Love is Blind, the incredibly popular Netflix reality show, recently concluded its second season. A social experiment meets blind date, the series follows 15 men and women, separated into groups by gender, as they speed date and try to find their perfect match. The only catch? They’re never allowed to see each other. The speed dates take place in rooms split in half by a wall so the romancers can only hear the sound of their potential partners’ voice. At the end of phase one, couples get engaged based solely on the feelings they developed while talking behind the wall. The rest of the season follows them as they move in together, meet friends and family, and get married (or not). Seasons 1 and 2 are available to binge on Netflix right now.
Love is Blind was so popular, in fact, that after its first season Netflix greenlit Love is Blind Brazil and Love is Blind Japan. They premiered in tandem with the American incarnation’s second season. It’s interesting to see how different cultures are shaped by their environment and what that environment makes them look for in a potential partner. If anything, between America, Brazil and Japan, the biggest take away is that people want respect, loyalty and spontaneity in their relationship. They want a partner they can be vulnerable with, grow together with and make something beautiful. Much in the same vein that Catfish works, it stands to reason that you really can fall in love with a person based on personality and values.
Different languages, different ethnicities, different countries, Netflix is taking their social experiment to the next level. They’re trying different algorithms to see if the formula always ends the same. Obviously one of the last factors to be examined is sexuality. What if, instead of heterosexuals, a spin-off exists of Love is Blind that focuses on queer couples. Since sexuality runs such a large gambit in the queer community – gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual and how the trans community fits into the equation – the choices are endless when you mix 30 individuals looking for their perfect match. There are so many opportunities to discover a great relationship when getting to know another person with an unlike sexual identity.
Whether it’s admitted or not, flirtation based on looks alone is a huge part to any pairing – whether the couple is gay or straight. However, I feel like the queer community especially puts an emphasis on a person’s physical appearance. Chemistry and sexual gratification are the top tier markers that starts even the briefest encounter. Would gay men be able to put labels aside – fem, masc, bear, otter, etc – and fall in love with another man based only on the sound of their voice and the conversations they share? Would they be able to keep the fire burning once they met their would-be fiancé or if they looked different than perceived? In a hypersexualized environment, could gay men shut off Grinder long enough to give love a chance?
I believe, if the competitors are in it for the long run, it’s easy to find love as long as the experiment is taken seriously. I had a slut phase that ended the day I met my husband for our first date!
What do you think? Could Love is Blind succeed with a gay spin-off? Let me know in the comments section and on our social media posts!
If they change the Love is Blind set building it could work. However it’d be more expensive probably. I don’t know how the bedroom system works there, but they could separate same sex contestants each in their own mini studio within the building. Maybe have a gay/bi man and a gay/bi woman as roomates. This way the contestants wouldn’t be alone during this intense speed dating and there’s no complications of people of the same sex seeing each other. But that would mean filming a gay version and lesbian version at the same time + all the rooms with their own kitchen and living room etc would be more expensive than the current layout.
There’s no chance they’d make an lgbt version with the current layout, that would mean mixing people who could potentially be attracted to one another outside of the pod dating, and/or separating tops and bottoms which would be criticised by the public
Anyway would love to see it and even participate if I’m not dating by 30
I’d love to be in the gay version of love is bling
I think if all parties involved understand that the spectrum of dating pools are large for sure it would have high ratings
I’m mixed on this. The straight dating reality & competition shows are disastrous and messy. Not my cup of tea and I don’t want to see queer people trapped with all that reality show negativity. But my guilty side wants to see it lol
With the current format of Love is Blind, I don’t see how it would play out, with all gay participants. Having 15 gay guys/girls living in one side of the house, together, would have many of them hooking up with one another, who they are actually looking at, rather than only focusing on the people on the other side of the walls.
I’d like to sign my son up for the gay version. Why wouldn’t it work? Of course it would. Make it a gay Parental Control and I’ll sign up. Andy Cohen could be the host.❤💜💙💚
I would definitely watch a gay version.
I would totally watch an all gay Love is Blind, would be so good.