‘Love Is Blind’ Season 8 Proves Diversity on Reality TV Is Still an Afterthought

This lack of representation, including little Asian and Hispanic depiction, seems to be a consistent problem for reality dating shows, including The Bachelor and Love Island UK—and now Love Is Blind has fallen victim.

But when you do ensure your cast is genuinely diverse, as was the case on Love Island USA last season, it pays off. I personally believe it’s no coincidence that in 2024 Love Island USA scored its biggest streaming viewership ever.

On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like Netflix truly prioritized diversity this season—an especially sad outcome considering Minneapolis, where this season is set, was at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd. As of 2022, 14.2 percent of Minneapolis residents were born outside of the country, with the population leaning 18.4 percent Black (non-Hispanic); 9.85 percent Hispanic, and 5.15 percent Asian.

Regardless of the city in which Love Is Blind is being filmed, there has to be intentionality in casting diverse range of contestants and telling different stories. After watching the first six episodes of this season, I did not see that. I was in desperate need of feeling seen, of being able to relate to the conversations on screen. And while I’m glad there is some representation this season, it’s not enough. There is no reason why I had to wait about 35 minutes into the second episode (and I checked, trust me) to see a person of color be given meaningful airtime in the dating pods.