Just Hear Me Out: ‘Love Is Blind’ Australia Should Actually Happen

There was one burning thought left in my mind when I finished watching Season 2 of Netflix’s Love Is Blind.

No, it wasn’t how anyone stomached being in the same room as Shake for weeks on end. It wasn’t even the general pressing question I have as to how the hell Nick Lachey got the hosting gig on this show.

It was simply the thought that we need an Aussie version of Love Is Blind.

I know what you’re thinking: surely we have enough reality shows dedicated to finding love on Australian TV. And you could argue that but I must disagree.

We have a lot of reality shows based around the concept of love, sure. But do we believe in them anymore? Do we spend weeks of our lives watching Married at First Sight because we think the show has created strong, everlasting connections? No! Do we waste our time on The Bachelor with any real hope that every couple will turn out like Matty J and Laura Byrne? Not anymore! And we’re sure as hell not watching Love Island for the romantic plotlines.

Which leads me to… Australia needs a show that shakes things up and focuses on normal people again, not on who can come out of each reality series being the most successful influencer.

Australia needs Love Is Blind.

If you haven’t seen Love Is Blind, the premise is pretty simple. A bunch of singles get to know each other with one catch: they can’t see each other. They form an emotional connection, eventually partner off with their favourites, get proposed to, and then finally face each other IRL.

There’s a few things here that probably wouldn’t bode well with Australian culture: namely, the dropping of “I love you” and the whole getting engaged thing before clapping eyes on one another.

Australians are notoriously repressed as people, so this will be one obstacle to overcome – perhaps instead of getting actually married at the end, the couple just have a commitment ceremony similar to Married at First Sight, to save us all from the sweaty, perplexing feeling of real commitment.

So Netflix, listen up: it’s time to commission an Aussie version of Love is Blind. Here’s why:

1. Firstly, it’d just be really funny to watch Australians on a show like this.

As I said earlier, Australians are notoriously emotionally repressed. Americans are out here just confessing their love to someone before meeting them, yet sometimes our leading Bachelor or MAFS stars can barely utter the three words (or choose anyone at the end). How would Aussies fare having to commit to a stranger before even setting eyes on them? I’d pay to see it. Literally, Netflix, I pay you every month.

2. We need a show that’s just based on your every day, average Aussie.

Of course watching shows like The Bachelor, Love Island, Married at First Sight etc. is fun but everyone is a bloody glamazon these days and good for them. But I can’t deny when I watch shows like Love is Blind, I enjoy watching what feels like normal people trying to find love vs. already glam, promising influencers building upon their following or net worth. Even watching shows like The Ultimatum, you see Rae go to work like a normal person while navigating her relationship with Jake at the time. Which leads me to…

3. We need a show that works on developing solid relationships again, without the fancy-schmancy dates or wild group dynamics.

Our reality shows are great at putting people in a bubble and waiting for drama to explode. But weekly commitment ceremonies and dinner parties aren’t necessarily what make a relationship work. In Love is Blind, after their honeymoons, they have to move in together and live their usual lives and see how they adapt to each other’s lifestyles. This may sound similar to MAFS, but our MAFS couples are bundled up in the same complex, assumedly not working their real jobs, and living for things like the weekly dinner parties to spice things up.

I wanna watch a bunch of relatively normal Aussies pick each other, then be forced to build on that initial emotional connection by living their usual lives without John Aiken staring grumpily at them from a couch (love u John, but not for this show).

4. Let’s be real, we need the diversity.

Love Is Blind is a much more diverse show, bringing people from different cultural backgrounds together, which can lead to some pretty awesome TV moments (I’ll never get over how good Deepti looked on her wedding day) or some in-depth conversations around ethnicity. Australian reality TV is pretty damn white, and given we’re such a multicultural society, it’d be awesome to see more minorities represented.

5. It could give an Aussie has-been a chance to host the show.

If it’s revived Nick Lachey’s career, just imagine what it could do for Scott Cain. I rest my case.