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‘Love Is Blind’ Season 9 Exposes the Cracks in Reality TV’s Biggest Experiment Ever

October 29, 2025

For Love Is Blind‘s ninth season, the series brought a group of singles from Denver to the pods to see if they could capture the same lightning in a bottle from the early seasons. But five years into the most fascinating dating experiment to ever hit television, Season 9 proved that not every person who claims they’re willing to participate in the experiment is actually cut out to do so.

It seems the longer that the Love Is Blind dating experiment lingers on, the less successful it becomes. Not necessarily the show itself, which provides for successful messy content, but success in proving the test, “Is love blind?” The Denver season became easily one of the most toxic overall seasons of the show yet. From ghosting in the pods to blackouts in Mexico, these couples were never going to make it to the altar with cheering from their loved ones in the end. But the season made history as the first to have no successful marriages at the altar. The Love Is Blind experiment isn’t flawed, but the people who participate clearly are.

The Love Is Blind experiment is meant to test individuals’ ability to fall in love sight unseen. With the emotional connection at the forefront, Love Is Blind hoped to change the way we see the dating world, but Season 9 proved that, at least with this group of singles, they were not right to play this game. Six couples left the pods engaged; one broke up before heading to the honeymoon, four broke up prior to their wedding, and two broke up at the altar. The simple fact that we had two couples reach their wedding day was astonishing because it truly could have been a season in which not a single wedding was shown.

Based on how Edmon Harvey and Kalybriah Haskin were feuding on the mountaintop, it’s almost as if they were coerced to break up at the altar just so they could have a wedding to show. Then, with Ali Lima‘s realization about Anton Yarosh‘s drinking habits coming to light at the altar? Something didn’t add up. Love Is Blind should have proved this season that the experiment was a toxic mess, with a shocking twist: zero wedding days. At least Joe Ferrucci had the foresight to cut his losses with Madison Maidenberg early enough on before it was too late. Though we wish it were Madison who did the dumping, because Joe, from his blackout fight from hell in Mexico to his vile comments, was not the one.

Is Casting To Blame For ‘Season 9’s Failure?

Image via Netflix

This season, the pod squad seemed to enter with the wrong intentions. They all claimed to be searching for the right person through emotions first, but how can you find that person if you’re not even emotionally invested in the full experiment? As we saw with Kacie McIntosh after the pods, she couldn’t handle not being attracted to Patrick Suzuki. Her motivations were clearly hazy. The five other couples at least attempted a relationship beyond the pods, but we saw the red flags before they even left.

Each couple had a glaring issue that we knew they would not be able to overcome. They were just blinded to it. Or maybe they acknowledged it and were convinced they could work around it. Megan Walerius, also known as Sparkle Megan, was so eager and excited to be a stepmother for Jordan Keltner‘s son Luca. He even brought Luca into her life, off-camera. There was so much hope and promise, but she was going to have to change her lifestyle as a woman of wealth and leisure, and that would never work. She claimed she didn’t want Jordan to class-up, but she was expecting him to be willing to just accept her lifestyle. Someone would have to make a gigantic sacrifice that would ultimately be their downfall. So, why did they end up together? They liked the fantasy of what Love Is Blind could offer.

Maybe Love Is Blind has reached the breaking point, where casting the right people is faltering, and the only willing participants are those seeking fame beyond the pods. Take, for example, Annie Lancaster and Nick Amato. As a living, breathing red flag, even from the pods, Nick seemed eager for his moments in the spotlight rather than proceeding with the experiment as presented. He began to have second thoughts, realizing that he didn’t actually want to get married on the show. Annie tried to push him into a lifelong commitment, but Nick truly seemed to be playing along for a clout. Or maybe he was looking for an exit ramp, knowing how his pod conversation with Annie about having an LGBTQ+ child was going to completely backfire if it made it to air. Which it did.

Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from 'Love Is Blind' wedding — Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from ‘Love Is Blind’ wedding

When Love Is Blind premiered in 2020, it was the best show on streaming because it was daring and pushed us to think about love through a new lens. We watched genuine love blossom in Season 1 with Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton. They were proof that this experiment does work. Five years later, they’re still going strong. They welcomed their first child and are a beacon for couples truly eager to make Love Is Blind work. You move through the seasons, and there are still some couples that have worked out, like Season 3’s Alexa Alfia and Brennon Lemieux, Season 4’s Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown, and Season 6’s Amy Coretés and Johnny McIntyre.

The struggle we’re facing right now is what does success on Love Is Blind look like? Is it having a pair last half a decade after their engagement, or is it the thesis that love is or isn’t blind? According to series creator Chris Coelen, he’s defended the show and this season. “Remember that the experiment is an experiment, and it’s meant to test two main questions,” he told Tudum. “First, is it possible to fall in love with someone based solely on who they are? And second, if you do fall in love and get engaged, is that love strong enough to overcome the obstacles of the real, material world?” Based on his thesis, he claimed the experiment is “working better than ever.” Well, if that’s true, is it time for a format change to take the experiment to a new level? Right now, it’s wearing thin.

Love Is Blind is available to stream on Netflix.