‘Love Is Blind’ Needs a ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Style Spin-Off -

OK, let me get this out of the way right now. I know that Perfect Match is technically the Love Is Blind equivalent of Bachelor in Paradise, but it’s intentionally different, yet incredibly similar. But Perfect Match unites the all-stars of the Netflix Reality Universe, proudly known as the NRU, together to mix and mingle. We’re going to focus here on just the Pod Squad. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s discuss.

So much of the Love is Blind experience is watching the fascinating dating experiment to test the theory of whether love is truly blind. But really, the drama, the juicy bits, seem to come after the show. Not even just the pod portion, but after the reunion. With so much drama happening in the real world, perhaps the participants who don’t find love should be flown out to a tropical locale, or maybe even a ski chalet, for their own island hook-up fest. With so many post-show partnerings, maybe it’s time to turn the cameras on and give fans the juicy bits with their favorite singles through a different lens. Just as Bachelor in Paradise is an all-stars-style extravaganza, this spin-off could bring the best of the best from the various seasons to see if any cross-season romances can blossom on screen.

The Pod Squad Singles Deserve Paradise

Part of the draw for Bachelor in Paradise is that Bachelor Nation continues to watch their favorites from across the franchise search for love in a slightly different forum. It also serves as an off-season show filler, so fans are not without their fix of love and drama. Love is Blind, for better or worse, has grown over the years. The family is getting bigger. With each new season, two dozen or more new faces join the Pod Squad. The odds are certainly not in favor of marriage, but the Love Is Blind singles are eager to find love with individuals they can “trauma bond” with.

For those unaware of how Bachelor in Paradise works, alumni of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and now The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette contestants, are flown to paradise where they engage in gender-swapping rose ceremonies, where, after each ceremony, an unmatched contestant is eliminated, a new bombshell enters the villa. Sorry, wrong show. A new single arrives, hoping to win the heart of the remaining islanders. The main mission of the show is to leave the game together and engaged. It’s essentially Love Is Blind‘s mission statement as well. Perfect Match focuses on establishing chemistry through challenges, and those who succeed at love can impact the game. For our dream Love Is Blind spin-off, we want to see the former’s format because, as proven in the real world, it leads to more drama for the Pod Squad. By mixing those who have attempted to date post-pods with those who have unfortunately remained single, the action that unfolds could result in another hit Netflix series. Like Perfect Match, having familiar faces is a perfect way into a new series. Now, just give that glory to the Pod Squad.

Colleen and Matt at their wedding in Love is Blind Season 3.

Love Is Blind’s 10 Most Emotional Episodes, Ranked

Grab a tissues!

Through a solely Love Is Blind lens, it will allow viewers a chance to learn more about why pod dating may not have worked, and a more “natural” attempt at reality television dating is better suited for them. While Perfect Match leans more toward competition-based fun, a Bachelor in Paradise-style format allows for the hook-ups that the fans have been eager to see. Because Love Is Blind focuses so heavily on the “happily ever after” based on the initial connection, there is very little room for the other antics. Interactions with the Pod Squad are usually limited to one group outing, where the edit only focuses on the pertinent narratives rather than allowing us to learn how the Pod Squad singles have gotten on with one another.

‘Love Is Blind’ Has Produced Post-Pod Romances

Putting the spotlight solely on the Love Is Blind alumni allows the devoted fan base to focus primarily on those who didn’t hear wedding bells. Fans deserve extra time with the alumni! Why save all the juicy bits for the podcast tea spills? Get the cameras rolling and continue the narratives! So, let’s break down some of the rumored drama that the cameras never caught. Most recently, in Season 8, we learned that Meg Fink and Mason Horacek, who broke up in the pods, found love post-show. While they claimed they were just friends at the reunion, it appears it’s blossomed into something more. Joey Leveille and Sara Carton, both of whom made it out with a different partner in the pods, had allegedly hooked up in Minneapolis, and all viewers could do was hear about it through secondhand accounts. Imagine these stars dropped into paradise to explore love! Let us see how it manifests!

In Season 4, after his break-up with Jackie Bonds, Marshall Glaze revealed that he took the opportunity to date Kacia Clark. They “tried,” but it didn’t quite work. Imagine if they had a chance to try it in paradise? Maybe it could have worked out in their favor. As it just so happened, Jackie Bonds began dating Josh Demas when she found herself single again. Then there was Paul Peden with Wendi Kong from Season 4, Kyle Abrams and Deepti Vempati of Season 2, and who can forget the infamous villains of Season 6, Jeramey Lutinski and Sara Ann Bick, who hooked up and caused major controversy during and post-filming. What’s clear is the pod dating format is not meant for everyone, but the individuals they share the experience with might be the right one. With so many other pairings in the Love Is Blind Cinematic Universe, putting the singles in a new environment with the same objective may result in a potentially happy ending.

As much as we love the cross-pollution that has come out of Perfect Match, the Love Is Blind alums don’t quite get their fair shake. Giving them their own dedicated spin-off focused on the temptation of love is more appealing. Yes, the tone will be in heavy contrast to the flagship program, but it can allow the drama that fans love coming out of the reunion to expand. Love Is Blind isn’t always about happily ever after. It is reality television after all.

Love Is Blind is available to stream on Netflix.