It has been a week since the Minneapolis season of Love Is Blind debuted on Netflix. While the reality show offers viewers an inside look at singles from across the Twin Cities forming connections without seeing each other, the “dating experiment” is not sparking much hope for love in Minnesota.
Viewer Reactions: “Boring” and “Secondhand Embarrassment”
In the first six episodes, five couples became engaged, but reactions from Minnesota viewers have been mixed.
A survey of local viewers revealed strong opinions.
“EXTREMELY BORING,” one wrote.
“I have secondhand embarrassment,” another shared.
While a few viewers praised the “wholesome” and “friendly” nature of Minnesotans and expressed admiration for the women on the show, the overall sentiment from many fans in Minnesota—and across the country—is that this season of Love Is Blind could be renamed Love Is Bland.
Minnesota Nice Meets Minnesota Bland
“They take Minnesota Nice and Minnesota bland to a new level,” said Makayla Lakeman, 28, a Minnesota native.
Lakeman, a longtime viewer of the show, noted the lack of deep conversations compared to previous seasons, a trend she attributed to the stereotypical Minnesotan avoidance of controversial topics.
“So far, it’s not the best television,” she said.
Olivia Szatkowski, 23, who runs a Facebook group dedicated to updates on Love Is Blind: Minneapolis, shared her frustration with the long stretches of pod conversations.
“You had to wait a decent amount of time for the engagement, and the drama wasn’t even that kind of crazy drama,” Szatkowski said.
Diversity Concerns: A Missed Opportunity?
Among other complaints was the lack of diversity. Although Love Is Blind featured its largest-ever group of 32 participants, only a handful of people of color have received significant screen time.
“Given how culturally diverse Minneapolis and Minnesota are, I feel like we should have seen a lot more couples, rather than just the standard white people falling in love,” Szatkowski said.
Marilyn Kate Tona, a Minneapolis resident and daughter of Caribbean immigrants, was also disappointed. She felt the show perpetuated the myth of Minnesota as a racially homogenous state.
“I know a lot of people, especially down South, always see Minneapolis as this very white place. They always ask me, ‘What are you still doing there?’” Tona said. “But they really don’t know that we have diversity here. And with a show like this, it’s just going to show that it’s not very diverse. That’s the kind of message it’s sending.”
Minnesota’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Minnesota is home to a diverse population, with about 23 percent of its residents identifying as people of color. In the Twin Cities, roughly 28 percent of the population, and about 37 percent of Minneapolis, are people of color.
While at least 11 of the 32 participants this season are people of color, many viewers feel the show missed the opportunity to reflect the state’s diversity. Two Black participants, Devin and Virginia, are the only couple of color seen getting engaged.
Love Is Blind Creator Responds to Diversity Criticism
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen addressed the diversity criticism, explaining that casting decisions focus on finding compatible individuals, not just meeting diversity quotas.
“We always strive to seed the pods for the greatest possible success, and within that, diversity of not only ethnicity or race, but backgrounds, financial status, body types, and looks,” Coelen said.
He acknowledged that it is difficult to feature participants who do not form connections and noted that many people of diverse backgrounds have declined to participate when invited.
Juliana Ghani, a Minneapolis resident, explained that many Minnesotans are simply not interested in reality television.
“They don’t want to be famous. They don’t have any interest in going on a reality show,” Ghani said in a TikTok. “People like the simple life here. This is the simple life headquarters.”
Love Stories Off the Screen
While some connections may not have been visible to viewers, participants Kylie Schuelke and Brian Sumption, who received minimal screen time, recently announced that they are still dating after matching on the show.
What to Expect in Upcoming Episodes
In the next three episodes, viewers can expect a few days of paradise in Honduras, followed by a return to snowy Minnesota.
After eight hours of television, glimpses of Minneapolis finally appear, including wide shots of downtown, the iconic Grain Belt sign, and other local spots such as Blackstack Brewing, Grind MPLS, and the Stone Arch Bridge.
Expect some quintessential Minnesota moments, such as conversations about socks, cleanliness, and how many Christmas trees are appropriate in a one-bedroom apartment.
On a more serious note, upcoming discussions will address issues like finances, infidelity, and faith. These conversations take place in classic Minnesota settings—lawn chairs by a campfire, a cozy woodsy house near a lake, and the participants’ sleek North Loop apartments.
Stay tuned for more updates on Love Is Blind: Minneapolis as the drama continues to unfold.
Originally posted by Feven Gerezgiher of MPR.
This was the 1st season of Love is Blind that I watched. Felt like it took a long time for anything to happen. Not sure it I’ll be watching any more seasons.
Omg here the black people are making it all about black people as per usual, “We had airtime, but we didn’t get ENOUGH airtime.” On mostly black shows, you don’t hear white people saying, “Omg we didn’t get enough airtime, only the black people got airtime,” because that would be considered “racist.” In my opinion, black people are the most racist and always think they can say whatever they want about white people but the second a white person does the same, uh oh, yall buckle in because black people are gonna use the “it’s because I’m black card.” Black people need to look up the term “reverse racism.” Get the f*** out of here you freakin hypocrites, you’re not entitled to everything just because you’re black. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
This season really sucked. Poor representation of Minnesota. We are actually a lot nicer than these people.