Love Is Blind Trades Genuine Intention and Connection for Clickbait— And It Shows Through Recent Patterns

Love is patient, love is kind, but apparently, love is not blind. Netflix’s hit reality dating series, Love Is Blind, is struggling to prove their theory, with only 9 couples surviving the show’s seven-season run and whispers of season eight not looking too bright either. In addition to the unfortunate pattern, season seven’s most controversial co-conspirators, Ashley Adionser and Tyler Francis, recently announced their split after a year of marriage, leading fans to question both Netflix and Love Is Blind producer’s decision-making behind which singles are casted. 

In an exclusive to People, Adionser reveals that, “After much reflection, I want to share that Tyler and I have been separated for several weeks and have now made the difficult decision to end our marriage.” She explains, “While I had hoped for mutual understanding and transparency in our relationship, it has become clear that our paths are no longer aligned, making it impossible for me to continue in this marriage.”

Their relationship was off to a great start; they had conversations where they (seemingly) shared a sense of openness regarding boundaries, desires and expectations. They laughed together, they prayed together, they even jumped off a plane together. 

However, off-camera, Francis had an entirely different life that fans were starting to unravel. He is the father to three biological children, which he claims is a result of his previous decision to stand in as a sperm donor for a friend and her wife who wanted to conceive. Speculation about the full story behind the matter was already widespread. To make matters worse, when addressed on the show, Francis claimed that he had no part in their life and didn’t even know what the children looked like. That is when the lie went from just tearing at the seams of their perfectly threaded love story to completely ripping it apart. 

The mother of the three children posted a video online, because she felt like her kids did not deserve to be publicly disowned, embarrassed, and lied to. She carefully explained that she and Francis had been friends for a long time and eventually took their relationship a step further. The reality was uncomfortable, because around the time of their intimacy, she was struggling with her sexuality. 

The momentum from the mother’s TikTok spiraled into fans blasting Christmas pictures with Francis and the kids, flooding Adionser’s comments with pleas to leave him, and an overall distrust and distain for Francis. And in the end, to everyone’s shock, she chose to stand by her man; loudly and proudly. 

Her decision to not only remain in her marriage, but defend and enable Francis’s absence in his children’s life was, rightfully, met with backlash. Fans demanded answers from the couple and from Netflix, questioning how baggage as heavy as Francis’ was completely disregarded during casting. There’s no background check, no verification of truth? Such an obvious oversight allows fans to make the connection that there’s also no authenticity or virtue to a show that is supposed to foster genuine love. Instead of setting the experiment up for success, with well-vetted singles, Netflix is sabotaging the people who’ve put faith in the process by giving airtime to singles with baggage that produce quality reality TV, not a quality reality. If it’s strategically influenced to have the agitating, drama-filled plot that defines the over-saturated reality TV market, really… what is the point of all of this?

After a slew of negative comments and a marriage full of doubts and lies, which Adionser defended heavily, the couple could only last a year. 

“This was not a decision I made lightly, but one I know is necessary for my own growth and peace,” Adionser adds. “While this chapter is ending, I will always hold respect for the time and love we shared. I kindly ask for privacy during this deeply personal time as I focus on healing and building a new future. Thank you for your understanding and support.”

Francis has also touched on their divorce with a brief statement posted to his Instagram story. 

And it’s clear that while Adionser has learned her lesson, Netflix has not. Season eight has yet to be released, but the cat is out of bag with drama surrounding one Minneapolis male cast-mate. The man in question is Ben Mezzenga. There have been many recent claims that Mezzenga has a reputation with women and is not ready for marriage.

Andra Berghoff, a Minneapolis TikToker, took to social media to call Mezzenga, “narcissistic,” and, “horrific.” In her video, she first reveals that after the conclusion of season eight, Mezzenga talked about information relating to Love Is Blind, even after his signed NDA. She then goes on to express her disappointment in Netflix and they way they handled complains about Mezzenga from women he previously was romantically involved with.

“For starters, shame on you Netflix… I was hoping that after all of those women, including myself, came forward about that horrific man you would have the sense to write him off the show. But apparently, instead, you just privated all of his social accounts, wiped them all clean again, and then relaunched them. As if we all wouldn’t notice.” 

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There are other women who corroborate her claims that Mezzenga is on the search for fame. TikToker @storytimewithrikkii, who is well versed on all things Love Is Blind and reality TV, posted a video explaining that Mezzenga would leave behind business cards that listed his YouTube channel and social media each instance he spent time with a woman. 

Can Love Is Blind even be categorized as a reality TV dating show when it feels as if Netflix turns a blind eye to those with wrong intentions in exchange for clickbait? People go through the experiment with an open heart to find love and the one positive pattern that remains is that they feel as though they develop genuine and raw feelings during the process of the pods. To later find out information that completely dismantles that foundation built by the person’s emotional investment into another is disheartening, especially when there is no regard from Netflix to do a full background on the people they accept for this once-in-a-lifetime experiment.

The lack of consideration (and results) are turning fans completely off; maybe to the point of no return. The comments on season eight’s latest, “Meet the Singles” video promotion, were to the point, with one user saying, “Please for the love of God have a well vetted cast and crew this time. These last three seasons have been a mess,” and another claiming, “Every lady in Minneapolis/St. Paul knows Ben is only there to become famous. 😂 And most ladies know him for not the right reason lol.”

Season eight of Love is Blind is set to premiere on Netflix on Feb. 14 and we will all anxiously watch to see if these Minneapolis singles can prove the, so far, unproven.