a contestant named Clay encouraging his eventual fiancée, Amber Desiree (she goes by “AD”), to disclose her body type in the pods reminded me of season two’s villain, Shake, asking Deepti if he would be able to pick her up before he proposed. The specter of misogyny and sexual harassment haunts this so-called experiment, which exploits straight people’s scarcity complex when it comes to love and dating. We’ve seen enough of it already.

By the time I’d finished the first half of season six , I struggled to find the point of it. If what some of the past participants’ lawsuits allege is true — that contestants are stripped of their passports and forced to keep talking to people who make them feel terrible about themselves, or might even physically harm them, because production won’t let them walk away — then it is clear why we’re watching vulnerable people put themselves in potentially dangerous situations under the guise of “finding love”: Without all of that, there’d be no show.

Maybe if producers took the time to cast an interesting, dynamic group of people and properly vetted them all, Love Is Blind would still be watchable. Did we really need six seasons in just four years? The show has already been renewed for a seventh edition — better for Netflix’s bottom line to churn out this garbage quickly and on the cheap — but I’ll be sitting that one out. In 2024, I want to be a little more intentional about making better consumer choices: eating less meat, relying more on public transit, and watching pretty much anything besides Love Is Blind.

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Love Is Blind: Season 1 Reviews

The new Netflix dating show is a grab bag of reality TV genres that doesn’t quite go anywhere.

Full Review | Apr 7, 2022

Love is Blind makes us see that bi visibility can feel only barely more progressive than bi erasure

Full Review | Mar 15, 2021

The only queer person we see in Love is Blind oscillates between toxic masculinity and emotional instability.

Full Review | Original Score: D | May 30, 2020

They treat love like an army training camp.

Full Review | Apr 27, 2020

"Love Is Blind" offers an almost insanely hilarious sampling of so many beloved and tawdry reality shows.

[Love is Blind] is undeniably crazy but also wildly addictive.

Full Review | Apr 25, 2020

Don't watch it. Do watch it. I found it wrong, and gripping.

Full Review | Apr 2, 2020

Instead of archetypes, the show has people, various and inconsistent, who develop, in some cases, what appears to be true affection for one another.

Full Review | Mar 20, 2020

The impossible has finally happened: We have a reality dating show with a premise that's actually quite good and which actually takes care of its contestants and tries to make something meaningful happen.

Full Review | Mar 18, 2020

What made Love Is Blind special was a combination of its audacious novelty and its contestants' earnest lack of self-awareness.

Full Review | Mar 6, 2020

One of Netflix's first forays into the reality television universe is chaotic and full of unannounced rules. Somehow, it still manages to be captivating entertainment.

That Love is Blind is gratuitous is beyond question, but it's also a testament to our universal need to find acceptance from a significant other, even if it is on a reality show.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 6, 2020

At the end of the day, Love Is Blind is a reality show that thrives on drama. But the way it evolves into an in-depth exploration of cliché tropes makes it one of the most interesting reality shows currently airing.

Full Review | Mar 2, 2020

Love Is Blind is an engaging watch, but it's not one to feel good about.

Full Review | Feb 28, 2020

Reality dating show has unique premise, some sexy stuff.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 27, 2020

Would "Love Is Blind" have been a more interesting experiment if they had cast people who were actually not just thin, able-bodied and cisgender? Hell, yeah.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2020

This show sucks. It thinks its premise is strong enough to make you watch it, without ever having to explain it.

Full Review | Feb 24, 2020

Love Is Blind is amazing. It's awful. It's probably faker and more manufactured than it seems. It is, quite overtly, trash... Love Is Blind is like The Lobster come to life.

Full Review | Feb 20, 2020

For fans of the genre, it's a delicious romp with just enough twists to keep you guessing, just enough familiarity to keep you entertained.

Full Review | Feb 18, 2020

...in any case, I must admit: The spectacle of it all was more than enough to keep me rapt until the end.

Full Review | Feb 14, 2020

Love Is Blind Movie Review

By: Author Eric Mortensen

Categories Comedy Films , Drama Films , Entertainment , Movies , Review , Romance Films

Every year we are treated to a lot of good movies. As the cost to make blockbuster movies continues to rise original ideas are mostly ignored for sequels and movies that utilize the same plot points over and over again. You just don’t see a lot of original ideas these days. I have always been a fan of all types of media that actually try to do something original. In particular I really appreciate movies with a quirky premise. This is one of the reasons that I was intrigued by Love Is Blind. The movie is about a woman that for some reason can’t see certain people even if they are standing right in front of her. I have seen a lot of movies and have never seen one with a similar premise. Love Is Blind has a really intriguing premise that it unfortunately fails to capitalize on.

