‘Love Is Blind’ goes live for season four reunion

Is love really blind? Well, ask the season four contestants of the hit Netflix reality series “Love Is Blind.” The hit show took a twist this season and streamed the reunion live on Sunday — something the popular Netflix series has never done before.

Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, “Love is Blind” is a social experiment where single men and women seeking true love go on various dates in pods that prevent them from seeing each other face-to-face.

Couples only meet physically if they are engaged. That way, they can get to know each other before deciding whether or not to say “I do” at the altar.

Netflix came off to a rough start for the long-anticipated reunion – and it was disappointing for fans. The live episode was scheduled to air at 8p.m. EST. However, the streaming service crashed on viewers’ screens with “Pardon the interruption. We’re having trouble playing Netflix. Please check your internet and try again.”

Frustrated fans’ responses poured in on social media, and Netflix acknowledged the situation through a post: “Love Is… late… #LoveIsBlindLIVE will be on in 15 minutes!” It was a two hour delay.

Two hours later, we got to see the cast members reuniting together, leaving fans like myself with curiosity about how they are doing one year later.

“My intention was never to hurt anyone, but my impact did.”

– Irina Solomonova

Each of these couples built meaningful connections in the pods, explored their relationship on their honeymoon and lived with each other for a few weeks where they decided whether or not they were meant for each other.

Prior to the reunion, we were left with five engaged couples: Tiffany and Brett, Micah and Paul, Kwame and Chelsea, Jackie and Marshall, and Zack and Irina — which ultimately shifted to Bliss, another girl Zack closely bonded with in the pods. From those relationships, Micah and Paul and Jackie and Marshall ended their relationship.

Chelsea and Kwame were the first couple to spill the tea at the reunion. The couple confirmed that they are still happily married, and Chelsea finally got to meet Kwame’s mother, who at first didn’t approve of the relationship and didn’t attend episode 12’s wedding. The mother and daughter-in-law officially met and bonded well.

Kwame addressed his apologies to Chelsea and her family for his inappropriate behavior throughout the show with his other meaningful connection in the pods, Micah. It was relieving to see Kwame’s maturity and defense of his marriage, and fans can clearly see their happiness with each other.

The focus shifted to Irina — an unlikable cast member due to her “mean girl” behavior on the show. The cast member revealed a lot of backlash due to how she treated Zack and her female castmates on the show.

“My intention was never to hurt anyone, but my impact did,” Irina stated at the reunion. She apologized to Zack directly, and her words felt sincere.

Zack learned to forgive, not forget. He said, “You went to the show to become famous.”

Although Irina and Zack did not last, Bliss swooped in and the couple is happily married. She announced her father and Zack are close friends now.

Micah made it clear at the reunion that she is now living her best life. Photo courtesy of @loveisblindnetflix, Instagram

The reunion shifted to Micah and Paul, a couple that is no longer together. Paul left Micah at the altar, leaving Micah in heartbroken tears.

Paul admitted that he cannot see Micah as the mother of his children, and Micah was still visibly upset. Throughout season four, fans like myself didn’t think the couple was compatible, however as a respectable fiancé, Paul needed to address the vital topic of conversation to Micah prior to the altar, and I truly feel for Micah.

Jackie, another cast member there to clear the air, showed up in a Zoom call. Jackie was engaged to Marshall, but their relationship ended before the altar. She revealed that she and Josh, another cast member on the show with whom she had built a connection with, now live together as a couple.

Although Marshall hoped to have an in-person conversation for full closure, he stated his desire for everyone to move on.

Finally, the fan-favorite couple, Tiffany and Brett, got to shine. The couple had chemistry since the beginning. They shared their lovely journey with viewers — an expected outcome of the natural, loving relationship.

The “Love Is Blind” reunion shared much-anticipated updates for every cast member. It was insightful to see where the couples are now and the reunion revealed a lot of maturity and growth from the cast members one year later.

Now I ask the question again whether love really is blind, and my answer is it could be.

 

4/5 Stars

 

alisanin@ramapo.edu

Featured photo courtesy of @loveisblindnetflix, Instagram