All the secrets of filming Love is Blind, according to producers and runners

Watching Love is Blind sparks so many logistical questions. It’s a show unlike anything we’ve really seen before and one that clearly has a huge budget. We know they date each other in these pods, but for how long? We know the people on it are all from Atlanta, but why? We also know that there were more engagements than we actually saw, but what else didn’t we see?

Lucky for us the sneaky producers and runners on the show have been letting slip on the behind the scenes gossip. Here’s what they’ve been saying about working on the show:

The runners are keen for a UK version

When asked about bringing Love is Blind to the UK, one runner told Metro: “Absolutely! 100 per cent yes. Let’s make it happen, I’d love it”. It hasn’t been confirmed but the producers seem very interested in making a UK version which will be far less wholesome and have a lot more messy drunks.

Season two is likely, as are many more seasons

Season two isn’t confirmed either but producers say it’s very likely after the success of this series. One producer told Variety: “I think we’ll be doing season 20”. Big yes.

Jessica was interested in a third man

Although frustrating, Jessica’s back and forth with Mark and Barnett was one of the main reasons everyone watched the show. However, it’s recently been reported that there was a third guy that Jess was interested in which was never shown. Better still, this mystery third man was “the virgin” ie. the guy who’s only airtime was him telling the world he’s still a virgin.

Jessica tried to quit before her wedding day but wasn’t allowed

In an interview, Jess revealed that she asked to quit the show in the run-up to her wedding. The producers apparently insisted that she stay, so she did. She said, “I definitely had a conversation about leaving and I wasn’t able to do that”.

Surprisingly, she didn’t want to leave because of her mixed feelings about Mark, but instead because of her dog. She said: “My dog got sick, and almost died during the show, I had so much other stuff going on. I wanted to be 100% in it but I kind of went in and out of wanting to be 100% in it and knowing that I needed to deal with my dog”.

 

Some of the couples were spending up to 20 hours a day in the pods

They got to break for food and sleep but apparently some contestants would spend up to 20 hours in the day in those pods. No wonder some of them seemed wrecked by the end of it, imagine drinking in a small room for 20 hours.

Some of the contestants never wanted to leave the pods

Despite already spending an excessive amount of time in the pods, some couples wanted to stay there even longer. Some apparently requested to sleep there and the producers had to push them to leave, eat and see the outside world.

The longest pod session was four to five hours

Five hours with no break is the longest ongoing pod session, according to producers. If that’s doesn’t prove love is blind, I’m not sure what does.

Producers were ‘gasping’ at Gigi and Damiens wedding

Producers told Buzzfeed that they were equally as emotionally invested as the viewers. They often had no idea how a situation was going to go and admitted that they all gasped after Damien said no and Gigi ran away, slipped over and then stormed back to confront him.

They didn’t believe Amber and Barnett would get married

They had their own predictions on who would and wouldn’t get married. Amber and Barnett were one couple that surprised them when the wedding actually went through. The executive producer Chris Coelen said he knew Barnett had been texting Amber but he didn’t know whether Barnett was going to show up to the wedding. When he did, everyone was pleasantly surprised.

They called Lauren and Cameron’s journey the ‘success story’

On the other side of Amber and Barnett was Lauren and Cameron who were apparently the favourite among the producers. Coelen called them the “success story” and said their love was real and will “bond them for the rest of their lives”.

The show has been in the works for two years and was always meant for Netflix

The idea of the show came around two years ago and was something Coelen developed with Netflix in mind. He said, ” I felt like it was the kind of idea that would resonate with them [Netflix], with their execs and with their platform and audience”.

They purposefully chose people from the same city

If you were wondering why all the couples were from Atlanta, it’s because the producers only chose people from one city. They did this on purpose to prevent the location becoming an issue for the couples. Coelen told Variety: “It’s too difficult if you’re from Tampa and they’re from Portland, that just throws another wrench in. We wanted to give them a real shot at making their love and their marriage work”. They’re now looking to do many more series in different American cities and countries.

The contestants were never told what to say in the pods

Unlike Love Island, where producers have admitted to advising Islanders to say certain things or avoid topics, Love is Blind producers don’t intervene with what the couples talk about, they encourage them to speak about what they want.

They want contestants that are genuinely looking for love

Their key aim in the show is to find people genuinely looking for love. Ceolen said, “There’s a lot of good shows out there where people can find love, but it’s not really that serious.” This is partly why they chose to have a wedding at the end, to really figure out the couples who were committed and the ones who weren’t.

Related stories recommended by the writer:

• Quiz: How far would you get in Love Is Blind?

• Which Love Is Blind couples are still together? An investigation

• Quiz: Which Love Is Blind girl are you?