Do you believe in love at first sight? As a child raised on Disney cartoons, I absolutely did. Once I hit college, though, I got a little more realistic. Lust at first sight? Definitely. But love at first sight? That now felt like a myth.
But what about love at… no sight?
That’s the concept behind Netflix’s juggernaut show Love Is Blind, now in its 10th season.
If you’ve somehow managed to avoid the group texts and social media debates about this show, here’s the quick rundown.
Heterosexual men and women date in “pods” where they can hear each other, but they can’t see each other. As contestants build connections, they narrow down their relationships. The twist? They don’t actually see each other until after a marriage proposal has been accepted. After that first face-to-face meeting, the engaged couples head to an exotic location together, try living together back home, meet each other’s families, and eventually end up at the altar… if they make it that far. The entire point of the show is to answer one question: Is love blind?
There are plenty of dating shows out there. But Love Is Blind has connected with people on a different level. It flips the fairy-tale script many of us grew up with. Instead of being swept away by looks and chemistry, contestants are forced to first focus entirely on personality, values, and emotional connection.
Maybe that’s why it feels so addictive.
In what other real-life scenario can you fall in love with someone without ever seeing them? Even dating apps lead with photos (albeit carefully curated ones). This show strips that away at the beginning, letting personality take center stage.
As moms, we spend so much time teaching our kids that character matters more than appearances. Be kind. Be honest. Be genuine. So when we watch two adults attempt to build a relationship based solely on those things, it taps into something deeper than just reality TV drama.
It doesn’t always work. There are many couples who break up due to looks-related concerns.
But we want it to work because it’s refreshing to think that two people can fall in love based entirely on who they are on the inside. After all, in the nine completed seasons of the show, eight couples are still together.
Compare that to 29 seasons of The Bachelor, where only three couples are still together after the final rose.
Maybe love truly is blind.
