The pods are opening up in a new country for the first time on Love Is Blind. Netflix has finally launched Season 1 of the reality TV dating series in Germany, and it doesn’t take long before things heat up.

The first episode opens with a notable statistic, saying that there are 23 million singles in Germany and that, while singles are dating “more than ever,” they’re actually marrying “less and less.” Right off the bat, we understand the stakes of the series: as marriage in the country becomes more and more of a rarity, can the cast members find their perfect match on the other side of the pod wall?

The Pods Open In Germany

When the blind dates first began, my initial reaction was that this cast, compared to other spin-offs of the show, appeared to lack diversity, and immediately it made me wonder how that might impact the connections in the pods. One woman, Hanni, remarks that she’s grateful to be behind a wall, as she feels that otherwise men wouldn’t take her blonde hair and blue eyes seriously. Instead, she’s in search of someone with depth who can truly make her laugh. She appears to hit it off with Ilias, who also works as a real estate broker, and he even notes how similar they appear to be:

To be entirely honest, this exchange didn’t inspire more confidence that the connections shown this season would be particularly deep or interesting, but there was still plenty of time for things to turn around.

Ilias’ next date is with a woman named Alina, with whom he bonds about both being Geminis. Their connection, in my opinion, has the potential to be more interesting; though Ilias isn’t spiritual, he said he felt inexplicably drawn to the Love Is Blind experiment, and that he even got over his fear of flying in order to participate.

One cast member who I could already see as the breakout star of the season is Shella, a woman originally from Togo who tells the cameras that her cross to bear is that she finds it difficult to open up emotionally, an issue which caused her last relationship to end.

Could There Be A Too-Perfect Cast Member?

One of the most fascinating individuals in this episode is a man named Marcel, who, from the way he describes himself, has no flaws at all. A huge believer in Jesus, Marcel explains to his dates that he works out regularly, meditates every day, is vegan, only buys sustainable fashion, and even runs a charity with a friend where they cook for unhoused people once a week. He hits it off with a woman named Jen (but no doubt he was also a clear match for the casting directors, who likely were ecstatic to come across a single saint like him).

Hanni struggles to be quite as blameless; she admits that she’s forming a connection with Daniel, but that she simply can’t stop trying to imagine how he looks. She jokes to the cameras that she’s hung up on how big his biceps are, and that getting distracted thinking about physicality is making her struggle to decide who her #1 choice is, considering Ilias as well.

Alina, meanwhile, is still interested in Ilias as well, divulging that she’s been unlucky in love up until now but feels like there’s something special when they speak. Ilias also admits that he feels a spark with her:

They’re words that both sound wise and that sound fairly similar to the way he was speaking about his connection with Hanni, so I’m reserving further judgment until he proves he can form a less vague opinion about his dates.

When we see Shella again, it’s clear she’s doing her best to be vulnerable in the pods, talking about her relationship concerns and even telling one of her dates that she wishes she could hug him through the wall. Hanni also opens up to Daniel, explaining that her father left their family and that she really had to step up and be there to support her mother, which colors the person she is today. She leaves their date telling the cameras that she’s “100% sure” of her feelings for him.

I was surprised to see a breakup already in the first episode of the show, but, sure enough, the next time Hanni sees Ilias, she reports that she’s found a stronger connection and doesn’t see a point in theirs continuing. Though he says he’d prefer to keep talking, he accepts her words, and they cut their date short.

My main takeaway from this initial episode is that this cast doesn’t mince their words! More so than any of the other Love Is Blind spin-offs I’ve watched, people are extremely straightforward about what they want in a partner, be it having kids, demonstrating vulnerability, or even being a smoker. While some of the initial pod conversations aren’t comprised of the greatest depth, what makes it interesting is the directness with which they conduct their dates.

And, perhaps most intriguingly, this approach seems to make for fewer love triangles, as no one is holding back when it comes to how they feel. So effective is this method that the first episode already contains a proposal: when Daniel pops the question to Hanni, she accepts excitedly and without reservation. “I’m exactly where I want to be,” she says. “Right now, things are just perfect.”

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Fifteen men and women from the same city come together to compete in Love is Blind, a reality dating show created for Netflix. The show sees couples meet and fall in love with a twist – they’ll only meet face to face if one of the two accepts a marriage proposal. If they accept, they’ll move in with their partner, meet their families, and ultimately decide if they want to say “I do.”

Release Date

February 13, 2020

Main Genre

Reality

Cast

Nick Lachey , vanessa lachey , Micah Lussier , Chelsea Griffin , Tiffany Pennywell , Zack Goytowski , Brett Brown , Kwame Appiah , Alexa Alfia , Brennon Lemieux , Colleen Reed , Matt Bolton , Bartise Bowden , Bliss Poureetezadi , Paul Peden , Cole Barnett , Zanab Jaffrey , Raven Ross , Nancy Rodriguez , SK Alagbada , Deepti Vempati , Danielle Ruhl , Mallory Zapata , Natalie Lee , Nick Thompson , Iyanna McNeely , Jarrette Jones

Seasons

8

Story By

Chris Coelen

Writers

Chris Coelen

Directors

Chris Coelen

Showrunner

Chris Coelen

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