How Denver got embarrassed on "Love is Blind"
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"Love is Blind" fans pose for photos at a reunion episode watch party Wednesday at Mile High Stadium. Photo: John Frank/Axios
Ask the contestants, ask the fans, and one word describes the "Love is Blind" season in Denver: "messy."
Why it matters: The reality dating show's season in Denver is one of the most talked about in the franchise's nine-season run.
- And Denver didn't fare well in the spotlight. It's widely acknowledged that the city has a horrible dating scene, and the show somehow made us look even worse.
What they're saying: "My experience in the dating Denver world was never as bad as anything that happened on the show. Thank God," said local fan Abi MacPhail, 24, who attended a watch party for the reunion show last night.
State of play: Questions about the Denver season began in the pods — where couples date sight unseen — and continued through to the finale, where no couples tied the knot for the first time in "Love Is Blind" history.
- To viewers, none of the contestants seemed to live in the city. The men didn't have Denver's ubiquitous beards. And the chatter didn't mention 14ers, marijuana, skiing or craft beer.
"I don't think the men on the show were a good representation of the Colorado vibe. I mean, they weren't as granola, they didn't talk about rock climbing or brewing their own beer," cast member Ali Lima told us at the watch party Wednesday night.
- Yes, but: (That was a good thing, she said.)
Zoom in: Instead, it was all drama. And viewers reacted strongly.
- "Denver - Are you OK?," a Reddit user asked after the first few episodes. "This is the absolute hottest mess of people, by far, ever to be on this show."
- "What's the deal with Denver?" another Reddit commenter asked. "I've only been to Denver twice, and didn't notice anything weird or different compared to other parts of the country."
- "Anyone else watching 'Love is Blind' and ashamed?" a Denverite asked.
The bottom line: In the end, cast member Madison Maidenberg, who grew up in Castle Rock, told us she felt "offended" by how it portrayed her home state.
- "Please don't let this represent Denver. Please don't let this represent Colorado."