Love Is Blind producers respond to contestant allegations of mistreatment
Note: This story contains discussion of themes including mental ill health and suicidal thoughts.
Love Is Blind producers have responded to allegations of mistreatment on set from a number of former contestants.
Kinetic Content's statement follows a report in Business Insider with accounts from multiple contestants across two different seasons of the show, with one contestant alleging the Netflix series put them through "emotional warfare".
Love Is Blind, which recently aired its fourth season, sees single contestants getting to know each other through conversations while staying in 'pods', with couples getting engaged before meeting in person.
Producers for the show have responded to the allegations, saying the show has "rigorous protocols in place" for care of cast members.
Related: Love Is Blind's Paul says host Vanessa Lachey apologised after reunion criticism
Kinetic Content's statement read: "The wellbeing of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic.
"We have rigorous protocols in place to care for each person before, during, and after filming."
Netflix has not yet responded to the allegations made.
In Business Insider's report, season two cast member Danielle Ruhl alleged that after telling producers she didn't feel mentally stable enough to continue filming the programme, she was talked into staying along with ex-husband Nick Thompson.
Ruhl, who recalled experiencing both panic attacks and suicidal thoughts during filming, said: "I kept telling them, 'I don't trust myself... I'm having suicidal thoughts. I don't think I can continue in this.'"
Related: Love is Blind host Vanessa Lachey addresses Netflix technical fail for live reunion
Ruhl shared her feeling of surprise that she was cast on the show, following disclosures she had made about her mental health history in a psychological screening prior to filming.
She added that during filming, she confided in a producer about her struggles with body image, feeling like she could do so after he had shared his own lived experience with her.
However, she recalled being asked about her weight and body image during in-camera interviews and alleged that "they would these things to kind of cut you down day over day. The interviews were horrible."
Thompson, who met Ruhl in Love Is Blind season two, alleged that the team "thrust us into this situation without any support, and everything's amplified... It literally ruins lives."
Danielle Drouin, who appeared in the first season of the show, made allegations about the trailers provided for cast members to sleep in, saying: "There was no privacy, it was cold, it wasn't comfortable."
Related: Love Is Blind creator on whether Zack and Bliss broke show rules
She added: "The sleep deprivation was real. I feel like they do it on purpose because they're trying to break you. They want you on your edge."
Briana Holmes, who also appeared on Love Is Blind season one, also recalled having a panic attack, after learning that another contestant she'd been talking to in the pods didn't see a future with her.
She alleged that crew members "literally chased me off of the set to the trailers, cameras in my face". Holmes decided to quit the show that day.
"It's a lot," she said. "None of it was scripted. Everything you see is real. These are people's real lives and real emotions."
Related: Love Is Blind season 4's Irina Solomonova apologises for "mistreating" castmates
The allegations in the Business Insider report come after Love Is Blind season two contestant Jeremy Hartwell filed a lawsuit against parties including Netflix and Kinetic, alleging "unsafe and inhumane" working conditions.
In its statement at the time about Hartwell's lawsuit, Kinetic countered that "there is absolutely no merit to Mr Hartwell's allegations", and announced its intention to "vigorously defend against his claims".
Love Is Blind is available to watch on Netflix.
You Might Also Like