We would like to thank Locomotive, Regency Enterprises, and Vertical Entertainment for the screener of  Love Is Blind used for this review. Other than receiving the screener we at Geeky Hobbies received no other compensation. Receiving the screener had no impact on the content of this review or the final score.

Love Is Blind follows the tale of a woman named Bess. Bess appears to be a normal young woman except for the fact that she has a severe case of selective perception. Bess believes her mother died years ago despite the fact that she never actually died. Bess for some reason is unable to see her own mother even when she is directly staring at her. As her father is dealing with his own medical issues, Bess is forced to grow up. This leads her to a local psychiatrist that has decided to take on her case to try and figure out why she has totally erased her mother from existence. One of his prescribed treatments for Bess is to begin talking to a man named Russell who is dealing with suicidal thoughts. The catch is that Bess can’t see Russell just like her mother.

I had high hopes for Love Is Blind and unfortunately the movie didn’t live up to them. This was really disappointing because the premise was so interesting. The idea of a person not being able to see select people was a premise that I had never seen before and it had a lot of potential. The premise was kind of unbelievable in that there is no way it could actually happen in real life, but that sci-fi/fantasy element was really interesting. I am always willing to try out a movie that tries something unique. Watching the trailer it looked like Love Is Blind was going to be a mix between a romantic comedy and a drama with some sci-fi/fantasy mixed in as well. Well I pegged the movie completely wrong because that is not what Love Is Blind is.

If Love Is Blind was meant to be a comedy I was not the intended audience. I don’t think I laughed once during the entire movie. At times it feels like it was following the romantic comedy formula, but forgot to add in the humor. Instead the movie leans into the drama aspects. A lot of the movie is about characters dealing with different mental illnesses in addition to Bess who can’t physically see certain people. In some ways this could have lead to an interesting movie about people dealing with different mental/neurological issues. At times the movie does a good job in this area.

I think the biggest problem with Love Is Blind though is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. It wants to do all of these different things instead of just focusing on a couple things. One minute it wants to be a romantic comedy and the next it wants to be a drama focusing on various mental illnesses. The movie keeps jumping between these different areas where it is hard to keep track of what is going on. This is really frustrating as there are good elements to the movie. There were several times in the movie where it felt like it was going in an interesting direction and was finally capitalizing on the premise. If the movie continued down these paths it could have mostly lived up to my expectations. The movie then suddenly decides to go off in a totally different direction for no real reason.

As the movie doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be it leads to quite a few unanswered questions. I am not going to get into specifics to avoid spoilers. If you are the type of person that wants clear answers to questions you will be seriously disappointed by Love Is Blind. Too often the movie decides to play it ambiguous when providing answers which makes the movie a little hard to follow at times. Some of the biggest questions are never fully answered or are answered in a way that is not particularly clear what happened. I don’t mind when movies force you to interpret things instead of just giving you the answers. This isn’t the case in Love Is Blind as at times it doesn’t even offer you clues that you can use to come to a conclusion. Things just seem to happen with no further explanation.

As for the acting I would say that it is a little hit or miss. For the most part I thought the acting was pretty good. The problem is that I didn’t really find any of the characters to be particularly interesting. There are glimpses of interesting characters in the movie, but it goes no further than that. I just didn’t particularly care about any of the characters.

While I wasn’t a big fan of some of the elements of Love Is Blind I actually thought the cinematography was quite good. At times the movie feels a little “artsy” but it is shot well. It is clear that Love Is Blind was a smaller budget movie, but it does a good job utilizing its budget. There are some creative scenes in the movie especially when it plays with what is real and what is not real. This adds some whimsy to a movie that otherwise would be kind of dark/depressing. The cinematography doesn’t make up for the inconsistencies in the plot, but it was a bright spot in the movie.

It is a real shame that the movie in my opinion wastes the interesting premise. At times during the movie I could see glimpses of what it could have been. There was potential for it to be a really interesting movie. These avenues are never really explored though. This became pretty frustrating as I could see how the movie could have been changed to make for a more enjoyable movie. Instead the movie takes a different path that leads to a worse movie in my opinion. I think the movie would have been better off dropping some of the plotlines and focused more on the interesting premise of a woman who for some reason can’t see certain people. The movie being so disjointed leads to quite a few slow points. There are good parts to Love Is Blind but they are surrounded by parts that are quite dull.

