SPOILERS are ahead for Love Is Blind Season 8, episodes 1-6.
Love Is Blind has long been my biggest go-to dating series to watch with my Netflix subscription. But as the show celebrates five years and eight seasons, with the new season now here on the 2025 TV schedule, I’ve started to realize I’ve had such a love-hate relationship with the whole experiment.
Look, I know at the end of the day, it’s a show that’s predominantly made for the entertainment of viewers like me, but the uncynical side of me also feels like unlike so many reality shows out there, I think it has and can have the power to really bring real lovers together. Above all else, I want to see romantic moments more than petty drama. Thankfully, Season 8 is giving me exactly what I want from the series thus far.
There are a lot of Netflix dating shows at this point, but I’ll never forget the first time I pressed play on Love Is Blind, because I remember it genuinely getting me to swoon. Having couples meet without being face-to-face is actually such an interesting idea, especially in the world of dating apps, where pretty much all of my friends have met their significant others by seeing their face first, and making an assumption.
Let me talk a bit about my thoughts on the show going into Season 8, and why I’m hopeful for this season being perhaps the best one yet after watching the first six episodes (all out right now).
Why Love Is Blind Has Not Swept Me Off My Feet In Years
Just to look at the statistics over the past three seasons, the experience has remained pretty similar. Since Season 5, only one couple out of a handful ends up actually getting married, and the rest are kind of a mess. Last season in particular, it felt like so many were incompatible after so many scandals and love triangles across the seasons. I know other fans and I have found ourselves going to Love Is Blind other versions from other countries, like binging the recent U.K. version to restore our hope in the show.
I’m here for some meme-able moments and the show exposing some toxicity that can come with romantic relationships – I mean, love itself can get messy. But come on, if these contestants are going to sign up to literally get married in four weeks, there needs to be some kind of anchor making me feel like it’s a social experiment that is possible to attain for them. Over the years, it feels like the same problems pop up and the show’s producers are not doing much to fix anything on their end.
But, Minnesota’s Contestants Had Me In Sweet Tears Of Joy
Then I watched all the pod episodes of this new season. As hosts Vanessa and Nick Lachey say at the top of the season, it’s apparently the “biggest” ever because there were more singles in the pods than ever before (that number being 32), and I think it might have paid off. As I binged the pod episodes, it did feel like a lot more sweet and deep connections were being formed during the process, and I found myself very invested in how quite a few were going to shake out. And the ones I hoped wouldn’t work out.
I don’t know if it’s because this is the Minnesota season, but I feel like so many of the people on the show for the right reasons and weren’t on the show just to be on it. Sure, it is a tad more boring and slow-paced at points than some seasons for this reason, but I personally found it interesting to see how each couple bonds and what it was about their connection that made them feel confident about getting engaged. I liked that it felt like it was not only more about the social experiment, but involved people who understand and wanted the most out of the process. Many of the reveals were so sweet, and I was crying over Monica and Joey seeing each other for the first time.
I Also Feel Like A Lot Of The Potential Drama Was Nipped In The Pods
Now, I definitely have my suspicions about a couple or two having some problems once they exit the pods, but it’s nowhere near the usual very “reality TV” feeling I get when I reach the cliffhanger for next week’s batch of episodes. I think a lot of that has to do with the contestants who I think were not going to be successful just not getting out of it engaged. For example, I think if Alex, Madison, Colton and Meg had all coupled up, there would be room for some hurt feelings and door slams, but they simply were able to sense that their respective relationships were not ready for that next step.
I’m sure you’re curious, who am I worried about? David is No. 1 on my list, because I think he was the center of a lot of unnecessary drama between Molly and Taylor, and I can see this seeping into David and Taylor’s engagement somehow. I’m also not completely confident in Devin and Virginia, perhaps because he came off a bit indifferent in the pods, but maybe I’ll warm up to them. There was that odd moment with Ben when Sarah brought up social issues with him, but they seem rather strong otherwise!
And, The Biggest Cliffhanger So Far Feels So Harmless
Lastly, there’s the “drama” the episode leaves off on regarding Daniel and Taylor perhaps crossing paths before. Apparently Taylor thinks that maybe he followed her and unfollowed her at some point and knew about her the whole time. It definitely has me on the edge of my seat wondering what will be next for them, and if Daniel will be some evil mastermind or if they’ll continue their engagement. But after watching the first few episodes, it just seems so harmless. I highly doubt it’s going to go off the rails and take the show to a wild place.
Anyway, I’m just getting very sweet and innocent vibes from this season, and I know I’ll be rooting for a couple or two to make it at the altar this time! Sure, I still think four weeks is a wildly short time to find your life partner, but I have a better feeling some of these contestants will make it as far as other couples in the past who have said “I do.”