On February 13, 2020, the world as we knew it changed forever. The planets, previously thrown off by disturbances in the force, were immediately aligned. Stars, once dimmed, suddenly shone bright. The cynics of the world, feeling down on their luck, now had something to live for.
It was, after all, the day Love is Blind premiered on Netflix.
If you are like me, you burned through each batch of episodes faster than anyone could’ve prevented Jessica from giving her dog wine. Here was a show that combined the best parts of The Bachelor with The Real World and Finding Prince Charming (LOL, just kidding on that last one, who remembers that disaster?) all into one. There was cussing, kissing, fighting, f*cking and marriage. In short, Love is Blind had everything we didn’t know we needed… and it’s clear the world was smitten.
As we eagerly anticipate another round of Love is Blind (anytime now, Nextflix!) here is what we hope to see in Season 2.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Bring back (drunk) Jessica.
Sure, Jessica made good television. But Drunk Jessica made great television.
Joking aside, I demand #JusticeForJessica. Yes, she was cringeworthy, indecisive, and ultimately terrible for Marc. Which made her exactly the kind of reality show villain the world loved to hate. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes (as GG would say), Jessica deserves a redemption arc! She deserves to fall head over heels for someone, without question. Jessica has said herself that she struggles to watch the show because of how she acted, so let’s give her another go.
Just make sure to keep the wine far, far away from the dog this time.
Lean into the concept of the show more.
So much of the fun surrounding Love is Blind is that people literally fall in love without ever seeing each other. In Season 2, the show would be wise to play up this aspect more. Have less conventionally-hot people, for starters. Add in more POC, more LGBTQ folks… Hell, maybe even disabled people, or someone in an open relationship? What would happen then, when the person you fell in love with doesn’t fit into the box of straight, while, able bodied and hot? Sure we got a taste of this in Season 1 with couples like Diamond and Carlton, and Lauren and Cameron, but I want more, dammit!
By doing this, the show could really tap into people’s preconceived notions of others, and start a larger dialogue. Of course, if the show isn’t ready to tackle such subject matter, bring in a celebrity who is serious about finding love to shake things up. Last we heard, Antoni from Queer Eye was single! Which kind of takes us to our next point…
Bring in someone from The Bachelor to compete (but only if it’s Hannah B.).
After experiencing the uncensored beauty of Love is Blind, watching The Bachelor is like watching a movie that was originally R-rated, but was then edited down to PG for Disney. It’s child’s play. How fun would it be to have a former contestant from The Bachelor (*cough* Hannah Brown! *cough*) join the Love is Blind family?
Instead of speaking in annoying innuendo like they normally do on The Bachelor (ie “we were intimate”), viewers would be able to see said contestant in all their unfiltered, explicit glory. Besides, we all know the “Fantasy Suite” is actually code for “F*ck Suite!”
Talk about crossover gold! Also, have I mentioned Hannah B.?
More episodes.
Let’s face it. 10 episodes is not enough. I want more time with the couples both in the pods and in the real world. I want more cutting one-liners from GG. I want more dramatic marriage proposals, and couples being left at the altar. I’ve seen the light and am anything but blind to the fact that we need more Love is Blind in this world! And while we are at it, can we have a “Where Are They Now?” special with the season 1 cast a year from now?
An all-queer spin-off.
Okay, this is less of a request and more of a demand. How awesome would an all-queer spin-off of Love is Blind be? In the age of dating apps, face pics, torso pics, and the occasional hole pic (I said it!), an all-queer cast would turn everything we know about LGBTQ dating on it’s head.
Plus, MTV did it with Are You The One? so why can’t Netflix? This way, everyone would be fair game. You wouldn’t know who would get with who, resulting in the juiciest possible reality show ever known to man. Or woman. Or wherever you fall on the gender spectrum.
You’ve heard our demands. Now, the balls (metaphorical, of course) are in your court, Netflix.
Josh Galassi is very gay and very disabled, if you haven’t noticed. Sometimes, he writes about both those things, and sometimes, he doesn’t. He lives in Seattle with his boyfriend and their dogs Eudora and Carmen Sandiego, who, it turns out, was on Craigslist the entire time (where they bought her). You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, or at a nearby coffee shop obsessing over cold brew.
Donston
The problem with a “queer” edition of something like this is that it would likely still mostly promote hetero-normalcy. Yes, there might end up being some “juicy” (aka messy) drama. But the “gays” almost always end up with the short stick. While most people (particularly males) who are not completely heterosexual or homosexual or who have experienced fluidity, still have affections, fascination, romantic passions, emotional investment, relationship fulfillment that skew a certain direction. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what a dude’s attractions/arousals are or who he may enjoy sexually engaging with. I watched a few eps of that “fluid” season of Are You the One, and it was mostly hetero dynamics and girls making out.
Too often “queer” is a stand-in for “not too gay”, or at least that’s the what media is starting to reflect. Guys on TV trying to compete with women for men is not the way go. There’s so much male homophobia, internalized homophobia, queer-baiting, straight/hetero-leaning/non-homo worship and superiority, self-misandry, and same-sex love shame going on out here. Those issues have hardly been settled, and a cheesy, messy reality show will likely not be truly confronting this stuff. “Juicy” (aka messy) drama is all that it would have to offer.