I was really intrigued by Love Is Blind as I have always been a fan of filmmakers that try to do something unique. Unique definitely describes Love Is Blind as the premise of a woman who can’t see certain people that are directly in front of her was a really interesting idea. Unfortunately the movie never lives up to its potential. There are glimpses of the movie matching its potential. The cinematography is quite good and the acting is pretty good. The problem with Love Is Blind is that the movie doesn’t know what it wants to be. When the movie is headed in the right direction it jumps to another plot and loses all of the momentum. The movie leaves a lot up to viewers’ imagination as it doesn’t give a lot of answers. Ultimately Love Is Blind is kind of boring and wastes a really interesting premise. There are some redeeming qualities, but not enough to overcome its faults.

I personally wasn’t a huge fan of Love Is Blind, but I could see some people enjoying it. If the premise doesn’t interest you, Love Is Blind is probably going to be pretty boring. If you really like the premise though and don’t mind the inconsistent plot you might get some enjoyment out of Love Is Blind.

Related posts:

The second season of Love Is Blind will make you a believer

If the first season presented the show as spectacle, the second actually shows how relationships can form, sight unseen.

It’s been two years since Netflix’s hit “social experiment” Love Is Blind debuted, sucking up the internet’s collective attention just before the first pandemic lockdowns, when we were relegated to our own pod-like apartments and socializing through Zoom dates. In its second season, the high-stakes reality show does a better job of getting viewers invested in the relationships in the pods, before the drama of the real world sets in. If the first season presented the series as spectacle, the second shows how the couples that result from this intensive dating experiment try against the odds to make their unconventional relationships work.

Related Content

For anyone who missed season one, the experience that Love Is Blind offers is falling in love sight unseen. A group of single, marriage-minded people enter a “facility” where they speed-date in one-person pods, narrowing down their pool to a few people and spending hours talking to determine the partner with whom they’ll spend the rest of their lives. ( Bachelor rules apply—heterosexual marriage is forever and we don’t speak of the flip-a-coin odds.) The committed couple can only see each other in person after getting engaged; they’re given a month to get to know each other in the real world before their wedding. Season two follows the same post-pod formula, with a honeymoon-like tropical vacation followed by weeks living in shared apartments in the lead up to the altar.

Even in its second go-round, Love Is Blind still feels like a breath of fresh air when compared to a machine like the Bachelor universe. Long-running dating shows can feel like they’re cramming their contestants into a strict formula that follows a similar arc every season. Outside of the overall pod/vacation/apartment structure, none of the drama on Love Is Blind feels produced. The most compelling conflicts come from the contestants’ own neuroses and complicated pasts, especially from those who tend to self-destruct. (Yes, there are a couple of candidates for the next Jessica, though there’s no exact match for season one’s most drama-provoking participant). The show has also leaned into the dynamics created by all the contestants having dated each other, to an entertaining effect.

While the couples who seem unlikely to make it are always fun to watch through our cringing, viewers will have more than one couple to root for in season two. The first five episodes span the pod and vacation arcs, inspiring a healthy amount of skepticism balanced with hope. After season one seemed to jump from first meetings to proposals with several couples (the most obvious being Kelly and Kenny, followed by Damian and Gianna), season two takes the time to show how each of the relationships built through the conversations. Quick yet substantial scenes capture the chemistry between the couples as they discuss their pasts and what they want for their lives. Few of the “I love you”s feel jarring, nor are the proposals out of the blue.

The new pod episodes take care to show some of the hypocrisies of the “social experiment” itself. The contestants’ testimonials sound based less on blind faith and more on “This is ridiculous, but it worked once, so I’ll try it.” There’s also more humor, which could be attributed to this round of contestants, who were cast in Chicago rather than season one’s Atlanta. The contestants’ astonishment at the connections they build makes the whole thing a bit more believable. There’s also a lengthy bit where some contestants try to suss out whether the person they’re speaking to is their type, physically. The show gives the recipients space to call out the shallow questioning, but even after tackling issues of race, age, class, sexuality within relationships, it still lacks body diversity .

