If you’ve watched “Love Is Blind” ever since the Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton era, you’re likely already well-versed in the show’s formula: singles meet each other in “pods” without seeing each other, discuss their favorite colors and how many kids they want, and then, without having the tough conversations, they get engaged.
In previous seasons, meaningful conversations about politics, religion, or values were pretty non-existent in the courtship phase – despite the fact that marriage is often the end result for several participants. In season three, Nancy Rodriguez and Bartise Bowden strongly clashed on abortion after already getting engaged. For this reason, the past few seasons have felt like couples agreeing to proposals not because they actually were in love, but because they want to move forward in the season and therefore achieve more airtime. Season eight, however? The conversations got real.
From contestant Madison Errichiello discussing her avoidant attachment style to Devin Buckley opening up about an ibuprofen addiction, many of the pod connections felt like they were being built on actual substance. But perhaps the most authentic and relatable moments resulted from Sara Carton grilling Ben Mezzenga on his political beliefs.
Right after Ben expressed that he was falling in love with Sara, she expressed that she wanted to talk about some “controversial things,” including who he voted for, where he stood on the Black Lives Matter movement, and his opinion on the murder of George Floyd (given that it took place in Minneapolis, the city where they both live).
“I’m kind of ignorant about that stuff. Like, I didn’t vote in the last election,” Ben said. Sara replied, “That is so annoying.”
Unimpressed, Sara continued to push back on Ben, reiterating that she finds it valuable and important to think about these socio-political topics.
“I’ve just kind of been staying out of it,” he said. She responded, “I don’t like those answers, to be honest. I don’t want you to lie, but I think it’s so easy for us to not have an opinion.”
After their date, Sara said in an interview that she needed a significant other who was on the same page. “Teaching people fundamental values,” she said, “I can’t teach that.”
Later, when Ben talked openly about his religious beliefs, Sara inquired about his stance on LGBTQ+ rights. “The main thing for me that’s really tough about religion is my sister, Lisa. She’s my best friend, she’s gay, and she’s my absolute number-one,” Sara said in the pod. “I find it really difficult to go to a church and practice when it’s like ‘love thy neighbor’ but then it’s also like ‘LGBTQ+ is going to hell.'”
Whether on dating apps or in the “Love Is Blind” pods, conversations about politics are happening everywhere – and they should be.
For me, Sara’s conversations with Ben stood out because they felt just like the kinds of discussions many people are having in their own lives – especially under a Trump presidency. Whether on dating apps or in the “Love Is Blind” pods, conversations about politics are happening everywhere – and they should be. Simply avoiding the conversation entirely just isn’t an option anymore. For many people, political differences have become a deal breaker, after all.
As impressed as I was with the authentic conversations we’ve seen this season, it did make me wonder if these conversations actually made a difference: Despite their obvious political and ideology differences, Sara and Ben still got engaged. (TBD on how that works out for them.) And even though there were important conversations shown, viewers still weren’t too impressed, and according to some social media users, this is supposedly the most boring season of “Love Is Blind” yet.
Though I agree that, yes, all the current male contestants look the same and some parts of the pod episodes were a snooze, I still appreciated seeing topics like politics, religion, abortion, and mental health discussed in the pods. Even if it wasn’t as entertaining as a fight over a Cutie, I think there’s always value in seeing authentic conversations on reality TV – especially when they mirror the same conversations people are having in real life.
Taylor Andrews (she/her) is the balance editor at PS, specializing in topics relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, travel, and more. With seven years of editorial experience, Taylor has a strong background in content creation and storytelling. Prior to joining PS in 2021, she worked at Cosmopolitan.
