A Love Is Blind season 8 cast member is getting GRILLED by a fan fave over his thoughts (or lack thereof) about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, and BOSSIP’s got an exclusive clip.
Ben Mezzenga is finally speaking out after Love Is Blind Season 8’s dramatic finale, where his fiancée, Sara Carton, left him at the altar over their differences, saying they were on “different wavelengths.” Those wavelengths included his lack of knowledge about George Floyd and his neutrality about Black Lives Matter, despite living near Minneapolis.
Sara’s decision to walk away sparked a flurry of opinions online, with some fans praising her for sticking to her values, and others questioning whether political and societal issues should be a dealbreaker in a relationship.
What’s The Reality? Exclusive Clip: Ben Talks George Floyd
Now in a raw and revealing conversation on the What’s The Reality? podcast hosted by season 6’s Amber Desiree “AD” Smith, Ben admitted he wasn’t fully prepared for conversations about social issues, especially when it came to race and politics.
According to Ben, he once avoided tough discussions—something he now regrets.
“In your own city, George Floyd,” AD asked him directly on What’s The Reality? “How do you navigate through life knowing that that took place? And you are able to just kind of turn the other cheek to it?”
“That George Floyd situation was awful, and I know in the pods, I didn’t necessarily have a full 100-like answer like that to Sarah,” admitted Ben. “And that’s part of me being embarrassed and owning up to kind of how I am. That situation—not the best.”
He explained that growing up, he was used to avoiding conflict.
“I’m not proud of it, but I definitely was, like, that’s happening in the city. I’m not a part of that. I’m just gonna stay out of it and not think about it,” he said. “So that was part of, you know, being privileged—to be able to do that and not have to think about it or cause conflicts.”
Since Love Is Blind aired, Ben says he’s had some eye-opening conversations.
“There’s been a lot of great conversations I’ve had with people since the show, since meeting Sara,” he said. “We dug into those Kknd of conflicting, or, you know, controversial topics and I’m over here, avoiding these conversations in the past because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But it’s done the opposite. It’s grown those relationships and built those friendships. And, you know, has impacted my perspective on a lot of those things.”
He went on to say that those conversations have helped him understand the deeper impact of events like George Floyd’s murder.
“A lot of them have been with, you know, my friends and family about, you know, the fact that it could have been a family member that was George Floyd,” he explained. “Or it could have been someone of authority taking advantage, and it could be a loved one, could be a close friend. And, you know, fortunate for me, it hasn’t been, but to talk with people and see that their fears are real, that it could have been them. And for me to know that if it was them, I would be heartbroken and it would be impactful to me.”
“Just because it wasn’t me, doesn’t mean that I should ignore it,” he added.
Take an exclusive look below!
Each week AD invites her What’s The Reality? guests to discuss all things love, relationships, pop-culture, and reality TV!New episodes drop Wednesdays!