Love Is Blind also honors the participants’ emotions. Each of the new cast members seem honest and open during their testimonials, which showing the thoughts behind the displays of affection. Most are self-reflective about their dating habits and needs, making it even more surprising when they show interest in someone who doesn’t want the same things.

The series falters when it tries to get ahead of the plot lines and tease big developments. After a big upset between one of the couples, the rest of the cast speculates on what happened without offering anything new, as if we’d forget about the drama while those involved are off-screen. The casts’ interactions onscreen feature some revealing and tender moments, but discussions about people who aren’t there can feel like catty gossiping. One artful shot shows a literal red flag flying in the breeze. These moments signal the discussion that’s sure to crop up around the show, taking the viewer out of the suspension of disbelief that the show needs for the “experiment” to land.

In season two, Love Is Blind proves it knows exactly how to tell the casts’ stories. It avoids the sensationalism of the first season, instead focusing on the relationship building within the pods and balancing that aspect with the love triangles. Once the couples leave the pods, there’s more emotional heft behind their proposals, so viewers remember each person’s intentions behind the drama. Maybe it’s because this second look at love without in-person connection comes after most of the world has gone through some version of their own pod socializing, but this time around, Love Is Blind isn’t just bizarre—it’s moving.

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Love is blind, common sense media reviewers.

Reality dating show has unique premise, some sexy stuff.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Introduces idea that intimate bonds should be base

Contestants are different ages and from a range of

Early conversations range from being in the milita

Strong sexual content ranging from discussions abo

Curses like "s--t" and "f--k" become more frequent

References to sports teams.

Lots of alcohol consumed, ranging from wine and co

Parents need to know that Love Is Blind is a reality dating show that features couples trying to build long-lasting relationships without ever seeing each other. The show tries to prove that love can be based on things beyond physical attraction, and "winning" contestants are supposed to get married four weeks…

Positive Messages

Introduces idea that intimate bonds should be based on things other than physical attraction, but this doesn't always hold true. Themes include family relationships, religious preferences, marriage. Stereotypes are often used when discussing (or not) ability to be comfortable with people of a different age, race, or ethnicity.

Positive Role Models

Contestants are different ages and from a range of racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds. Some are still very focused on their dates' appearance.

Violence & Scariness

Early conversations range from being in the military and blowing things up to discussion about abusing dogs. As couples go into the real world, arguments are frequent and include yelling, screaming, and throwing drinks into people's faces.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Strong sexual content ranging from discussions about sexual pleasure to steamy scenes in showers and bedrooms (naked backsides visible). Some talk about attraction to both men and women, while others talk about broken hearts and infidelity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Curses like "s--t" and "f--k" become more frequent as people get to know each other more.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Lots of alcohol consumed, ranging from wine and cocktails to hard liquor.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Love Is Blind is a reality dating show that features couples trying to build long-lasting relationships without ever seeing each other. The show tries to prove that love can be based on things beyond physical attraction, and "winning" contestants are supposed to get married four weeks after meeting each other. It contains lots of mature themes ranging from relationship challenges to infidelity, and lots of sexual content (including steamy make-out scenes with bare bottoms showing). Cursing ("s--t," "f--k") and drinking are frequent, and later episodes feature arguments that lead to yelling, crying, and things getting thrown.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (7)
• Kids say (8)

Based on 7 parent reviews

GREAT LESSONS FOR THE KIDDOS!!!

Too much vulgarity, what's the story.

Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey , LOVE IS BLIND is an unscripted dating series that features people hoping to discover that love is truly blind. In it, 10 men and 10 women agree to be housed separately by gender without any electronic devices. For 10 days they go on dates with someone from the opposite sex in "pods," small rooms that separate them by a thin wall so that they cannot see each other. During these meetings, the cast members have the opportunity to build intimate bonds with someone based on their conversations. If someone feels that they are in love and ready for commitment, they have the opportunity to propose marriage to the person they want to marry. If the proposal is accepted, the couple sees each other for the first time, and leaves together with a set wedding date. They have two more weeks to move in together, meet family and friends, and overcome challenges posed by the real world in order to make it to the altar and decide if they will tie the knot.

Is It Any Good?

