Netflix's Love Is Blind Is the Dystopian Dating Reality Show We Deserve
Lately, Netflix has been making a gradual pivot from highbrow, blockbuster original content to delicious trash (see: The Circle), and if the trailer for Love Is Blind, their upcoming dating reality show, is any indication, this series is going to be our shameful obsession.
The premise is simple: A bunch of single men and women enter “pods” where they’re able to talk to a member of the opposite sex—but they can’t see one another. As they get to know one another, they might fall in love, sight unseen, and only look upon the face of their new partner once they’ve gotten down on one knee. Then, after they’ve seen each other, they need to plan a wedding with their now fully visible spouse-to-be. In other words, it’s a test of just how much of a sapiosexual these people are.
Love Is Blind is essentially The Bachelor meets Married at First Sight, an ongoing Lifetime reality show where couples agree to marry each other upon meeting for the very first time, after getting paired together by experts (spoiler alert: There are a lot of divorces). Something about Love Is Blind feels more dystopian than either series, though. While watching the trailer, I kept waiting for the music to suddenly turn ominous and the screen to crack, revealing that this was all just a preview for the next episode of Black Mirror.
The literal blind dates are, of course, the show’s main gimmick, but the second half of the process might actually be the most deranged, as the trailer shows a lot of confessionals where people seriously question if they want to marry someone they met on a reality show. The trailer ends with a bride, in her wedding dress, literally running away from the altar. Without knowing the full context of the scene, you assume it’s probably for the best. Good for her.
Nick and Vanessa Lachey (remember them?) will host the show, which feels about right.
Love Is Blind looks schlocky and fluffy, and because of that, it will be amazing television. Like The Circle before it, Love Is Blind is premiering in a slightly different style than Netflix’s usual binge-release. The season will be broken up into three chunks, and the first batch of episodes hits the streaming service on February 13. Please consider if you and your possible significant other really want to watch this on Valentine’s Day weekend. There’s no wrong answer—just really consider it.
The new Netflix series is the definition of a guilty pleasure.
Originally Appeared on GQ
