Love Is Blind Season 6 Thankfully Brings Back The *Real* Conversations

Spoilers ahead for Love Is Blind Episodes 1-6. Finally — a season of Love is Blind that actually fulfills the premise of the show. Since the Netflix series debuted in 2020, it’s gone, well, astray. It’s a known fact that as a reality show becomes popular, it tends to feel overproduced, over-dramatic, and frankly has us side-eyeing potential clout-chasers — just look at The Bachelor franchise, where the phrase “here for the right reasons” comes up at least once an episode. The messy debacle of Love Is Blind's Season 5, and past cast members' lawsuits against Netflix and the show's production company, had us questioning if the show’s mere existence would even survive. On its own though, Season 6 —  and its big topic conversations — is a welcome return to the show's roots and might just keep viewers' loyalty to the reality television series alive. 

The first six episodes, out Wednesday aka Valentine’s Day, are mostly focused on the pods where marriage contenders date each other without ever seeing them in person. It’s here where cast members feel their most vulnerable and traditionally lay the groundwork for the issues they work through on the road to the altar. In Love Is Blind Season 1, the audience could feel the cast’s genuine want to find love, both in and out of the pods by their early attempts to understand how it would be successful in reality. Remember when Mark and Jessica spoke honestly about their 10-year age gap? How about when Lauren and Cameron discussed the challenges they’d face as an interracial couple and what it’d be like raising a Black child in America, a discussion that became even more poignant after the death of George Floyd and the mass protests that ensued later that year? Or when Giannina and Damian aired out their differences in their physical connection during an explosive fight about their sex life (she communicated not only why she wasn’t satisfied, but also identified the actions she needs from a romantic partner). 

After a couple rough seasons, that included fan backlash toward co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey for pushing contestants to have babies in the Season 4 reunion special and led to a literal petition from fans to remove them from the show, Love Is Blind brings back the tough, yet relatable talks and we see couples work through topics of abortion, trauma, therapy, past marriages, single parenting, and loss — all before much of the cast even meet each other face-to-face. With contestants on an accelerated path to marriage, it’s not only necessary to take these convos seriously but also vital to the lifeline of a relationship to talk about your past, present, and hopeful future. It’s how those “what ifs” are dealt with or different belief systems are managed that contribute to a successful marriage: What if there is an unplanned pregnancy? What if one partner suddenly has to deal with grief? Or that partner becomes physically ill? The answers to those questions will define what a life partnership looks like going forward. And everyone, even people who sign up for a reality dating show, deserve to know what they are getting. 

The relationship between Jessica and Jimmy is a prime example. Jessica, who has a 10-year-old daughter named Autumn, is the first single mom to ever appear on Love Is Blind and represents a significant portion of eligible daters. In fact, a 2019 Pew Research study found that 23% of children in the US live in single-parent homes. Jessica makes it very clear from the beginning of her pod experience that Autumn will not be brought up until a true connection is formed. “Even though I’m a mother and that’s the most important part of who I am, it doesn’t define who I am,” she tells Refinery29 in a recent interview. 

After initial shock, Jimmy explains that his partner having a child from a previous relationship isn’t a “dealbreaker” and quickly asks for details on Autumn’s personality. But there are significant factors that need to be considered before a single parent enters a relationship and vice versa. How will this new person fit into the child’s life? Are they a good role model? At what point in the relationship does a new partner even get introduced to the child? On the other hand, a person going into a single-parent household (with or without children of their own) has to balance co-parenting and a new family dynamic. 

Also on the real talk menu is the normalization of therapy for men. While forming a connection with Amber Desiree (aka “AD”), Clay’s desire to not emulate his father’s extramarital relationships intensifies along with his openness about his lack of therapy. Therapy for women has become a common point of discussion nowadays. But for men? On national television? Openly admitting to the person who they’re dating that therapy is a must in order to work through childhood experiences? It’s not exactly unheard of, but it’s most certainly not the norm. Since the dawn of time, men have been told to stuff their feelings. Despite the toxic masculinity of it all (hopefully) being slowly dismantled by an increase of interest in mental health, there are still many long discussions to go.

Jeramey and Sarah Ann’s frank conversations range from envisioning family holidays after the loss of his father to their differing stances on abortion. Jeramey’s view is that, “Me being a man, I shouldn’t have an opinion on what a woman does with her body.” Sarah Ann says that she doesn’t view abortion as a form of contraception, but that she is able to “work with” Jeramey’s outlook. Abortion — especially in the post-Roe v. Wade era — is a life-changing choice that doesn’t leave room for compromise between significant others. Love Is Blind has touched upon this debate before with Season 3’s Nancy and Bartise. As a nurse, Nancy witnessed the emotional hurdles that come with a child who suffers from a birth defect. Bartise stood firm on continuing the pregnancy no matter the child’s medical situation. It showed a significant fundamental belief that many couples have to work through.

This is what the audience wants: to see the foundation of these fast-track relationships blossom in real time, while unpacking situations that foster relatability and truly create compatibility in a partner. We want to skip the cheesy sexual innuendos and root for the authenticity of people searching for companionship blindly. Because — newsflash reality television producers — as much as you think we love a villain or dramatic storylines, we are collectively much more invested in hopeful love stories. This is what we, as viewers, were promised way back in Season 1.