This interesting social experiment underscores the idea that couples form stronger bonds when they're not distracted by physical appearance. It's a constructive reminder, especially in today's world of dating apps that are focused on physical attraction, but one has to question the wisdom behind pushing people toward a marriage proposal after spending less than two weeks on a reality show getting to know each other. Meanwhile, the cast members, who vary in age, background, race, and ethnicity, still resemble the attractive groups featured on other popular reality shows. Sex is still important to them, too. Adding to all of this is the drama that results from the engaged couples learning to live with each other's idiosyncrasies while dealing with concerned parents and other challenging issues. Bottom line? Love Is Blind 's premise may be unique, but it's filled with the usual drama that makes reality dating TV a guilty pleasure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the messages Love Is Blind sends about dating, relationships, and marriage. Can a relationship evolve into a healthy marriage during a four-week appearance on a reality show? Why or why not?

How is "physical appearance" defined on the show? What are some of the issues raised about dating someone who is physically different? How are stereotypes used by people on the show to highlight these differences?

Parents and teens may want to discuss the way sex and sexual activity are discussed on the show. A lot of focus is on getting to know each other through conversation, but how do the show's participants honestly feel about the role of sex in their relationships?

• Premiere date : February 13, 2020
• Cast : Nick Lachey , Vanessa Lachey
• Network : Netflix
• Genre : Reality TV
• TV rating : TV-MA
• Last updated : December 19, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 6 On Netflix, Where Singles From Charlotte Try To Fall In Love Without Seeing The Other Person

Where to stream:.

• Love is Blind

‘Golden Bachelor’ Gerry Turner’s Daughter Weighs In On Golden Divorce, Says Their Family Has Been Facing “Rage And Cruelty” From Fans

Jessica from ‘love is blind’ gives dating update, disgraced ‘bachelor’ host chris harrison to create “the most dramatic” dating series “ever” — with the help of dr. phil, ‘the bachelor’ says goodbye to maria georgas (who would make a great ‘bachelorette’, just saying).

Love Is Blind ‘s disastrous fifth season, where only one of the couples that got engaged ended up getting married (and one of the engaged couples wasn’t even shown , for a number of shocking reasons) leaned heavily on Real Housewives -type drama, with people having arguments at parties and scenes where the couples are shown in ways that convinced viewers that those couples were doomed. Would the sixth season continue to push that aspect of the series or go back to the more couples-trying-to-get-along formula from its first four seasons?

LOVE IS BLIND SEASON 6 : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Scenes from Season 6 of Love Is Blind .

The Gist: Season 6 of Love Is Blind features singles from Charlotte, North Carolina, but as we all know by now, they start the season on a soundstage in Los Angeles, with men and women meeting through the walls of pods. After the obligatory intro where Vanessa and Nick Lachey pop into the men’s and women’s quarters to give their now well-worn speech about what the show is about, the dates begin.

After a quick montage, we start focusing in on a few people. Right away, Amy and Johnny seem to connect right away, and Chelsea seems to have the attention of both Trevor and Jimmy. One of the stranger contestants we’ve ever seen is Matthew, who goes into each initial date with a list of fifteen questions, asks the woman in the other pod to pick one, then asks the question. He’s actually taken by surprise when one of the women ask him what his response to that question would be.

Matthew admits that it’s tough for him to open up, but AD — short for Amber Desiree — manages to do just that. Over the course of their dates, he opens up and says things like “my biggest accomplishment was finding you.” At a certain point, he even says to her that he would have liked to ask her father, who passed away the previous year, for his blessing before proposing.

For her part, AD is enraptured by Matthew, thinking he’s being truthful and real. She’s also interested in Clay, who is a more sensitive version of the guys she usually dates. AD really wants to leave superficiality out of the pods, and she’s taken by surprise when Clay talks about his need to be physically attracted to someone, despite the connection they made in the pods. So when she goes to Matthew and he says all of the things he says, he vaults to the top of her list. That is, until she hears another Amber talk about her date with Matthew back in the women’s quarters.

Meanwhile, Jessica, the first LIB contestant we know of that has a child — a ten-year-old daughter — knows she has to tell Johnny about her daughter, and while he’s thrown for a bit of a loop, the interaction seems positive. When Chelsea drops her bomb to Johnny — that she was married for five years — he seems to have a similar reaction, but she takes it much differently than Jessica did.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Love Is Blind , Seasons 1-5.

Our Take: We wondered whether the aforementioned Season 5 ugliness was just a case of the producers going with what they were given, or if this signaled a not-so-subtle change in direction by Chris Coelen and the folks at Kinetic Content. Yes, they want to push the romantic angle of the show, with the notion that the contestants coming in are still open to the possibilities of finding their forever person in the pods, despite the show now being on long enough for the contestants to have watched and know what to expect. But, now that the newness of the concept is gone, we really wonder if they look to push conflict early and often, and put it right alongside the romantic stuff.

