It seems that “Love is blindit’s even messier behind the scenes.
In an interior report released on Tuesday, former Netflix competitors reality dating series claims mistreatment by production company Kinetic Content. Complaints included lack of sleep for competitors, terrible living conditions and limited access to food and water, despite the high availability of alcohol.
In a statement to Variety, Kinetic Content denied any wrongdoing: “The well-being of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic. We have strict protocols for caring for each person before, during and after filming.”
However, despite these allies’ claims and Kinetic’s response, the most alarming allegation in the Insider article comes from Season 2’s Danielle Ruhl, who told Insider that she was forced to stay on the show despite having a major mental health emergency.
Ruhl told Insider that she was surprised she passed a psychological screening during the casting process because she revealed her mental health history, which included a suicide attempt.
“Looking back, I think I’m just doing it to check the box,” Ruhl said. “They didn’t care.”
Ruhl also says that an infamous scene where she has a panic attack in Mexico was heavily portrayed on the show.
In the episode, Ruhl told her then-boyfriend, Nick Thompson, to go to a beach party without her because she was feeling sick.
When Thompson returned from the party, excited to share the night’s gossip with his wife-to-be, Ruhl told him she had a panic attack, locked herself in a closet and cried while he was gone. The two then appeared to get into a heated argument, with the show suggesting that Ruhl was upset because he had seen Thompson talking to another woman on the beach while watching from his bedroom balcony.
Ruhl told Insider that it wasn’t her choice to skip the beach party and that production told her she couldn’t go because they thought she might have COVID-19.
Ruhl said she was confused about why Thompson was allowed to leave because the two spent the entire day together. She said she sat alone in her room after he left, worried about how the show would turn his absence.
She told Insider that her anxiety was triggered because before Thompson left, she told him about a traumatic experience from her past. In addition, Ruhl said she hid in her closet during the panic attack because she didn’t want to be filmed and believed there were hidden cameras in her hotel room.
ADAM ROSEADAM ROSE/NETFLIX
Thompson told Insider that when he came back and found out what happened, he took off the microphone and threw it at the producers. He immediately told production that he and Ruhl were leaving the show because they were tired of being taken advantage of.
Ruhl also told the producers that he did not feel mentally stable enough to continue filming after the panic attack.
“I kept telling them, ‘I don’t trust myself,'” she said. “I already tried to kill myself. I have suicidal thoughts. I don’t think I can go on with this.'”
The former couple, who got married on the show but broke up in August 2022, said that despite Ruhl revealing his suicidal thoughts, the producers pressured him to stay on the show. Ruhl and Thompson said they were forced to stay because production suggested their romance was central to the series and resembled fan-favorite couple Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from Season 1.
Ruhl and Thompson were not portrayed well on the show, and Ruhl was often shown to be extremely insecure about his relationship and his body.
Ruhl, Thompson and the other former cast members who spoke to Insider aren’t the only “Love is Blind” alumni announcing the show’s production.
Speed criticized the show in 2022 by tweet that most pairings on the show were “forced” or pushed “forward for entertainment purposes”.
Season 4’s Paul Peden recently said he feels unfairly “interrogatedby one of the show’s co-hosts, Vanessa Lachey, during Sunday’s taping of the reunion special.
Shortly after, Lachey sent Peden flowers of apology, which he posted on Instagram.
However, Speed and Peden’s complaints don’t compare to many of the allegations in the Insider report, so head over to the site to read all about it.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 or call 1-800-273-8255 For National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also get SMS support by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat. You can also find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside the US, please visit International Association for Suicide Prevention.
