What The Cameras Didn't Show You On Love Is Blind

Netflix's Love Is Blind premiered just in time for Valentine's Day on February 13, 2020 and successfully introduced an entirely new reality dating show format that immediately grabbed viewers' attention. The show quickly proved itself to be worthy of a binge-watch, with its futuristic dating pods, relatable contestants, and made-for-reality-TV drama — all leading up to the wedding days of the Love Is Blind couples who fell in love and got engaged before ever seeing each other.

As fans of the show can attest, the seemingly unrealistic dating process featured on Love Is Blind actually — spoiler! — proved successful for two couples: contestants Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton and Amber Pike and Matt Barnett. At the time of this writing, both couples are still happily married (as well as newly famous), seemingly proving that love truly is blind for some people crazy enough to give it a chance.

While Love Is Blind managed to pack an overwhelming amount of entertainment in a single season, the cameras unfortunately weren't able to capture all of the drama and fun that transpired behind the scenes. Here's a look at what the camera's didn't show you on Netflix's Love Is Blind. Note: spoilers ahead.

If you're a fan of Netflix's Love Is Blind, chances are you're probably familiar with a little show called The Bachelor — ABC's long-running reality dating show. For years, famed jewelry designer Neil Lane has been a Bachelor franchise staple, appearing at the end of each season with a briefcase full of dazzling diamond engagement rings to show the bachelor(s) hoping to propose. To put it simply, without Neil Lane, there is no Bachelor.

While getting engaged is a major point of focus on Love Is Blind, the actual engagement ring doesn't play nearly as large of a part as Neil Lane's Bachelor sparklers do. However, much like The Bachelor, Love Is Blind did allow contestants to choose their own engagement rings. 

"Once they decided to get engaged, they were given a couple of choices should they want to take us up on that," series creator Chris Coelen told Entertainment Tonight. Coelen continued, explaining, "It's obviously such a gigantic moment in people's lives that we wanted it to be as authentic to them as it possibly could be."

Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton were undoubtedly the fan favorite couple on Love Is Blind. The two connected immediately, strengthening their connection within the dating pods before going on to become the first couple viewers saw get engaged. While the majority of the engaged couples split at the wedding altar, Hamilton and Speed tied the knot — and, as of this writing, the married lovebirds are still going strong.

Of course, there are simply not enough hours in a Love Is Blind day to show viewers every aspect of every relationship, which means some crucial moments have to be left on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, according to Hamilton and Speed, some of those cut scenes included footage of Speed forming a close-knit bond with Hamilton's mom. "Mom and Lauren really bonded very quickly," Hamilton told Page Six. He continued, saying, "Lauren showed her her wedding dress on her phone."

Added Speed, "It was unfortunate that that was cut out because so many people were like, 'Well, what happened? Did you meet his parents? Did they not want to meet you?'"

Amber Pike was both a fan favorite cast member on Netflix's Love Is Blind, as well as one of the more controversial contestants. While Pike certainly didn't attract the same kind of negative attention garnered by fellow cast mate (and pseudo-rival) Jessica Batten, Pike did find herself the subject of much criticism when fans witnessed the contestant open up to Matt Barnett about her maxed out credit card and unpaid student loan debt — after they'd already gotten engaged.

Even more worrisome was Pike's apparent disinterest in getting a job, opting instead to binge-watch Netflix while Barnett worked. However, according to Pike, Love Is Blind failed to show the real reason behind her unemployment.

"I was in the middle of a lawsuit over a workplace injury," Pike told the Los Angeles Times. She continued, explaining, "I couldn't contribute, so I was stuck at home and I couldn't work, but I work. I'm more than happy making my own money to pay my part of the bills."

Jessica Batten proved herself to be a polarizing figure early on in the first season of Love Is Blind, letting her dog drink wine, seemingly altering her voice, and — of course — dumping fiancé Mark Cuevas at the altar, leaving the contestant heartbroken and sobbing on his mother's shoulder.

During the Love Is Blind reunion episode, it was clear Batten had learned from her behavior on the show and planned to use her experience to better herself. Still, fellow contestant Amber Pike wasn't willing to forgive and forget how Batten flirted with Pike's now husband, Matt Barnett — even after she'd accepted Cuevas' proposal. 

Still, Batten's experience on Love Is Blind wasn't all bad. As she revealed in a February 26, 2020 Instagram post, the contestant did make lasting bonds throughout her time filming the reality show. "The best part of all was the little family we created called The Purple Team," Batten wrote of her Love Is Blind experience. She continued, revealing, "Even amidst the drama and entertainment element of the show, we had the best and happiest of times."

As fans of Netflix's Love Is Blind are well aware, the show centers around six main couples. Two of those couples — Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton and Amber Pike and Matt Barnett — said "I do" at the altar, while the rest of the contestants dumped or, alternatively, got dumped by their partners.

However, while Love Is Blind only focused on these six couples, there were more love stories playing out away from the cameras, like the romance between contestants Danielle Drouin and Rory Newbrough. The lovebirds actually ended up getting engaged, but instead of being flown to Mexico for a romantic getaway with the main group of couples, Drouin and Newbrough vacationed together in Miami, People reported. However, once they got back home to Atlanta, their relationship fell apart.