What Do the ‘Love Is Blind’ Cast Members Actually Do for a Living: An Investigation

Case in point: AD and Matthew. Once we saw the cameras following Matthew from awkward date to awkward date, and seeing a side interview with him about how closed off he is, we said to ourselves, “someone’s going to open him up.” That person ended up being AD, and we were heartened by seeing them get along so well, given that he’s a shy white country guy and she’s an outgoing Black woman who grew up in Boston. She brings up race and ethnicity during one of their dates and he says it doesn’t matter. It’s all setting up as just the kind of matchup that the show was designed to feature.

But then we get that ending, where AD finds out Matthew’s true colors. To this point, we haven’t seen him talking to anyone else but AD, so it’s a surprise when Amber pops up to start discussing her time with him. Up until this point, the show’s producers liked to show when someone was vibing hard with more than one suitor, because love triangles and hard decisions were the driver of most of the drama in the pods. But this time, we had no idea that this was going on; the producers purposely held Matthew and Amber back in order to surprise us at the end of the first episode.

This tells us that they took some lessons from Season 4, which had some pod squad mean-girl drama, and Season 5, which featured two people holding back info that they dated each other before joining the show, and are applying it so Season 6. To them, pod drama of the kind that we see with AD and Matthew is far better than love triangles or a couple forging a deep connection only to get waylaid by one member — usually the guy — saying something stupid. Of course, this is the more salacious way to go, and it does shake up the pod section of the season, which tends to get stale with all the eye-rolling lovey-doveiness. But it also gets the show away from its original mission, which is to bring couples like AD and Matthew together because they connected through that wall sight unseen (the Platonic ideal of that concept, of course, is Season 1’s Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton, who have now been married for almost six years).

Sex and Skin: Not as much sex talk in the pods, at least in the parts we were shown, as we saw in Season 5.

Parting Shot: AD finds out what Matthew said to Amber during their dates and she is understandably pissed off.

Sleeper Star: Last season, we gave the sleeper to Carter, whom we ended up being very, very wrong about. This time, we’re going to tentatively give the title to Trevor, who openly admitted that he likes romantic movies like The Notebook .

Most Pilot-y Line: We’re not sure why Jessica put on such a nasally voice during her first few dates with Jimmy; she even talked about how people think she sounded like Fran Drescher. When things got serious, the nasal tone was gone. Is it nerves that make people do that?

Our Call: STREAM IT. The sixth season of Love Is Blind introduces us to some potentially solid couples, but it brings the drama almost immediately, which may or may not be something that longtime fans of the show will enjoy.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

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Time to get back in the pods! Watch the first Love Is Blind season 5 teaser

Get ready to see more pod people falling in love, sight unseen.

Sydney Bucksbaum is a writer at Entertainment Weekly covering all things pop culture – but TV is her one true love. She currently lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Chicago so please don't make fun of her accent when it slips out.

After four seasons, Love Is Blind is still trying to answer the age old question: Is love truly blind? Time to find out in season 5.

During Netflix 's live event, TUDUM , streaming from São Paulo, Brazil on Saturday, fans were treated to the first look at season 5 of the reality TV dating experiment. The short teaser introduces one of the new pod couples looking to fall in love, sight unseen, and are shown in the pod bonding over their past relationships. They hope that their failed previous engagement/marriage means they'll both be open and not hold anything back this time around.

But considering how most Love Is Blind relationships turn out, there's absolutely no telling where this romance is heading. Let's just leave cuties out of the conversation this time around, yeah?

No premiere date has been set yet for season 5. Watch the teaser trailer below now.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Love is Blind season 4 stars celebrate their wedding anniversary 1 year later
• Love is Blind producers respond to contestants allegations of mistreatment on set
• Everything we learned from the extremely delayed Love is Blind season 4 reunion

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Love is Blind: UK Streaming Release Date: When Is It Coming Out on Netflix?

By Anubhav Chaudhry

The Love is Blind: UK Netflix release date is just around the corner, and viewers are eagerly anticipating the chance to start streaming the TV series. With hosts Emma and Matt Willis, the dating reality TV show showcases a unique social experiment, wherein British singles search for love and become engaged before meeting face-to-face. The question remains: who will ultimately say “I do?”

