Season 7 of Love is Blind does not disappoint in terms of messiness. Throughout the season, we witness awkward dating moments, clashing of compatibility, and sensational betrayals. While reality TV portrays real drama on steroids, there’s still a lot we can learn from the couples we see on screen–particularly when it comes to identifying red flags in a potential partner.
Before we go through the red flags in each couple to help us suss out shadiness in our own dating lives, we want to emphasize that these are real people. Reality TV is notorious for manipulative editing and even misrepresenting reality in order to shape a narrative that will trigger the biggest audience reaction. The portrayals of the cast on Love is Blind (or any reality show) do not fully encompass their character, and even though we see a lot of foolishness this season, nobody should harass anyone from the show. In our analysis of the toxic relationship dynamics this season, we are solely going based on what we see on screen.
With that being said, here’s our analysis of the toxic behaviors in the couples this season, and what to watch out for in your own dating life.
Spoilers for Season 7 of Love Is Blind below.
Taylor and Garrett
Garrett’s reaction in the pods to Taylor not wanting to give away her ethnicity
In a conversation in the pods, Taylor didn’t want to disclose her mother’s name, as it would give away that she is half Chinese, and Garrett’s initial reaction was frustration. He eventually came around, and when they met face-to-face it didn’t come up, but some fans were worried about how Garrett’s family reacted when meeting Taylor.
DMs with an ex
Taylor had shared with Garrett that she had a history of being cheated on, so when she found out that his ex slid into his DMs, naturally she was upset. Initially, Garrett had told her that he just liked her message. In a conversation with Ashley and Tyler, Garrett later admitted that he had responded to the DM. He could have shown Taylor the messages to clear up any confusion, as she was clearly hurt, but when it came up he said that his phone was somewhere else in the room and he’d show it to her later. Garrett lied about the interaction, and when he later clarified that he responded, he failed to reassure his partner by simply pulling up the DMs.
Ashley and Tyler
Lying about having children
You’d think that when you’re dating as a parent, you’d want to disclose the fact that you have children right away. Not in Tyler’s case–not only did he omit that crucial information in the pods, but he waited until they got back from their honeymoon to tell Ashley that he was a father of three children. He explained that he donated his sperm to a couple in need, and that he didn’t know what they looked like. Ashley, who was open about wanting to start a family together, was of course devastated.
Lying about his relationship with his children
Bri Thomas, one of the mothers of Tyler’s three kids, came out with more information: Tyler had helped her and her ex-wife conceive, but was a lot more involved with their kids than he let on. After Bri and her ex-wife separated, Tyler stepped into a father-like role. Bri claimed that they lived together as a family, but they had an understanding that they could date other people. Based on her account, it’s clear that Tyler lied to Ashley about his relationship with his children (and the fact that he doesn’t even know what they looked like).
Marissa and Ramses
Subtle double standards
From the very beginning of the season, Ramses is quick to describe himself as a feminist. He tells Marissa that he’s against toxic masculinity and doesn’t care about gender roles—which comes off as a green flag—but goes on to subtly contradict his professed values when they talk about domestic duties. On the topic of children, he says he wouldn’t mind looking after them if he’s there…which was very much giving the energy of men who call taking care of their kids “babysitting.” He also told Marissa that he would definitely help her with chores. In a partnership where a couple agrees on what tasks each person is responsible for, there is no “helping”—that implies that one person (the woman) should be in charge of housework and the man pitching in from time to time is a favor. Ramses proclaims to be against gender roles time and time again, but through his subtle language, he’s communicating that he only supports these ideals when it’s convenient.
Not respecting sexual boundaries
The theme of Ramses only adopting feminist values when they align with his wants is further exemplified when Marissa doesn’t want to be intimate. In one episode, Marissa has just come home from work, is exhausted from her long commute on top of feeling ill and dealing with PMS, and just isn’t in the mood to be touched. Instead of understanding, Ramses gets visibly upset and tells her that, “I just want to make sure that in the long term that it doesn’t look like this.” Trying to pressure Marissa into being physical (on top of refusing to wear a condom) exposes a sinister sense of entitlement in Ramses. Marissa told him “I wish I didn’t have to explain why”—and she’s absolutely right. You don’t need to have a reason to say no. Ever.
Hannah and Nick
Does Hannah even like him?
Hannah and Nick’s scenes were hard to watch at times because Hannah never really seemed to actually like the guy. Whenever the two of them were on screen, Hannah was berating or condescending Nick. Some of her critiques of him were legitimate, but the way she handled how she felt came off as cruel. They didn’t feel like a team at all. When Hannah met Nick’s family, she presented herself as loving and kind, but the second they left, she was back to bullying him.
Nick is not ready
While the way Hannah communicated her feelings toward Nick could’ve been kinder, some of her concerns are definitely valid. Nick is a 29 year old man and he doesn’t know how to boil pasta water. Aside from not cooking, he also doesn’t pay his own bills.
hannah talking about how nick needs to be more financially literate and him responding with “well do you know anything sports? exactly.” with a straight face…my eye would be twitching. #LoveIsBlind7 #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/7e0OKKxOAz
— charlotte york’s show puppy 🍒🎀💌🩷 (@roseco1oredgirl) October 9, 2024
Alex and Tim
Getting physical
Alex and Tim got into an explosive fight during their honeymoon. We don’t see what actually happens—the show only includes the aftermath of their argument—but it’s clear from Tim’s reaction that Alex had crossed a line. Tim brought up that, at some point during the fight, Alex had put her hand over his mouth. Getting physical during a conflict is never okay, and a valid reason why Tim hesitated to continue the experiment.
Weird communication
Tim echoes the sentiment of wanting a woman who will push back and challenge him throughout the season, but his behavior shows otherwise. During their honeymoon argument, he told Alex that “listening” was his love language and got upset when she cut him off. Their breakup also demonstrated a strange disconnect between what Tim thought and what he really felt. His reasoning for abandoning the relationship was that he was angry that Alex didn’t respond to a text message and that she took a one-hour nap while his parents were in town. The breakup also happened right after Tim shared an emotional moment upon meeting Alex’s father–what in the emotional whiplash is going on?
Monica and Stephen
A pattern of behavior
Stephen told Monica in the pods about how he had slid into someone’s DMs while being in a relationship before. This could be read as him being candid about his past mistakes, except for the fact that he went and did the same thing to Monica. Unlike Garrett, Stephen had absolutely no basis for plausible deniability–the content of his texts were lewd (to say the least). It’s not too surprising; the way that man talks about sex on TV is weird (re: the bowl of mac n cheese).
When a man has a common cold…
Monica could have easily ended the relationship solely due to Stephen saying “giving birth is the only time a woman comes close to understanding what it’s like when a man has a common cold”. The audacity!
The Main Takeaway
After seven seasons, we should all know by now that love is not blind. Appearances aside, relationships need physical compatibility that you just can’t render from behind a wall. But the main reason Love is Blind doesn’t work is ultimately because getting engaged before meeting IRL flattens so many elements of a successful relationship. It’s one thing to talk about values, lifestyles, and relationship needs, but without navigating the real world together, there’s no way for a couple to determine their compatibility. Words mean nothing without actions–and both the actions and words we’ve seen this season have been quite alarming. While it’s made for incredible reality TV, this season of Love Is Blind is a great reminder to keep our eyes peeled for harmful behaviors in our own dating lives.
What's Your Reaction?
