I secretly started watching Love is Blind on Netflix a couple weeks ago. I don’t even know how I turned it on. One second I was watching something undoubtedly sophisticated and the next minute I’m sucked into a blind love experiment hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey (which by the way where did they go?).

I turned it on as background noise while I was editing pictures and drafting posts but the record screeched when I heard one of the guys say “If I had to guess, I’d say you’re African American…” Say wahhhh?

I was a long time reluctant fan of The Bachelor/ette. At it’s peak I was loving Rachel’s season. I recapped every episode and I’m STILL pissed she didn’t pick Peter. I’m even more upset that he didn’t become the next bachelor (sure to date a rainbow of women) and the show went back to it’s boring cast of white white white. I haven’t watched the last few seasons. So Netflix’s Love is Blind, and it’s initially more diverse cast definitely caught my eye to fill in the trashy reality TV hole in my heart.

Love is Blind on Netflix

A few hours into the show I was sucked in and rooting the couple that’s clearly the fan favorites: Lauren and Cameron.

Partly because of our own family dynamics the interracial relationship jumps out at me. We’re wondering how they’re each going to react when they see each other, if and how their backgrounds might affect their relationships, and how meeting each of their families will go. But really I just wanted to see a Black woman WIN on one of these dang shows for once.

Considering my husband and I’s first date was a blind date (I’d never seen a picture of him but we’d spoken on the phone a few times) I totally am all for the idea of getting to know someone before you see them. This was 16 years ago. Way before Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and all the other dating apps there are now where you’re deciding whether or not to give someone a chance based on a few photos and a short bio.

We were both much younger than any of the people on this show and we were unofficially engaged in less than two weeks. So when everyone is freaking out about the idea of being engaged and married after a couple of months I’m over here shrugging like “When you know you know!”

Ok I think the best way to do this recap may be to split up the final couples and share my thoughts on each of them. I’ll go in order of their weddings. So if you haven’t watched the finale of Love is Blind on Netflix yet and you don’t want to be spoiled. Stop here! Spoilers ahead.

Damian and Giannina

I thought they were cute and all until Giannina started going from Joy to Anger in .2 seconds.

The nice thing was Damian seemed to love her despite (maybe even because of?) that. I think in a relationship it’s really important to love and embrace the whole person. Not just their strengths. It’s evident she’s an extremely passionate person. But apparently her wishy washy attitude made Damian take a step back at the alter. I felt so bad for Giannina and I can’t say that explosion wasn’t warranted.

Barnett and Amber

I must admit, of all the decisions made at the alter, this relationship working out was the biggest surprise to me. I think Barnett thought he signed up to be The Bachelor. He didn’t realize this was a whole other show when he was flirting with all the girls from the beginning. I’m sure there’s a lot we didn’t see but that vibe I was just turned me off. It did seem that one he was ready to commit to Amber he was all in though, and didn’t ever glance away. Despite little pokes and prods from Jessica.

Re-watching those first couple of episodes it’s clear that Amber was ALL IN for Barnett and she wasn’t letting him go. Ultimately I think that’s what he loved about her.

Amber also seemed to be lacking some maturity to me. When she brought up all her debt though I was like LAWD, CHILD, WHAT?! Barnett RUN! They need to get her on a budget right quick cause her spending habits could be detrimental to a relationship. Hoping that works out for them. I am pleasantly surprised they both said yes.

Kelly and Kenny

*snore*

Wait, what?

The most boring couple to me. Whenever they came up I would return to my work, grab a snack or run to the bathroom. I thought they were doing pretty well until Kelly started going on an on about how she’s not infatuated with Kenny. Yes, physical attraction has importance, and that people can get more attractive to each other over time. I also believe that infatuation fades. So you have to have something real to back it up.