Here’s when the show is coming out on Netflix.

When is theLove is Blind: UK Netflix release date?

The Love is Blind: UK Netflix release date is August 2024 .

The UK edition of Love Is Blind will premiere in August 2024, introducing hosts Emma and Matt Willis. Following the success of previous seasons worldwide, singles in the UK embark on a journey to find love beyond appearances. Through pod dates and emotional connections, couples explore if love truly transcends physicality. With the anticipation building, viewers eagerly await to witness if these connections withstand the ultimate test of reality. Stay tuned for more details as the premiere date approaches.

The cast of Love Is Blind: UK features Emma Willis and Matt Willis as the hosts guiding the hopeful singles on their journey to find love.

When is Love is Blind: UK coming out via streaming?

Love is Blind: UK will be available to watch via streaming on Netflix in August 2024. Viewers will be able to stream it at this time.

Current Netflix subscribers will be able to watch the series when it airs, and if you haven’t already subscribed to the service, you can check out the membership options available on the platform’s website. These range from a $6.99 monthly subscription for Standard with ads, $15.49 for Standard without ads, to $22.99 for Premium access each month.

The Love is Blind: UK official synopsis reads:

“Emma and Matt Willis host a social experiment where British singles look for love and get engaged before meeting in person. But who will say “I do”?”

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Anubhav Chaudhry serves as an SEO Content Writer for ComingSoon.net, blending his profound love for cinema with expertise in search optimization. When he's not analyzing films or series, Anubhav passionately follows football and enriches his entertainment knowledge with streaming content binges. With Anubhav's pieces, expect a confluence of SEO acumen and cinematic insight.

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Love Is Blind: Brazil Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'love is blind: brazil' online.

Yearning to watch " Love Is Blind: Brazil " on your TV, phone, or tablet? Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the reality TV series via subscription can be a huge pain, so we here at Moviefone want to do right by you. Below, you’ll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services – including rental, purchase, and subscription options – along with the availability of "Love Is Blind: Brazil" on each platform. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch "Love Is Blind: Brazil" right now, here are some details about the Netflix show. Originally premiering October 6th, 2021, "Love Is Blind: Brazil" stars Camila Queiroz , Klebber Toledo . The series runs 3 season(s), and has a score of 66 (out of 100) on TMDB, which put together reviews from 25 experienced people. Curious to know what the TV series is about? Here’s the plot: "The dating experiment comes to Brazil as local singles look for true love and get engaged, all without meeting the other person face to face." "Love Is Blind: Brazil" is currently available to stream via subscription, rental, or purchase on Netflix , and Netflix basic with Ads .

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Is Netflix’s The Circle Fully Real and Unscripted?

Netflix's The Circle faces questioning by fans as to whether or not it's scripted, but it turns out the show might be the realest of them all.

• The Circle is one of the realest reality shows on Netflix, with genuine interactions and unscripted messages from players.
• While some elements are embellished for entertainment, the game flow remains authentic as players make their own decisions.
• Questionable moments still arise, but overall, The Circle provides a unique and genuine look at human interactions in a tech-savvy world.

The Circle came out of the gate strong as one of Netflix ’s original reality competition series. The premise, based on the U.K. show of the same name, is like Big Brother meets Catfish , and it fits perfectly with our modern tech-savvy society. Like any other reality show, however, fans often question whether The Circle is real or at least partly scripted. This question was brought to the forefront again in the latest sixth season when the show introduced an AI computer as one of the players, catfishing as a young man named Max.

Considering the players are isolated in separate apartments, chatting only through a messaging app called “Circle” on TV screens in every room of the abode (yes, there are even small TVs in the bathroom and kitchen, so they never miss a conversation), it would stand to reason that there’s not much to fabricate or script on the show. But is this truly the case?

The Circle Is, for the Most Part, Real

Fans can rest easy knowing that there aren’t many elements of The Circle , one of the best reality competition shows on Netflix , that can be contrived. Since every text-based message comes right out of the player’s mouth after they speak the prompt “Message” in response to something someone else has said, there isn’t much that can be done to adjust, edit, or even influence what they say .

The players are indeed isolated from one another as well as the outside world. According to The Cinemaholic , players are not permitted to bring phones, laptops, or other internet-connected devices with them. While they can enjoy the rooftop patio, hot tub, and gym, production makes sure they never cross paths with one another and only visit one at a time. The show’s inaugural winner, Joey Sasso, spoke with The Cinemaholic and confirmed the realness of the show .

