Reality AF: Love Is Blind Season 8 Preview

When Valentine’s Day rolls around you can always count on seeing three things: overpriced flowers, heart-shaped antacids with trite sayings written on them, and a new season of Love is Blind. 

The first six episodes of season eight drop on Valentine’s Day and this time around the Nick and Vanessa Lachey-hosted relationship series is set in Minnesota. Or as the locals there probably say… Minn-A-SO-TAH. While the Love is Blind formula remains mostly the same (32 singles blindly get to know each other over 10 days, some get proposals, they meet in person and freak out in good and bad ways, and drink only from golden goblets) this season the participants and the setting are quite different. 

This season of Love is Blind is unlike any of its predecessors. And while I’ve previously written about how Love is Blind is filmed, in this season eight preview I’ll be providing a spoiler-free look at this newest iteration to whet your appetite for what’s sure to be a unique experience. 

Here are the biggest takeaways from the first six episodes of everyone’s favorite visually-impaired reality relationship series. 

6 Things That Stand Out

Minnesota Nice: Love is Blind viewers are accustomed to a certain level of drama. After all, this is a show where someone applied eye drops to make themselves look like they were crying, a guy bragged about his time “in the bush” with lions and leopards, and a man explained how a 41-year-old woman in Bali taught him about orgasmic pleasure. And this was all the same person! Andrew from season three is a first ballot LIB Hall of Famer. 

Amazingly, viewers get little pod drama this season as most participants are from one of the nicest states in America, Minnesota. In one episode, Brittany calmly and politely breaks up with someone and that person handles it with grace. In another, Meg breaks the heart of the man who was her clear number one but the relationship ends amicably. 

This amount of emotional maturity is odd for a reality show, but also refreshing. Not only is there minimal drama but everyone gets along. The women build a blanket fort together. At one point one of the men says to his cohorts, “I hope we all get engaged.” Minnesota Nice won’t be destroyed by a reality show. 

Love abounds: There are a record number of love triangles this season, and even a couple of love squares. Brittany, Lauren, Madison, Meg, Molly, Virginia, Alex, David, Mason, and David are all intertwined in one way or another. 

Now that’s what I call music: I’ve previously made fun of the saccharine songs from no-name artists featured on this show. Thankfully the music budget has dramatically improved. Now viewers will get to enjoy saccharine songs from Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Jason Mraz, Billie Eilish, Belinda Carlisle, and several other recognizable names. 

Cushy gig: I timed it and Nick and Vanessa Lachey appear for a total of 98 seconds in the first six episodes. These two make Jesse Palmer look like a workhorse. Good work if you can get it. 

Politics: You wouldn’t think the 47th President would come up in conversation on a reality dating show filmed in early 2024 but that’s exactly what happens between two singles with opposing political views. As is always the case with this cast, the chat is cordial but it’s still interesting to see politics and Donald Trump come up in a dating series because it happens so rarely. In real life this topic can lead to a breakup. 

Drama: The biggest controversy early in the season, which was mentioned in the Love is Blind season 8 official trailer, is that it appears one of the men knew what one of the women he is dating looked like the entire time they were in the pods. Allegedly, he was following her on Instagram before taping. There are hints as to who the man in question is but the reveal won’t occur until episode six. That said, whether or not the claim is true or not won’t be known until more episodes drop. 

12 Silly Quotes Provided With No Context

“Why are you here? What’s wrong with you?” 

“I hate feeling any intense emotion.” 

“If you ever need a colonoscopy, I’m your girl.”

“I came from Mars. I’m really loving Earth so far.” 

“I did not expect the power of God to be flowing through your veins.” 

“My butt is kinda tingling.” 

“I definitely don’t have any Spidey senses in my butt.”

“My right testicle is throbbing right now.” 

“Do you want to know something about my nipples?” 

“You’re getting old so let’s crank this up a notch.” 

“Oh my God.” (Said by David approximately 345 times) 

“What could go wrong?” (Right before something goes wrong)

6 Early Season Awards

Most Likely to Change His Mind: David, who viewers will either love or hate due to his hit or miss sense of humor, is stuck in one of the aforementioned love triangles. His gut tells him to go for one woman but he doesn’t listen to it and picks what is likely the wrong person. Only time will tell. 

Most Obviously From the Midwest: Lauren, a former teacher who now sells social studies curriculum to school districts, has an accent that makes it clear she hails from the Land of 1,000 Lakes or somewhere in the region. 

Most Likely to Unintentionally Sabotage a Relationship: Madison is an artist who’s about as cool as they come. Unfortunately she can be a little too cool, pushing people away when she feels slighted in even the smallest of ways. This impacts her relationship and multiple others. 

Most Likely to Have Over Romanticized the LIB Experiment: There are several candidates for this award but the early frontrunner is oncology nurse Sara. One of my favorite people from this cast, Sara is thoughtful and kind but may have her heart set on someone that’s a bit too outside her relationship box. 

Most Likely to Be a Fan Favorite (Male): Mason, a cinematographer, has an interesting backstory. He’s a good guy with a good heart that faces some unanticipated challenges. 

Most Likely to Be a Fan Favorite (Female): Taylor, the other oncology nurse in the cast, is smart, beautiful, and funny. She has the kind of personality that any person would be attracted to. 

The eighth season of Love is Blind premieres with six episodes on Netflix on Friday, February 14. Subsequent episodes release on Fridays through March 7.

Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not dreaming of being on Survivor or The Summit, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.

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