I also was kinda like lady… You came on A TV SHOW to find your match. Other stuff wasn’t working for you. You found a good man. You are attracted to him. I’m assuming each of these couples spent hours and hours together in these pods with nothing to do but talk and get to know each other. Assuming the other dating techniques didn’t work out for you, what else are you waiting for?

I think there could be something deeper there that we just don’t know about, cause I’m still not sure exactly why she walked away. Kenny telling the recorders to turn off the cameras had me all sad for him. I hope he went after her.

People have arranged marriages for heavens sakes. This could still work!

Mark and Jessica

Oh Jessica. Jessica, Jessica, Jessica. The way she sashayed down that wedding aisle like she was strolling up in a party chewing gum I knew this was not going to end well. Mark was the rebound. He surely had to have known for awhile that she was just not feeling him. The rest of the world did. I hope someone holding a camera gave him a heads up. She kept blaming it on age but I think it had more to do with attraction. Mark tried to make it work. Boy did he try. Hard. But I think it kinda came across as desperate and that wasn’t attractive to her.

From the beginning Mark seemed like a puppy dog. He’s so sweet and cute but seemed to just want whatever Jessica wanted. He shelved his emotions and opinions and seemed to follow anything she said with “me too!”

Any conflict that came up he tried to roll over and appease her. There is going to be conflict in relationships. Everything isn’t always perfect. Marriage is work, but you can’t make someone love you. Even the genie said “I can’t make anybody fall in love.”

Side note, I don’t drink and I’m rarely around people who get drunk so I’m no expert on the subject, but it appeared to me that Jessica was not very great at controlling her alcohol. Every time Amber or Barnett was around and Jessica was holding one of those metal wine glasses I thought uh oh. Get ready.

Lauren and Cameron

“Cameron? I think I love you”

“I love you!”

This is about when I stopped working on my laptop and started watching the show and was giggling and stalking twitter for updates. Cause I knew I’d find other people watching the show and yes, people who’d already stalked them on Instagram and found evidence of their lasting love. Because if this wasn’t going to work out did I even want to keep watching!?

Right away I loved that Lauren and Cameron jumped into serious conversations and cried together over the love they feel for their families.

This couple was a fan favorite. Sweet scientist Cameron seemed sincere from the start. And beautiful Lauren was ready for love and willing to jump into this blind experiment though she’d never dated a white guy before.

Unlike Kenny and Kelly’s relationship, any time this couple came on the screen I dropped everything to stop and watch. And I don’t know why so much of what they had going on had me in my seat going “ME TOO!”

For instance, my husband also thinks that it’s totally fine for us to share a toothbrush. I do not agree. Not in the slightest. Though husband can rap a good Naughty by Nature song, he’s never rapped for either of my parents. And as he put it “This guy just set all us white guys with black women back 20 years by doing that.”

Still, I was all for this interracial love and I could relate in ways I didn’t realize I’d relate to these strangers on TV.

Where Lauren started to lose me though, is when she went on and on about needing space and wanting to keep her apartment and being independent etc etc etc. I mean woman did you or did you not go on an entire TV show to find a husband? Let go of your little apartment and enjoy that cute little crib in suburbia.

And no, no no. I do not believe that people are typically unsure about saying “I do” as they’re walking into their wedding day. I promise you if people are shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars for a wedding, they aren’t thinking I dunno, I might say no tomorrow.

I’m hoping all the doubt she was putting on poor Cameron was just a ploy by producers to make us all worry (and it worked, I was way too emotionally invested). Given how her mother was praying over her, and all her family and girlfriends were there (and clues from Black Twitter), I was pretty sure she was going to go through with it.

I’m so happy for them and ready to stalk them on Instagram and hoping that Netflix puts on another casting call soon cause I have some friends I wanna put on this show. Also waiting to hear all the updates about these couples in the coming weeks. Rumor has it some of them have gotten back together.

Have you watched Love is Blind on Netflix? What were your thoughts?!

Tags: interracial dating, interracial family, interracial marriage, netflix, tv shows