Never would I have guessed that beyond quarantine, I’d still be watching Love is Blind, Netflix’s hit dating experiment series, but here we are, happily ranking the cast of the latest season.
In case you don’t know how this show works, contestants initially only interact with each other through talking in isolated pods without ever knowing what the other person looks like. They have 10 days to form connections and get engaged, after which they meet face-to-face for the first time and then live together for the next 4 weeks. They then face the final test of commitment and must decide whether or not they want to get married. This season we see 5 couples get engaged: Brennon and Alexa, Matt and Colleen, Cole and Zanab, SK and Raven, and Bartiste and Nancy. After the first four episodes of Season 3, I have definitely some favourites.
Brennon and Alexa
Brennon and Alexa are by far the least dramatic couple, at least after four episodes. Call me boring, but that automatically makes them my favorite. Their screen time is the shortest, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing how cute they are together. We get to see them bond instantly, especially through their mutual love of Israeli food. Unsurprisingly, they were the first couple to get engaged and meet each other in person. The latter 2 episodes of the 4-episode season premiere feature them spending their first real-time together as an engaged couple in a luxury Malibu home, which goes extremely smoothly due to their genuine emotional and physical compatibility. The only possibility of trouble I see in their relationship was their aired discussion in episode 4 of how Alexa’s family is very outspoken, even to the point of cussing at each other in front of the child family members, which leads to Brennon concernedly saying, “With our kids, I’m definitely, like, Sit up straight for every meal. You know what I’m saying?” Regardless, I’m ride or die for Brennon and Alexa.
Cole and Zanab
For those who watched Season 1 of Love is Blind, Matt “Barnett” Barnett has a more unhinged, oddball twin this season named Cole Barnett, who proposes to Zanab Jaffrey after realizing he has a deeper emotional connection with her than another contestant named Colleen. Even though some of Cole’s mannerisms annoyed me at times, I honestly enjoy the goofy energy he brings to the season and his relationship with Zanab, who complements him with her temperate personality. Overall, their relationship seems to be one of the strongest, even though Cole is seen struggling over strengthening a physical connection while Zanab is annoyed at Cole’s miscommunication in Malibu.
Matt and Colleen
3rd time’s the charm for Colleen, a 26-year-old ballet dancer (note to others: don’t take a shot every time she mentions her occupation), who ultimately gets engaged to Matt, after being rejected by both Brennon and Cole. Following the pods, these two are nonstop over each other and their conversations seem seamless—almost too seamless. Although I appreciate their active presence, I think a deeper emotional bond is lacking. The preview for the rest of the season hints at potential trouble in paradise for these two, specifically him yelling that he couldn’t marry Colleen under any circumstances. I’m not confident these two will get married at the end of the season, but who knows, maybe they will prove me wrong.
SK and Raven
A big reason why SK and Raven are not my favorites is simply because they do not get enough screen time. We mostly see Raven’s time in the pods with another contestant named Bartise, who ultimately break up with each other in pursuit of deeper connections, despite sharing a passion for fitness. SK and Raven are arguably the least developed relationship as they have yet to physically connect as of episode 4, which concerns the other couples regarding their future. In fact, we see SK explain to some of the other guys how he and Raven sat far away from each other during their first night together. It is quite possible SK and Raven are a slow burn and will end up together, but to me, it seems like that spark is still missing.
Bartiste and Nancy
You must watch episode 4 to understand why I put Bartise and Nancy last. In the pods, Bartise and Nancy are absolutely adorable together as we see them laugh at each other’s jokes, discuss their dreams of having a large family, and play silly games together. Even though they have a 5-year age gap and Bartise had feelings for Raven, Bartise and Nancy’s sparks are off the charts to the point where I thought they would be this season’s “it-couple.” However, as Bartise tells Nancy after meeting all the couples in person for the first time, things take a terrible turn: “I loved seeing Raven for the first time. Raven is like the typical girl I would go after in the real world. She came down, she’s wearing the tight clothes, I was like she’s a f**ing smoke show. She’s hot as sht.” Bartise’s immaturity and disregard for Nancy’s feelings are clear, and I’m sure this will be a continual problem for the remainder of the season. Nancy deserves so much better than to be compared to someone else.
I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next several episodes to drop this Wednesday to see how these couples live together.