Summary
Love Is Blind has been the subject of several different legal allegations, many coming to light in recent months. The series has been popular since its debut in 2019, bringing participants into sensory deprivation pods where they get to know one another through a wall, getting engaged before ever meeting in person. When the participants finally meet, they try to build a physical connection to go along with their emotional one. While some Love Is Blind couples have come away from the series successful, the couples don’t tend to be as long-lasting.
After years of content and seasons of contestants, Love Is Blind has come under fire after several complaints from past participants have fallen to the wayside. While some are happy with their Love Is Blind experience, others have found it a difficult time in their lives that they aren’t always interested in rehashing. Couples like Amber Pike and Matt Barnett from Love Is Blind season 1, for example, rarely discuss the show or pay attention when new seasons air. For some, Love Is Blind getting called out is a huge step.
Love Is Blind Season 5’s Tran Dang Sued The Series For Multiple Claims
The most recent season of Love Is Blind invited roughly 30 singles to join in the experiment and get to know one another in the pods. The new singles were excited to get to know one another and hopefully build bigger connections that would lead to lifelong romance. During their time in the pods, the women and men are separated and live in different quarters in order to preserve the experiment and keep them from seeing one another.
While there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the state of the pods in the past, things got dicier than ever during Love Is Blind season 5 after Tran Deng sued the series for several different claims. Tran, who was featured in the rollout for Love Is Blind season 5 more often than she was featured on the series itself, spoke out on some very serious allegations. Seeking support from her fellow Love Is Blind cast members and viewers alike, Tran has expressed genuine problems with the way she was treated on the series and is seeking legal ramifications for the series.
Love Is Blind Is Being Accused Of Sexual Assault, False Imprisonment, & Negligence
Tran, a Love Is Blind season 5 contestant, is suing Kinetic Content for claims of sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence during her time on the series. While Tran wasn’t a featured participant on Love Is Blind season 5, she was seen in the background and did make a connection on the series. Her relationship with an undisclosed participant ended in an engagement, but Tran alleges that her then-fiance sexually assaulted her and while production was aware, they did nothing to stop it.
Tran also alleges that the producers of the show were negligent, essentially abandoning the participants to fend for themselves in tough situations and not offering help when asked to do so. The Love Is Blind season 5 participant explained in her claims that she was falsely imprisoned while filming the series, not allowed to leave the set when she asked to do so. She says that she was kept against her will, and wishes to hold the Love Is Blind production company accountable for their actions.
Series Creator Chris Coelen Responded To Love Is Blind Backlash
After Tran’s lawsuit was released to the public, Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen spoke out about the accusations for the first time. In the past, Chris, Love Is Blind, and Kinetic Content have all stayed quiet about the legal backlash that the series has faced in the past. In a statement to People, Chris said he felt the allegations were “preposterous”, explaining that if “anybody ever came to us and said they felt unsafe in any way, we would immediately remove them from the experiment and talk to them, and try to get to the bottom of it.”
Though Chris has spoken out about the accusations, it was clear that he wasn’t giving them any validity or credence. The Love Is Blind creator spoke candidly on his feelings about the allegations, but without giving them any weight. Rather than entertaining the idea that Tran’s accusations could hold water, Coelen shut them down entirely, undercutting his participant’s experience.
Love Is Blind Season 2’s Jeremy Hartwell Sued The Series In 2022
Earlier in the series run, Love Is Blind season 2’s Jeremy Hartwell sued both the series and Kinetic Content as well. Jeremy was in a similar position to Tran, appearing in only cuts of the series and not getting a storyline that followed him through his relationship or connections. While Jeremy was only a participant during the pod phase of the series, the treatment he explained in his lawsuit was still incredibly problematic. Jeremy appeared on the same season as Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson, who have lodged similar accusations at the series.
Although Nick and Danielle have never made their issues legal, Danielle alleges some forms of psychological abuse during her time on Love Is Blind. She felt incredibly mentally unstable during her time on the series and felt that she was not treated with compassion or care from the show’s producers. With only her fiance Nick to turn to, she felt isolated and alone in her experience and was ultimately left in a much worse mental state after the show than when she started with the series.
Love Is Blind Was Accused Of Inhumane Working Conditions In The Past
According to Variety, Jeremy’s lawsuit filed complaints of labor-law violations, inhumane working conditions, and pay below the legal minimum wage. During Jeremy’s time on Love Is Blind, he alleged that the cast were kept filming for 20 hours a day, given excess amounts of alcohol and minimal food, and that the pay rate for the series wasn’t what was expected. Jeremy said the cast was only paid $1000 per week when they were working upwards of 20 hours per day in a state where the minimum wage at the time was $7.14.
Jeremy’s lawsuit was detailed, explaining the conditions the cast were expected to work in and alleging that they were told if they left the show, they would be charged a hefty fine. Feeling uncomfortable with the legal ramifications, participants who were considering leaving wound up staying on Love Is Blind out of fear. Love Is Blind’s production company vehemently denied the accusations, but have clearly not changed their ways in the last few seasons.
Love Is Blind is available to stream on Netflix.
Sources: People, Variety
