LOVE IS BLIND UK EDITION (Netflix)

[GlobalCitz]

Is anyone watching?

I'm just halfway through the first episode and was dying to discuss it!

These participants are not what I was expecting at all. They actually sound a lot more interesting than most reality TV fodder.

Have we discussed that Cat found someone else from the pods a few weeks after the wedding. Weird that they did not connect in the pod and that she referred to him ‘having a really bad time’. His name was Jake and we didn’t see him at all so have no idea what happened to him. I am glad she found happiness but hope, given her past, that this is a secure relationship and gives her what she needs.

Stephen's girlfriend with cancer dumping him made a lot more sense when it turned out he basically ghosted Sabrina and made zero effort to visit and communicate once out of sight

Steven bringing up that his ex had cancer didn’t even make any sense. I thought he was going to say that she’d passed away in which case it would make sense to mention it as it’s something that would cause you to carry a lot of sadness but to bring up the fact that an ex had cancer and survived was really random. Now that we know that he wasn’t who he made himself out to be I wonder if he brought it up for the sympathy vote.

He said that she was very ill and it was traumatic and upsetting ( for him, obv. Doesn't matter how shit she felt).
And she dumped him while still ill, so it was further traumatic (for him, obv)

That story was told in such a weird way.

Most people would start it with "I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with my ex, but we broke up after she was diagnosed with cancer", not "I thought I found someone I'd spend the rest of my life with but then she was diagnosed with cancer and I watched her fight for months".

It's such an odd way to tell that story, with such an obvious attempt to make you think at first that she died, it's the kind of thing that makes me wonder about the production team involvement, and suggestions to the people in the pods about the best way (for tv) to tell certain stories.

@cantpullthetrigger yes! Been thinking that since the start.

Finished it all yesterday. I wasn’t too surprised by how it all ended up.

Jasmine & Bobby look pretty solid. Ben & Nicole sweet but unsure if they’ll go the distance. Good luck to them.

Clearly a lot more to what went down between Sabrina and Steven than aired, pretty hard to judge.

Ollie/Demi and Freddie/Catherine ended fairly civilly I think. Though did Ollie not have enough mates beforehand resulting in that other dude from the pods, Aaron, being in his wedding party?!

Sam is obviously a bellend. I get that’s it’s tough to be on the end of online abuse etc but he’s set himself up for that with his terrible behaviour and looking at his socials seems to be milking the pantomime villain opportunity.

My strongest reaction/opinions were re Tom/Maria. I liked them both individually and they were a strong couple in many ways but can also see why Tom walked away and why they wouldn’t have worked.

i know the timelines from pods to wedding day are insane vs real life. But it’s also more intense so I don’t really buy that they (or others) wouldn’t have had opportunity to talk through their issues.

I empathised more with Tom’s world view. I think his reaction to her profession was a bit off but he did own that. But he seemed like he wanted a more equal relationship where they both worked/provided as well as splitting childcare etc. he was also older/more financially established yet she wanted him to pay for everything yet not contribute to the mortgage. It was like she wanted him to be the main breadwinner, let her be in the lead with the kids yet also either not contribute whilst also having a claim on the assets. I just didn’t get her. She seemed strong and independent but what she said really undermined that. Very confusing. Again. I really like her and her family but I think they weren’t compatible and understood why he walked away.

Maria also took Tom's opinion as attack on her mum which seemed irrational and you can't really argue with that sort of daft argument.

@Pl242 maybe his friends didn't want to be part of a television show. If my friends or family were taking part, I wouldn't be on it.

Yeah this is what I was going to say.

I enjoy watching it, but I wouldn't be on it as a friend. I don't want to be on tv.

I mean when it comes down to it, if you are hotter than average and solvent with a good job and still single in your mid to late 30s with a lousy dating track record, let's face it, it's your personality

I saw also Tom’s mum wasn’t involved but he did talk about his upbringing quite a bit, if she wasn’t willing to meet Maria then that would have impacted it.

