Despite the show first starting in 2020, and the fact it's already been adapted into eight international versions, Love Is Blind has only just arrived in the UK. The premise is the same: fifteen men and women go on dates from their respective ‘pods’ and decide who they want to marry within 10 days, without ever having seen each other.
However, four episodes into the new series hosted by Matt and Emma Willis which landed on Netflix on 7 August, the reception has been mixed. Love Is Blind is one of the streaming platform's most successful ever shows, with six US seasons in four years and popular spin-offs in Japan, Sweden and Brazil, but UK audiences don’t seem fully convinced yet.
That could be because we’ve already seen it before and know how it works – and, unsurprisingly, that the relationships rarely do. But it could also be because the premise just doesn’t translate as well with UK audiences. After all, it relies on the couples being able to instantly open up and share their deepest vulnerabilities in a manner most British people would cringe at.
The Independent has described the show as ‘a clone of its US predecessor, only more dull’, and The Times have likened the series to ‘an awful Blind Date with no humour’. Saying that, in the trailer, a hopeful called Tom admits he’s got something to tell his date, to which she nervously responds, ‘don’t do that to me!’ and he pauses and says, ‘I’m wearing Birkenstocks.’ So, the critics are not entirely right on that one.
Some viewers have also called out the show’s potential double standards – pitching itself as an ‘experiment’ where profound personal connections triumph over instant sexual attraction, while casting fifteen conventionally good-looking people. Some of the cast have already admitted to hitting the gym in preparation for the show, which sort of defeats the point of their dates not knowing what they look like. It’s almost as if they knew they were taking part in a successful global franchise and could potentially gain a huge social media following off the back of it!
The Standard called the series ‘bingeable’ but admitted that it still falls short when it comes to its premise. Regardless of how well the daters get on in the pods, once the blindfolds are removed and reality is revealed, connections often disintegrate quite quickly – especially when their second option proves to be more 'their type'.
The Guardian gave the show two stars and wrote, ‘Love Is Blind claims to counter a superficial modern dating culture, but it is certainly present in the pods. […] It is already clear that there are unhappy endings in store.’
However, one viewer took to X to express their concern that the UK version won’t deliver enough of these high stakes moments writing, ‘Love Is Blind is so dramatic idk if us Brits give that kind of drama.’
It is after all a reality TV show. If there’s not drama, awkwardness and some resemblance of the toxic world of modern dating, people probably wouldn’t tune in at all.
Despite some apprehensiveness, there are still plenty of viewers who are excited about the series. And some who think it’s better than the original already. The i has even said ‘The British series might end up being the best in the world.'
One viewer on X wrote, ‘Love Is Blind: UK is pretty good. I get genuine vibes they’re actually looking for a partner.’ Another has enjoyed the addition of our petty sporting politics in the pods and posted, ‘15 mins into Love Is Blind: UK and they’re already telling each other they won’t work out because they support different football teams. The UK is built different.’
A third fan has praised the show for casting people in their late 20s and 30s, suggesting that they are more likely to be looking for a long-term relationship. ‘Love that the people in Love Is Blind: UK are very late 20s and 30s, no 23-year-olds, they’re at the club where they should be,’ the tweet reads.
It's true that you can tell some of the participants are looking for a genuine connection. We’ve already seen a woman called Cat break down in tears after finding out her and her date’s grandparents have the same first names. And not in an ‘are we cousins?’ type of way, but in an ‘is that fate knocking at the door?’ type of way. So true love could indeed be on the cards.
Ultimately, we’re only four episodes into an eleven episode series. Just like the daters in the pods, there’s still time to win us over.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, covering TV, celebrity interviews, news and features.