Contestants on Love is Blind must follow many rules if they want a shot at love. These rules are in place to make good television and to keep the contestants safe as they navigate getting to know each other in the pods and life after meeting their match.
Love is Blind follows 30 eligible singles who spend 10 days on dates in pods where they can’t see or touch the person they are speaking with. The Netflix reality TV show follows couples on a mission to find the love of their lives, despite not seeing them while getting to know them. It’s not until they choose each other for an engagement that they can see each other face-to-face. But, to make it to the televised wedding, there are some rules to follow.
The ‘Love Is Blind’ Pods Have Rules
In the beginning, just from a practical standpoint, we have to give them certain time limits, just so we can [get] them through and they have a chance to talk to everyone…where they just got to know each other.
The televised pod dates have no time limit. Some men and women visit each other multiple times a day because “the more they got in there, the more they have these conversations! Deep conversations that they never had with family members or friends or people they’ve dated,” Chris explained to Variety.
The producer said the longest pod date was four or five hours. The couple would have gone on longer, but the pair needed to have a bathroom break.
Collider explained that producers dictate what you can and can’t do in the Love is Blind pods. To avoid distractions, the contestants must unplug from the world and are not allowed to access their phones or watch television. Contestants are allowed to bring board games and books into the pod, as well as special food and drink that could help the couples bond.
Related
Should Love Is Blind Stop Casting Below Age 30 Contestants?
Fans have been complaining about “immature” singles on Love Is Blind, but isn’t it part of the dating experiment?
“Lauren and I bonded over our love of Hennessy at one point. We went into the pod one day and then there was Hennessy in there for both of us. [The producers] listened,” Cameron Hamilton from Season 1 explained to Refinery29 in 2020.
“They’d help facilitate needs for people, so it would feel like dating. For example, if someone said, ‘I love Italian food and I’d love to have an Italian dinner with my date.’ We would get some lasagna and arrange that,” Chris Coelen told Us Weekly. “Obviously they can’t eat it together but they could say, ‘Oh, this lasagna’s really cheesy,’ or whatever. If they want to draw pictures together, whatever they wanted to do, we really wanted them to feel like it’s their own thing.”
Lauren Speed revealed to Glamour that some people sleep in the pods to pass the time when there is no connection between people. “We would be like, ‘Let’s take a date nap. Just do that. Let’s rest up because we know that there’s no romance here.'”
The couples can’t see anything but a vague silhouette of the other person while in the pods. The pods are also totally soundproof, so the couples can only hear each other. While they can’t see each other, some previous contestants do describe how they look to each other.
The ‘Love Is Blind’ Rules Of Engagement
Unlike other shows like Married at First Sight, which Chris Coelen also masterminded, the couples on the Netflix reality show aren’t required to get engaged or married. “[On] a show like we do Married at First Sight, you sign up and you know, you’re getting married to a stranger. Here, nobody had to do anything. It was if you find someone, if you choose. Which is so scary. They don’t have to go through with the wedding ceremony,” creator Chris Coelen told Variety.
2:05
Related
How Love Is Blind Casts Its Singles And What It Takes To Get Noticed
Each season of Love is Blind is full of big personalities, so how does Netflix cast for this show of singles looking for love, sight unseen.
The engagement rings from recent seasons of Love is Blind are sourced from Bridal Rings Company. The men can choose from a range of styles and colors, and don’t have to pay for the ring. Some contestants decided to propose with a family heirloom; for example, Kyle Abrams proposed to Shaina Hurley with his mom’s ring.
Love Is Blind Couples That Are Still Married | Season |
Lauren and Cameron | Season 1 |
Amber and Barnett | Season 1 |
Brennon and Alexa | Season 3 |
Colleen and Matt | Season 3 |
Zack and Bliss | Season 4 |
Kwame and Chelsea | Season 4 |
Tiffany and Brett | Season 4 |
Milton and Lydia | Season 5 |
Amy and Johnny | Season 6 |
Taylor and Garrett | Season 7 |
Ashley and Tyler | Season 7 |
“Whatever they choose, we pay for. Whatever we pay for, they keep, regardless of engagement ending,” a source close to the production team told PopSugar in 2024.
If she says yes, the couple can’t share the news with their families due to the reality show’s no-phones policy. Couples will have to wait until they get home to reach phase two of the experiment.
Does The Cast Of ‘Love Is Blind’ Have To Follow Rules For Their Weddings?
“If they wanted to spend their own money, or try to enhance it within reason, we would certainly allow that. We would never put any constraints on them unless it was something we couldn’t accommodate within the show. That was really up to them.”
Some Rules Contestants Must Adhere To When It Comes To Wedding Day Planning
- Maximum of 100 guests.
- Celebrity event stylist Slomique Hawrylo doesn’t meet the guests but they can write down the vibe and color scheme they want.
- The couple must pay for special requests like photographers or custom monograms.
- According to Insider, every wedding guest has to sign an appearance release form, and they can’t bring their phones to the wedding.
Related
All The Love Is Blind Couples Who Are Still Married
Several couples from Love Is Blind have stayed married and have built a family together after the show.
While talking to Vairiety in 2023, Chris Coelen talked more about the process.
I go see them on the day of their wedding and I don’t even ask them what they’re going to say. I do not want to know.
“We want it to be real. I always tell them, ‘From a cynical producer’s point of view, I literally do not care [what their answer is]. If we have delivered the audience a very compelling journey, then let’s lean into the authenticity of that. But for you, you live with that forever.’ The only thing that matters to me is that each person makes the right decision for themselves.”
In 2022, Chris Coelen told the Los Angeles Times that “no mandate” or legal clause stopped cast members from revealing their relationships on social media before their season of Love Is Blind premiered. He admitted he did encourage the couple not to spoil the fun for viewers. “I know we’re in a culture where we broadcast everything to the world and do whatever; part of this experiment is about not doing that. I think people buy into the idea that this is something they do not want to spoil for the audience.”
Love Is Blind
is available to stream on Netflix.
Fifteen men and women from the same city come together to compete in Love is Blind, a reality dating show created for Netflix. The show sees couples meet and fall in love with a twist – they’ll only meet face to face if one of the two accepts a marriage proposal. If they accept, they’ll move in with their partner, meet their families, and ultimately decide if they want to say “I do.”
- Release Date
- February 13, 2020
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Seasons
- 7