The reason felt her mum was attacked is because the life she wants is probably the life that her mum led with her dad responsible. But it’s a different generation and Maria has had the value of growing up here with an education from here too, she was probably born here too. I don’t think it’s totally typical of North African women nowadays not to work and stay at home. I’m sure many women from North Africa go out to work in the same way as their husbands.

@usernother @DancingPhantomsOnTheTerrace yes. I hadn’t thought of that. You’re probably right. Come to think of it we didn’t see his parents until the wedding day did we? It must be crazy to have a kid in this program or any reality tv tbh.

I don't blame Tom at all but why not question the culture thing in the pods, it was an obvious issue. I think it was ignored or they were told to ignore for entertainment value.

Loved this show and going to watch the Swedish one next, based on PPs' recommendations!

[spoiler alert]

My favourite couple was Jasmine & Bobby. He is such a sweetie. His only flaw is his ears bless him. Still very handsome though and most importantly a lovely guy.
I was really worried that Jasmine's mum had gone into her head too much and she was going to say no, and was so happy when she said yes!

Interesting that Steven & Sabrina split up in the end. They were pretty boring to watch tbh and I wonder if it was all a bit too perfect and surface-level. Steven reminded me of Fred from First Dates, so he's Brummie Fred to me. He seemed like a lovely guy at first but clearly wasn't, was he, in the end?! But I don't know how either of them thought it could actually work without one of them relocating.

Demi & Ollie - such an interesting one. I loved their deep connection. At first it seemed she was more into him than he was her, but by the end that seemed to have switched. So much respect for Ollie and the way he handled her decision at the altar. He seemed like a lovely guy. Something about Demi bothered me, although l did love it at the reunion when she told Sam to apologise to Nicole

Oh, Sam. What a cringey car-crash of a person. I bet he was cast for the drama. I actually felt for him a bit, though. I hope he gets therapy.

Nicole & Benaiah - lovely to see them so happy together at the end. I wonder if it will last, hope so.

Freddie & Catherine - she was annoying (and yes very snappy towards him) but she also seemed to genuinely love him. Agree with PPs that she was too vulnerable to be on the show, though, given that she's adopted and feels abandoned. Freddie seemed nice but boring tbh, very sweet with his family but meh. I loved his sister, she was both honest and supportive towards him. He definitely made the right decision. Hope Freddie & Catherine can both find the right person in the end.

Tom & Maria - oh these two really annoyed me. I don't know if they were told not to discuss it or if they chose not to, but FFS, if you are not religious and your date is, you have to talk about it! You would ask if they are practising, what their religion means to them, if they have children would they want to bring them up according to their faith, send them to a faith school, etc. The differences of opinion about gender roles and finances were completely glossed over - again you would talk about it! She clearly wanted to be a SAHM and he clearly didn't want that, they never addressed it properly. I was just thinking how different it could have been if he'd picked Tash. Gah.

I really, really think Tom & Tash suited way more than him & Maria. I’m really shocked that he picked her tbh. They did not seem compatible in the pods, at least not compared to Tash. Also, she really reminds me of Cameron Diaz!

Ha yes I see what you mean, a northern Cameron Diaz
Agree with all those points. It was frustrating tbh. And poor Tash who was so heartbroken when he told her he was going for someone else.

Haha, yes!
yeah, I agree… and she seems really lovely too. Maria did as well to be fair, but how values, traditions, religion didn’t come up as a conversation is baffling. However, I guess when you are up against the pressure of time, you don’t have the opportunity to necessarily explore all of these issues.

Damn whoever suggested Love is Blind Mexico.
I am totally hooked.

Haha! I haven't watched that yet, but did enjoy the Swedish one.

Some of us have started the USA season 7, first 7 episodes on netflix now (pods to mexico). There is a seperate thread for it.

I’m going to finish the Mexico one and then do the US one. And then maybe do the Swedish or Japanese one

I haven't seen it but I loved Japan 😍

Me too @Twonewcats - the Japanese one was great!

are the Japanese & Mexico series available on Netflix?