This story contains spoilers from the first nine episodes of Netflix’s Love Is Blind.
Love is Blind, the Netflix event series, premiered on February 13 – just in time for Valentine’s Day! Hosted by real-life husband and wife, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the series has unfolded slowly, with small sets of episodes released over three weeks.
Taking a similar format to Married at First Sight, the initial nine episodes took viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, as strangers turned into lovers and then into potentially married partners.
With the first two weeks out, subscribers anxiously await the finale to see if love truly is blind.
Strangers become couples
Series participants started isolated by gender, meeting up with strangers, and potential love interests, through a series of (literal) blind dates.
Taking place in small rooms that are called pods, individuals can’t see each other due to a floor-to-ceiling wall. They are forced to connect based on personality and conversation alone.
Some pairs seemed to be meant-to-be from day one, including Cameron and Lauren who hit it off immediately. After six brief days of blind dates, they confessed their love to one another.
The duo quickly got engaged and took their first peek at each other, which cemented their affections. It was a first for Lauren, who had never dated a white man, proving why this experiment could be crucial for breaking down barriers.
Other unlikely duos formed, with the blonde bombshell, Giannina, bonding with the statuesque redhead, Damian. During their final pod date, Giannina gleefully turned the tables when she got down on one knee to ask Damian to be her husband.
A love-triangle forms in the pod
Barnett seemed like a catch from the start, with his deep-voiced, dreamy demeanor. However, his staying power started to slip after displaying feelings for multiple women.
Amber, LC, and Jessica all vied for his affection and connected with him on different levels.
However, in an experiment based on pairs, his uncertainty stood out in contrast to others who seemed overly confident about their feelings and potential partners.
Jessica ended it first after Barnett confessed to feelings of confusion. She instead focused on Mark, and the age-gapped duo decided to pursue a connection they had felt from the beginning.
Though Jessica took a weepily dramatic pause before accepting Mark’s proposal for marriage, the 34-year-old Regional Manager ultimately felt relief in committing to the 24-year-old Fitness Instructor after trying to push him away previously.
Back to Barnett, who was visibly unsettled and confused going into his date with LC. The two had previously bonded, but after a brief, heartfelt conversation, he let her go for good.
LC left, unable to muster any more tears for the unsure Lothario, and questioned whether love would ever be in the cards for her.
Amber met up with Barnett next. The duo had just come off of a serious, tearful conversation when she admitted to having an abortion with her previous partner, which ultimately split the two up.
Though Barnett seemingly rebuffed her love initially, he excitedly chose Amber to be his fiancé.
“You are the only one that makes me feel this burning fire in my heart,” declared Barnett before proposing marriage to Amber. It was a quick “yes” from the beautiful brunette.
During the dating process, six couples fell in love and got engaged without ever seeing one another: Carlton & Diamond, Jessica & Mark, Barnett & Amber, Giannina & Damian, Kelly & Kenny, and Cameron & Lauren.
Pod pairs take off to paradise
After the engagements, they took off on a Bachelor in Paradise-esque tropical adventure in Mexico, where their love was put to the test. While some connected on both an emotional and physical level, others grappled with awkwardness and dishonesty.
After days of hiding the truth about his sexuality, Carlton finally admitted to Diamond that he has previously dated both men and women.
This sent Diamond into an emotional tailspin, and the two chose to spend their first night together, apart.
The next morning, they struggled to find common ground, focusing on Carlton’s misdirection and omission. Their discussion exploded into a series of profanity and petty insults until Diamond left her almost lover alone in Mexico.
When the remaining five pairs met up, Jessica’s previous indecision flared up, as she came face-to-face with playboy Barnett.
She defended her relationship to the other ladies, while also admitting to having trouble connecting her physical attraction to her mental attraction of Mark, and still focusing on unfinished business with Barnett.
Back to reality
After their escape to paradise was over, the couples retreated to their homes, careers, and families. The pairs moved in together, where they shared their hopes (and pet peeves) about cohabitating.
At home, Jessica continued to struggle with her feelings of Mark, calling out differences in their ages and life perspectives, while unconsciously showing unrequited feelings for Barnett.
Meanwhile, Giannina and Damian tussled over nit-picky fights and difficulty rekindling the passion they felt mere days ago. G confronted her fiancé with feelings of sexual frustration and loss of “butterflies,” while Damian called her out for being buried in social media.
The two also butted heads when Damian’s family canceled on meeting his new fiancé.
With the wedding day inching closer, the pressure of making a potentially lifelong decision weighed on the couples, as each turned up the romance in an attempt to make it through the final stretch.
The once-solid foundation of Cameron and Lauren seemed shaky, as she could not tell him whether or not the two would wed. Low-key couple Kelly and Kenny still had not interacted sexually, with Kelly disclosing to her friends her lack of physical attraction for Kenny.
Meanwhile, the seemingly indecisive Barnett seemed to be blending nicely with Amber’s quirkiness.
Which bride will sprint from the Love is Blind altar?
This week, we’ll find out which couples take the ultimate plunge, and which get cold feet. A preview of the finale showed some couples tearfully (and regretfully) holding hands at the altar, with one blushing bride making a quick exit.
Our money is on Giannina, who only moments before the ending of episode nine professed her “I do’s” to a seemingly distraught Damian. His quivering, weeping demeanor left wedding guests and viewers in bewilderment.
It appears he may not be able to handle the ups-and-downs of lady G after all. Using slow-motion and pause on the preview, it also looks like her blonde locks are the ones taking a tumble outside the venue, and it wouldn’t surprise us if Damian’s uncertainty diminished Giannina’s butterflies all together.
Tune in Thursday to witness the weddings that will decide if love is truly blind.
The Love is Blind finale premieres on Netflix on Thursday, February 27.