"When we got back, there [were] still some unresolved feelings on her side for another castmate, Matt [Thomas]," Newbrough admitted to People. He continued, "She ended up wanting to pursue that." 

Unlike contestants on The Bachelor, who are reportedly instructed not to eat the food viewers see on the fancy one-on-one dinner date, the Love Is Blind cast didn't shy away from eating and drinking onscreen. Throughout the Netflix show's first season, contestants could be seen snacking in their pods, enjoying classy charcuterie boards in Mexico, and downing cocktails.

"Lauren and I had bonded over our love of Hennessy at one point," Love Is Blind contestant Cameron Hamilton told Refinery 29. He continued, "We went into the pod one day and then there was Hennessy in there for both of us. [The producers] listened."

According to Kenny Barnes, the cast could even request specific types of grub from producers and, as Barnes' former fiancée Kelly Chase told Refinery 29, some of their fellow castmates could be pretty picky when it came to their snacks. "I just needed some meat and greens," Chase said. She continued, revealing, "But everyone else was being very, very particular. [They were like], 'I need the chocolate chip pop [tarts] with chocolate frosting.'" 

Netflix's Love Is Blind is a show about falling in love with a person while being unaware of the other's appearance — until, of course, it's time to propose. While it may seem like an outlandish idea, contestants Matt Barnett and Amber Pike proved it was possible when the two went from being virtual strangers in the Love Is Blind dating pods to exchanging marriage vows in just over a month's time. 

While they did fall in love with each other before even knowing how their partner looked, physical appearance was on some contestants' minds. In fact, according to Barnett, describing his appearance felt sort of like a fun little game to the contestant. "I like describing myself wrong. It's fun for me," Barnett told the Los Angeles Times. He continued, revealing, "I would say I looked like Jon Snow, but balding."

Unlike her now-husband, Pike didn't care to talk about appearances. "That was kind of against the point of it, but if somebody did ask, I think my general go-to description ... [was] Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality," Pike told the publication.

If you've already binge-watched all of Love Is Blind's very first season, you likely feel well-acquainted with the six main couples featured throughout the show. However, there's another couple you should know about.

Much like Rory Newbrough and Danielle Drouin, Love Is Blind contestants Westley Baer and Lexie Skipper left the show as an engaged couple. According to Baer, he knew he loved Skipper when, after he revealed he'd never felt the "joy" of the holidays, Skipper had producers decorate Baer's dating pod as if it were Christmas. "There were Christmas lights and a Santa hat and music playing," Baer told People. He continued, revealing, "I walked in and immediately started crying."

Unfortunately, Baer and Skipper's relationship came to an end only three months later when Baer accepted a job offer in Asia. However, the Love Is Blind contestant told People he's since moved back to the states and currently lives in a New York City apartment building next to Skipper's. Still, according to Baer, he and his former flame aren't "seeing each other romantically."

Netflix's Love Is Blind is hosted by power duo and famed married couple, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, but to some viewers of the hit reality dating show, "hosted" might feel like too strong of a word to describe their participation throughout the show. 

While the hosts are heavily featured in the first episode of the Netflix series, they're noticeably absent from the episodes that follow, except for a few seconds-long appearances here and there. If you fancy yourself a fan of The Bachelor, the Lacheys' minimal involvement may strike you as odd, considering Bachelor host Chris Harrison has long been a staple figure within the franchise. However, according to the star couple, they were much more active during filming than the Love Is Blind cameras let on. 

"We would interview [the contestants] when they came out of the pods," Nick Lachey told Entertainment Weekly. He continued, saying, "We would say, 'Who was that with? Where's your head at?'" Added the former pop star, "I think just in terms of editing, it just didn't make sense for the flow of the show."

Love Is Blind is a reality show like no other — and for more reasons than just one. The Netflix series combines ingredients of other beloved reality shows, such as The Voice, The Bachelor, and 90 Day Fiancé, mixing them together and getting an end result that is wholly unique (and incredibly binge-worthy). Perhaps the most unique aspect of Love Is Blind is the show's dating pods. You know, the little rooms in which contestants isolate themselves and talk to each other via speakers, hoping to make a love connection. However, according to contestant Rory Newbrough, he and the rest of the Love Is Blind cast did more than just flirt in their pods. 

As Newbrough told Women's Health, he ended up acting as a therapist for many of the female contestants. Newbrough revealed, "They would leave the pod with me saying, 'I feel so much better!'" He continued, telling the publication, "I'm a natural empath."

According to him, producers also provided contestants with activities to help pass time in the pods. "[I] made a horrible painting that I hope they never show," Newbrough joked.

The dating pods on Love Is Blind are where the contestants spend the majority of their time before deciding whether or not they want to get engaged to a person they've never actually seen. Fortunately for the contestants, the pods seem pretty cozy, with each tiny room housing a couch, blankets, pillows, and decorations seemingly swiped directly from Pinterest. 

According to Cameron Hamilton, some contestants found the pods comfortable enough to even catch some zzz's. "Some people actually did take naps in the pods cause they knew they weren't going to get together," Hamilton told Refinery 29. However, the contestants' actual sleeping quarters were far less comfortable — and way less adorable. "We slept in trailers and they were correctional facility beds," Kenny Barnes divulged to Refinery 29. He continued, explaining, "The design was to just strip us down from our comfort level." Added Barnes, "We were getting four hours of sleep on cots [per night]."