Exclusive: Sam from Love Is Blind UK is on a hefty villain redemption arc

Every reality TV viewer knows Love Is Blind wouldn’t be Love Is Blind without a token villain, and in August 2024, that villain was Sam Klein. The world moved on and Love Is Blind has had two more seasons since then, but Sam is still living with the backlash of being a reality TV star. After being picked apart relentlessly for months by viewers at home, Sam had to navigate his normal life, and it was as difficult as you’d expect. Here’s the story of Sam from Love Is Blind UK on his villain redemption arc, and his honest message for the new Love Is Blind season eight cast.

Sam was scouted for the show – he didn’t apply

via Netflix

Sam exclusively told The Tab that he was scouted for Love Is Blind UK, and didn’t think about applying himself.

“I was scouted. They found me on Raya. My friend was a model about six years ago and he referenced me to join the app. I was on there and a Netflix producer messaged me, but I didn’t believe it was true. I said, “leave me alone, go away.” But then they called me and said that it was real. I decided to give it a go because the only missing piece in my life is a girlfriend. It was a long process.”

His whirlwind romance with Nicole lasted 10 days

via Netflix

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After proposing to Nicole and hearing her heartfelt love letter to him, the couple were actually told by Netflix producers that they would not be progressing onto the Corfu retreat and that their time filming the experiment was essentially done. This might seem like a huge shock considering how much screen time the couple got in the first four episodes, and feels eerily similar to Brittany and Leo’s story in Love Is Blind USA season seven.

“Nicole and I were never given the opportunity to go on the retreat. We were never actually selected. We tried to make the relationship work in the real world, but that big piece of the storyline looked like Nicole decided not to go on the retreat with me specifically. We were told the evening after getting engaged that Netflix wasn’t going to be filming us.”

Nicole and Benaiah ended up getting married and are still together to this day.

Sam addressed his castmates’ claims that he went on the show for fame

via Netflix

At the time of the show, many of Sam’s castmates accused him of going on the show for fame, including, of course, Benaiah in the pods. However, Sam still stands by his statement that it just wasn’t the case, and he went on the show because he wanted to meet his “life partner.”

“I was kind of a fan of the show. I believed in it, meeting the girl of my dreams. I was told there were people there that I was going to love because of the personality checks. There’s excitement for people to watch that on TV. I’m not scared to admit that. It doesn’t mean I’m fame-hungry because I never quit my job for the show, unlike some people,” Sam stressed. “We’re all humans, the proof’s in the pudding.”

The first four days after the show aired were the worst

The aftermath of the show’s release was an utter hell for Sam.

I spent four days in my room without eating or drinking. I fell into a dark place. I tried to understand that I can be a punching bag for people who have their own feelings of hurt, but there’s only so much a person can take.

“I was lucky enough to have good support from family and friends. My boss, my colleagues, they’ll all tell you that I’ve never even been in trouble. To see that was hard for them as well,” Sam explained.

Sam also described feeling like he let his family down. “I was upset, not by my actions, but I didn’t want to let my family feel embarrassed.”

Despite the storm of hate he received both online and in person, he it’s not all bad news. He said that it’s made him “way stronger as a person.”

“Nothing will ever be as difficult as that in my life. It’s made me a way stronger person, and it’s made me aware of where society is at. Where people’s emotions and feelings are rather than actual problems in the world.”

Sam’s villain redemption arc hasn’t been that easy

Sam’s villain arc hasn’t been very smooth sailing. Luckily for Sam, he never gave up his day job and he’s still working happily as a Product Designer in London. After a crazy six months, the reality for him was just going straight back to his “normal working day job.”

“The reality switch from being one of the most hated guys in the country back to normality is the most bizarre experience anyone could ever feel. It was very strange to try and concentrate on my day job.”

He explained that work has “always” been his priority. “My career is everything. I’m very passionate about design and I’d never let that fall down the wayside.”

Sam also claimed he had “not made one pound off of anything from social media,” but instead utilised his platform for good.

“I’ve tried my hardest to use my platform to win people back. So they can understand who the real Sam Klein was – it has taken me a really long time to achieve that.”

Sam’s also been very vocal about his mental health struggles post-Love Is Blind UK. After watching the show back, he acknowledged that he wasn’t “as bad as I was made to be out,” and once he accepted that he used his Instagram to help others who were suffering.

“A lot of men have inboxed me and secretly messaged me after going through a lot too. I’ve used my social media to have fun and to show that life is not so serious. I do have down days and I do show those sometimes. Life is not easy, and social media is not reality.”

Sam is very optimistic for the Love Is Blind season eight cast

Sam is very optimistic about the new season of Love Is Blind, which premieres on Valentine’s Day.

Although he hasn’t met the new cast, he did speak to Vanessa on an Instagram live a few weeks ago. He said Vanessa was his favourite and is definitely the girl he’s “rooting for.”

He did have a message for the new cast, especially to any of them who might come across differently than they thought they would.

“Nothing will ever prepare you for what is going come your way as a villain,” Sam said. “How I connected with other villains put me into a different space of thinking.

“When you come out of the other side you’re gonna be a better person and understand the meaning of life better than anyone else will.”

He also encouraged the new contestants to “talk to people” and “keep yourself busy” instead of googling themselves 100 times a day.

“After a few months, everything will be okay and you’ll wonder why you felt so low at the time.”

Lastly, he wished them all good luck. “Anyone who goes on Love Is Blind is brave and crazy, even if it doesn’t work out, just enjoy the experience. Soon after you’ll be back into reality, and it’s like it never happened, so enjoy it while it lasts.”

As the age-old question goes, is love really blind? Sam believes so. And with that, we welcome a brand-new season.

Love Is Blind is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.