Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Love is Blind returned on Friday with a fresh batch of single contestants hoping to find love in the pods.
The popular reality dating series sees 10 men and 10 women (this time based in Minneapolis, Minnesota) get to know each other and get engaged without being able to see what their partners look like.
As fans sat down to watch the show, they couldn’t help but realize that a lot of the men on the season looked very similar, specifically singling out Daniel Hastings, Alex Brown, Mason Horacek, Ben Mezzenga, and Dave Bettenburg.
On X, many people joked about the similarities between the contestants.
“If ANYTHING shows the importance for DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion]it should be this new season of #LoveIsBlind. Because there’s no way you’re casting these 5 men on the same show, giving them all a large amount of camera time, & expecting me to know the difference,” one person wrote, referencing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to end all federal DEI programs.
“This season of Love is Blind has the problem where there are too many identical white people that I can’t tell apart,” one post read.
“This season of @LoveIsBlindShow really skipped on DEI, seven white guys who could basically be clones,” another person agreed.
“Love is blind season 8 really expects us to think these are 3 different men,” added a fourth alongside a screenshot from the series.
Episode six of the new season ended with five engaged couples: Monica and Joey, Ben and Sara, David and Lauren, Devin and Virginia, and Daniel and Taylor. Madison and Alex got engaged in the pods, but are no longer together.
Future episodes of the season will see the lead-up to the engaged couples’ wedding day as they navigate living together. New episodes will be released on Fridays at 3 a.m. ET with episodes seven through nine coming out on February 21, episodes 10 through 11 on February 28, and the finale on March 7.
Netflix has not yet announced whether or not there will be a season eight reunion. However, reunion dates have previously been revealed further along in the season.