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What isn’t real on the circle.

That said, a few things are embellished on The Circle for the sake of entertainment and to make the episodes more interesting. One of the most notable is the capabilities of the Circle app. The app itself does indeed exist, but it isn’t quite as tech-savvy as it appears to be.

The app doesn’t have voice recognition capabilities to transcribe what people are saying or understand the emojis they want to use. There are humans behind the scenes typing out the player’s messages as they are being dictated, according to Vulture . This might explain why conversations are usually so succinct and terse, as well as why players like Seaburn in Season 1 spoke so slowly. No producer, after all, wants to re-type a complicated monologue.

Further, that loud “Alert” sound that occurs throughout every episode doesn’t actually happen : the bullhorn-like tone is all for dramatic effect and added in post-editing, reports Showbiz CheatSheet . The word “Alert” does pop up on the screens, as fans watching at home see, but it does so silently. That’s fine because, with a large-screened TV in every room, players notice it rather quickly anyway.

Another element that’s real but for dramatic effect is the surprised look all the players have when a blocked person is walking down the hall to meet one of them. Producers do knock on everyone’s door to get footage of surprised reactions from each player. But that's to help build suspense until the identity of the person they’re actually going to visit is revealed.

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In terms of the overall flow of the game, players aren’t told what to say or who to chat with, though they are limited in how many chats they can have each day , according to Showbiz CheatSheet . This makes it important for them to choose who to talk to wisely, and thus, it might prevent them from squashing beef or forging deeper bonds with more people since they have to pick and choose.

Like any other reality show, producers and camera operators help players through moments in the game. So, some outside influence might encourage a player to start a private chat they’re reluctant to initiate or plant a seed that makes them rethink a decision. It’s likely, however, that any influence in this respect is strictly to prevent the game from becoming stale and stagnant.

Finally, the footage is obviously edited to create the episodes, and it could be (and likely is) arranged in the most entertaining way possible, potentially to drive and emphasize certain narratives. With only so much airtime, entire conversations or parts of conversations must be left out , and some of this content could change viewer perception. Considering the linear fashion of the show, however, and the fact that most conversations happen in response to something else, what’s left out is likely the most mundane chats. Chances are, not nearly as much is left out or spliced together as there would be in other reality shows.

Still, There Have Been Questionable Moments on The Circle

Despite the knowledge that the show is pretty much as real as it gets when it comes to reality TV , there are still moments and details that fans have questioned. For example, in the first season, player Sean Taylor entered as a catfish using her real name but another, much thinner woman’s photo. Halfway through her journey, she wanted to show her authentic self and revealed her true profile photo. Was that a planned storyline from the beginning?

Then there’s Max, the AI, in Season 6. While producers say its interactions with other players were entirely real , they also admit there were test runs and coaching. They noted that during testing, they had to remind "Max" that "he" was a 26-year-old Gen Z male and thus likely wouldn’t use slang terms like “rad,” according to Netflix Tudum . Once play began, producers say they typed the text replies from other players into the chatbot’s screen and then re-typed Max’s AI-generated response. But fans aren’t convinced that there was no intervention at all after that.

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Another moment that raised eyebrows is in the latest Season 6 when Caress decided to become the sacrificial lamb for Kyle in the Ride or Die twist. She claimed it was out of guilt because she ranked low most of the time, while Kyle had previously consistently ranked high, and she didn't think it was fair that he should have to go down as well. But in a game for $100,000, the move didn't make sense and didn't seem like something Caress would have done. This has fans questioning if she was influenced to bow out or felt like she didn’t have a chance of winning anyway when Kyle did and wanted to do the honorable thing.

The Circle Is Among the Realest Reality Shows

Despite a few moments that have fans questioning things, of the many reality TV shows that exist today, The Circle is undoubtedly one of the realest there is . What viewers see is what they get. Sometimes, that means the show can get, frankly, boring as viewers listen to each player narrating their own internal monologues. But that’s because the messages are genuine and reflect exactly how the player is feeling at that moment. The gameplay is each player’s own, and the feelings are real.

Players on The Circle might only connect through text messages on a screen, but that’s precisely what encourages them to let their guards down and be open in a way they might not be when looking at the others face-to-face, especially if they’re not even playing as themselves. The Circle might rely on at least a few players being fake, but the show itself is anything but. Stream all seasons of The Circle on Netflix .