‘Love Is Blind’ review: The most boring season yet

The producers of Love Is Blind certainly took a chance by setting season 8 in Minneapolis, given the regional phenomenon known as “Minnesota Nice.” According to this stereotype, people from the Land of 10,000 Lakes are known to be polite and friendly, but they also harbor “an emotional reserve” that can “keep folks at a distance.” Reality television is a genre built on big feelings, bigger personalities, and impassioned confrontations, so the qualities of “Minnesota Nice” don’t really align with what casting directors usually look for in their contestants.

Yet Kinetic Content, the studio behind Netflix’s hit dating series, forged ahead anyway, rounding up 32 single Minnesotans who were willing to look for love through a frosted glass wall. Alas, the Love Is Blind producers — whose job it is to make their contestants (employees?) feel comfortable baring their souls for millions of television viewers — were not up to the challenge. The result is the most boring season of Love Is Blind to date, with couples whose romantic travails are about as spicy as macaroni salad.

We interrupt this review for a necessary disclaimer: Of course, Minnesotans are not a monolith, and plenty of them have no trouble displaying their emotions. But having spent my formative childhood years in Wayzata, Minn., I can confirm that the “Minnesota Nice” characterization is not not accurate.

The season begins as they all do, with hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey greeting the male and female contestants in their respective dorms before sending them into the “pods” to date. The initial small talk between the couples is endearingly Minnesotan; when Yemi, a 30-year-old product sales manager, tells a potential suitor that she’s from Woodbury, Minn., he replies, “They have a beautiful Costco out there!” Over the course of the 71-minute premiere, several main characters start to emerge. Madison, 28, is a discerning artist whose childhood trauma makes her reluctant to display vulnerability. Earnest basketball coach Devin, 29, is eager to build a family, and woo-woo nurse Meg, 31, rejects organized religion but believes in ghosts and aliens. Lauren, 31, is an educator with a gentle spirit, while Daniel, a 30-year-old sales account executive, continually tells us he’s 5’8” and needs a woman looking for a “short king.” Dave, 33, is a tightly wound medical device salesman who masks his insecurities with quippy insults (“Why are you here? What’s wrong with you?”) and is the closest this season comes to a quote-unquote villain.

It’s worth noting that while season 8 boasts the largest cast to date, it’s also very noticeably the whitest. Historically, Love Is Blind casts are approximately 50 percent non-white; here, it drops to under 30 percent. While Minnesota is a majority white state, it’s also well-known for its large communities of Somali, Mexican, Hmong, and Native residents, among other minority groups — and it’s disappointing that producers didn’t reflect that in their casting.

There’s also a dearth of contestants to root for. Among a few standouts are 35-year-old Brittany, a funny and vivacious partnership executive who does not get nearly enough screen time, and Joey, a goofy 35-year-old physician associate with the Platonic Ideal of a Minnesota accent. (Truly, future casts of Fargo should study him.) Joey bonds quickly with Monica, an easygoing 28-year-old in digital marketing, and their silly, sweet courtship provides the season’s most charming romance.

Otherwise, the first six episodes — which drop today — are long on dull, meandering chats in the pods. It’s not that all the conversations are banal, though many are. (“I actually have a question: Do you like forts?”) But that’s often the case in the early, get-to-know-you phase of the pod process. What’s puzzling is that even when the potential for interesting human drama is there, producers let it fizzle out rather than nurturing their contestants’ candor. “I don’t think I’ve ever dated a nice guy in my entire life,” notes Virginia, a 34-year-old healthcare recruiter, in one of her conversations with Devin. That sure seems like a rich emotional vein to mine, but she never brings it up again. Early in the season, Lauren grapples with the revelation that her top pick is also dating Molly, a 30-year-old executive assistant — but rather than confronting him outright, she mildly requests that he not tell her about his other dates.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that the Love Is Blind producers break in over the PA system and order couples to talk about specific subjects when they’re in the pods. But it is a reality TV producer’s job to engage in probing conversations with contestants that will nudge them toward more open (and interesting for the viewer) interactions with their fellow contestants. That does not seem to be happening here.

When couples do tiptoe up to the edge of conflict, it can be compelling. Madison is forthright about her harrowing upbringing — much of which she spent taking care of parents who were struggling with addiction — and how it’s led to her an “avoidant” attachment style. This is a “trigger” for the man she’s dating, who says frankly, “I think that could lead to some issues.” It’s one of the most honest conversations we see in the first six episodes. And Sara, a 29-year-old nurse who thinks it’s important to speak out on social justice issues, has a fascinating — and disheartening — exchange with developer Ben, 28, about the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. “What are your thoughts on Black Lives Matter?” she asks. His response: “I just kind of keep out of it.” If Love Is Blind season 8 has any scream-at-your-TV moments, this is it. 

Mostly, though, the new season had me checking my watch, playing the episodes at 1.5 speed, and continually scrambling back through my notes to identify contestants — wait, is that white guy Mason, the 33-year-old cinematographer, or Alex, the 29-year-old commercial real estate broker? — even after watching the show for hours. Things don’t pick up much once the couples leave the pods. As they count down to their wedding day, the lovers grapple with the types of issues you’d expect: Money management, domestic habits, family integration, and so on. (Netflix made 9 out of 12 episodes available for review.)

Like so many LIB couples before them, our Minnesota sweethearts follow a path of willful blindness on their way to the altar, confidently avoiding their relationships’ obvious red flags. “I can see this love lasting a lifetime,” one smitten woman tells her fiancé. A lifetime? Bless her optimism. This Love could barely hold my attention for an hour. Grade: D

The first six episodes of Love is Blind season 8 are streaming now on Netflix.