Love Is Blind UK fans are reeling after learning a ‘surprise’ practice Netflix producers employ to keep entertainment value high.
Earlier this summer, the inaugural season of Love Is Blind UK, hosted by Matt and Emma Willis, debuted on Netflix.
The 12-episode show initially saw 30 singletons heading into the social experiment looking for love, but only five couples moved from the Pods and onto their Grecian getaway.
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However, a contestant has revealed that the initial number of engagements may have been higher than first perceived.
In a new interview, Love Is Blind UK star Catherine ‘Cat’ Richards, 29, announced that she was now dating someone who got engaged to someone else in the pods.
However, his brief engagement shockingly wasn’t shown on TV.
The Jersey-based nurse, who was previously engaged to Freddie Powell, 32, appeared on an episode of the Bailiwick Express podcast to reveal all.
“I’m with someone now from the pods funnily enough. We’ve been together for nearly a year, we live together,” Cat began. “I’m with a guy with a dog, and the dog lives with us.
“So his journey, Jake [Singleton-Hill] he was in the pods. He got engaged but he wasn’t chosen to go on the retreat so not everyone is picked.
“Netflix only chose five couples and I was lucky enough but sadly he wasn’t,” she revealed.
Catherine continued to claim her boyfriend’s journey on Love Is Blind UK had been ‘very rough’ as he’d experienced a ‘rollercoaster of emotions’.
“So I reached out to him—I hadn’t seen him, I only saw Freddie and the couples from the retreat—I saw him on social… so I messaged him.”
Cat claimed after an initial exchange, the pair FaceTimed for a staggering five hours before taking the plunge and eventually dating.
She also remarked that if she hadn’t fallen head-over-heels for Freddie, she and Jake wouldn’t have happened.
“It’s just so funny because if we dated we would’ve got married, it would have been lovely but the pressure that you are under, it wouldn’t have worked.
“I wouldn’t change it,” she continued. “Freddie was a good-looking guy but I’ve really got the jackpot with Jake.”
Following the reveal that Netflix cut engaged couples from the programme, fans of Love Is Blind UK have taken to social media to have their say.
“I wondered this and am not surprised,” remarked one Reddit user. “They picked 6 couples this season didn’t they?
“I’ve wondered how they always get usually exactly 5 but in the past they’ve had like 3/5 drop out and not make it to the end in one season.”
A second typed: “I am potentially overly surprised imagine being filmed for all that time only to turn on the telly and find you’re not in it. I do wonder if they allowed 6 this time because they couldn’t resist the Benaiah-Nicole-Sam drama.”
“They clearly only pick the hot mess couples to be on TV,” claimed someone else.
Another viewer commented: “I know someone that worked in one of the productions, they only budget for 5-6 couples. They choose the ones they think will play better on TV.”
The first season of Love Is Blind UK comes to a close tonight (Monday 26 August) with a special reunion show streaming 9 PM on Netflix.
Topics: Netflix, Love Is Blind, Sex and Relationships, Reality TV, Entertainment, TV And Film
Ella Scott