TUDUM! In midst of midterms and increasingly piled up schoolwork since we are at *that* point of the school year, Netflix has thankfully just released the newest season of Love is Blind for us to shamelessly binge during this stressful time. With the new season set in Dallas, TX, there were some very interesting backstories and characters….we were definitely introduced to a wild ride of a season.
But any LIB fan knows that this is a part of the show. The show would be nothing without the ups and downs of messy couples that keeps us on our toes trying to figure out if they’ll say “I do” or not. With this season alone, I was in a perpetous state of guessing if ANY couple was going to make it down the aisle or not. There were so many flaws within all the couples that it was like a guessing game to see who would give up first. Before I start, let’s give the rundown of each couple with some superlatives I think fits each couple:
(Best Couple) Let’s start with the first couple to get engaged: Alexa and Brennon. Brennon was the only guy that proved that, yes, a guy can actually stick to his promise and keep his attention on the fiancee he proposed to! The most unproblematic couple mainly because they were both 100% into each other, no wandering eyes for anyone else. Bonding over their shared love for their families and shakshuka in the pods, their romance was wonderful to see bloom. It was so heartwarming to see them accommodate each other’s lives after they met each other (also Alexa’s dad… hello?). They were one of two couples to say “I do” and were a breath of fresh air compared to all the other couples for sure.
(Most problematic) Our second couple, Bartise and Nancy. Who, if you ever thought Shake had to be the villain of the show, wait until you meet Bartise. The 25 year old who from the very first episode claimed he was so mature for his age that he thought marriage was something he was ready for. His fiancee, sweet and lively 31 year old Nancy who was hesitant about their age gap and expressed concerns about it. But remained positive about marrying him because of the strength of their emotional connection in the pods. But with Bartise, he proves throughout their time together that he has the mentality of a man who should not be looking for marriage. From openly admitting he didn’t find Nancy to be his “type” to raving about his ex pod date’s attractiveness while she was right next to him….yeah he was the ultimate problem in their relationship. As any problem they encountered within their time together was always connected to him, while all Nancy wanted was for things to work out between them. It was no surprise to viewers when they made it down the aisle (surprisingly) and Bartise had the audacity to turn down Nancy when she said “I do”. The real Shake of the season I think, and I think the internet is in agreement since Tiktok is currently dragging him at the moment.
(Most Likely to Succeed) Speaking of Bartise, another woman he connected with in the pods was Pilates Instructor Raven (who’s tiktoks are comedic GOLD). Initially, they were one of the first to be introduced to have chemistry before Bartise turned her down to be with Nancy instead. Which happened to be good for Raven because she was already making a connection with charming business major, SK. The two bonded over their shared love for intimate conversations rather than the surface-level stuff in relationships. As Raven learned more about SK’s nigerian culture while he learned more about what was behind Raven’s stoic nature, the two proved to be the most emotionally compatible compared to the rest of the couples. I think it was because they were to communicate what each other needed from one another, and because of that it prevented roadblocks on the way down to the aisle. But unfortunately, SK turned down Raven’s tearful “I do” because of issues regarding long distance and finances since he is still in school. Which personally, I thought was VERY mature of him to look out for their future like that. But anyways, we found out at the reunion that they are now dating long-distance! And lemme just say with Raven recently posting the most fabulous pictures of them together, they seem more than happy together :)
(Most Likely to Not Succeed) A couple who I do not think look more than happy to be together or is emotionally stable, is Colleen and Matt. A bubbly ballerina, Colleen made it clear during the pod process that she wanted to find the love of her dreams after struggling in the dating world. But during the pod experience she struggled as well. After receiving not 1 but 3 rejections from guys who chose someone else from the pods, she found a connection with Matt, a newly single divorced man (who lovesss to trauma dump about his ex). Things between them seemed fine at first, but that was until Matt had quite a few angry outbursts about Colleen’s actions once they came out of the pods. Outbursts that seemed out of the blue and unnecessary, with Colleen having doubts up until they reached the aisle. But nevertheless, they ended up saying “I do” at the end of season 3. I had to give them this superlative mainly because I just don’t think they have the means to go the distance, and discourse about them on the internet seems to agree. But who knows? LIB fans know these contestants are FULL of surprises.
(Worst Match) Sigh, how could I forgot the worst match of all: Zanab and Cole. The discourse about their relationship has taken the internet up by a storm with the people picking sides because of the now infamous cuties clip at the end of the reunion. But let’s talk about their union first. Viewers were introduced to handsome, fun-loving Cole who’s a real estate bro looking for love after his own failed past marriage. Zanab, the gorgeous flight attendant bonds and opens up to Cole about her past traumas with her parents’ dying when she was a child and insecurities she had within herself. Cole embraces and accepts these things and proposes to her, where it seemed like they would be a great match at first. But their relationship proved to be doomed from the start. Cole’s silly demeanor compared to Zanab’s more mature and collected one is like oil and water; with Zanab’s passive-aggressive responses and Cole’s offputting comments about her physical appearance, it raised many issues for the couple. Up until when they walked down the aisle where both gave the impression they were going to say yes, until Zanab not only turned him down but called him out for all the things he had said and done during their engagement, even at one point saying he “singlehandlely destroyed my self confidence”, which was….. YIKES.
But the tension grew between them by the time they filmed the reunion in 2021, where it was the first time they saw each other since their failed wedding. And where it felt like ALL shots were being fired at Cole from almost all the castmates (when Bartise was RIGHT there). The reunion brought us all updates in the contestants’ lives where we found out Raven and SK are still dating, the couples who got married are still together, and the singles who said “I do not” are living lives with little to no communication with each other. Which exactly where I think things SHOULD be between the singles after seeing what we all saw on camera.
But throughout watching all 3 seasons of this show, do I really believe love is blind? Truth is, I am not sure. If anything, Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s hypothesis has technically been proven wrong every season. With season 1, we had Jessica and Mark not working out because Jessica struggled to compare her emotional connection to the physical one with Mark. Season 2, we had unfortunately had to see Shake go on and on about how he wasn’t attracted to his fiancee, Deepti. And season 3, we had to struggle with Cole and Bartise also struggling to deal with the fact that their fiancees didn’t match the “type” they usually go for, which lead to issues in their respective relationships. And we cannot forget the divorces! Just before season 3 aired, fans found out season 2’s couples: Jarrette and Iyanna had filed for divorce, right before Danielle and Nick had filed a few days later after their announcement as well. And no, not every couple has to be successful in their relationships, but it definitely proves that love may not be as blind as they are trying to make it out to be.
But we also cannot ignore some of the successes LIB has had with the couples. I mean, Lauren and Cameron just celebrated their 4th year anniversary after getting married on the show in 2019. And they are thriving! With their own youtube show called Hanging With The Hamiltons, along with their adorable dog, Sparx. Barnett and Amber from season 1 are also still together, posting pictures of them traveling and enjoying nature together. So yes, LIB has had their successful relationships- I am just not sure if I believe love is truly blind. Especially with this new season, I may now more than ever figuring out the burning question. But hey, as crappy Shake was in season 2, maybe he did have a point in the season’s reunion. Maybe love is just…blurry.