Diego: I watch “Love is Blind” because I love watching how people interact in front of a camera, especially when complex emotions like love are put at the forefront of a show’s central theme. It’s entertaining to see how people act around each other when there’s a camera pointed at them. Season 4 of “Love is Blind” didn’t disappoint in showcasing genuine love and audacious drama.

Alexa: Truthfully, I don’t really watch reality TV. Prior to watching this show, I devoured Love on the Spectrum and the occasional TLC show, but other than casually watching, I had never even heard about the show. When realizing that this show was one of the biggest love reality shows on Netflix while also hearing my coworkers banter about the show, I needed to know what the hype was about. Especially after hearing about one of the contestants in the prior season supposedly being under the influence of cocaine.

Diego: One of the highlights this season for me was the love triangle between Marshall, Jackelina, and Josh. It really felt to me like as soon as Marshall and Jackelina saw each other it was the beginning of the end. It didn’t surprise me to see Marshall sitting alone in the reunion, nor that he and Jackelina didn’t try to reignite the relationship after the show.

Alexa: I agree that their whole relationship was messy up until the end. As soon as I watched the dispute between Josh and Marshall at the pods and at Chelsea’s birthday party, I knew that Jackelina would crave the toxicity of Josh’s jealousy. I’m also not surprised that they ended up together due to Jackelina’s old-fashioned view of masculinity that she unfairly projected onto Marshall. She also got off way too easy during the interview in the Reunion episode and she also needs to give Marshall’s ring back.

Diego: Definitely. I think it’s fair to say that Marshall wasn’t a perfect guy either. His comment towards Jackelina about her appearance, saying “You coulda been a man for all I know,” is gross, and the fact that he left for a couple days after an argument with her speaks volumes about how well their relationship was going to turn out. There’s also the leaked messages between Jackelina and her friends, in which she insinuates that Marshall may be gay. Both sides made regrettable comments towards each other, but I think the homophobic remarks that Jackelina made, paired with her blatant disinterest she exhibited towards Marshall, made her this season’s biggest drama highlight.

Alexa: Speaking along the lines of drama, I believe the triangle between Kwame, Chelsea and Micah is also something that is hard to avoid. I feel as if the moment Micah broke things off with Kwame in the pods, things would kind of go downhill from there, and although Kwame stated that he wanted to break it off also, him being desperate enough for closure from Micah in Mexico definitely does not show that he was or will ever be over her.

Diego: There’s also his reluctance to give up his lifestyle to move in with Chelsea. He just didn’t seem incredibly into her, but then again, we don’t see 100% of the picture, just what the camera shows us.

Alexa: I definitely agree. The security in the relationship doesn’t seem entirely there but then again, we can’t judge what we can always see. One thing I do know, however, is the love between Brett and Tiffany is definitely real. I had no doubt that they would both say “I do.”

Diego: Without a doubt. Their relationship was the most wholesome, and in my opinion, is the most genuine showcase of love in recent memory for the series. I can’t say the same for Zack and Bliss, though. I feel like their relationship is still strained by Zack’s decision to marry Irina first.

Alexa: I wouldn’t blame Bliss for mentioning Irina throughout the show for sure. If my man chose someone else to marry before choosing me, I would never let it go. Before talking about Irina\] though, I feel as if I really want to like Zack and Bliss’s relationship but it feels way too rushed to me. Zack practically proposed to Bliss immediately after breaking it off with Irina. I do believe that the connection is there but the two seemed very into the idea of being on the show again rather than getting together on their own time. There was a moment in the Reunion where Zack tells Irina that she just wanted to be on the show for fame but Zack and Bliss’s relationship feels the same way.

Diego: I can see where you’re coming from. Their relationship seemed to kind of be rekindled out of nowhere, but I think it comes from a place of genuine interest. They had a good connection in the pods, and I agree that I would never let my partner choosing someone else go. However, I really like their chemistry and think Zack and Bliss are a good match for each other, even if it took Zack proposing to Irina to realize that. I do feel for Micah, however, who didn’t get the chance to see if she and Paul would be a good match.

Alexa: I feel as if there’s a reason why she asked Paul to answer first. Deep down, I believe that she had a feeling that Paul was going to say no and I’ve heard people say that Micah would’ve said no as welleither but was just sad that she got rejected but I think there is more to it than that. I feel as if they really did care for each other but Paul got too much into his own head before their wedding and wanted to flee. I do also really sympathize with Micah for being embarrassed in front of friends and family, that’s practically traumatizing. Similar to Zack and Bliss’s relationship, however, Irina is also an unfortunate factor in this, like a mosquito.

Diego: It’s important to note that initially Irina and Micah were a duo that were working with each other and actively rooted for other women’s downfall. I think Micah is just as responsible for the toxic behavior that occurred in the pods, but I feel that it was just Irina’s personality rubbing off on Micah, and in an experiment where you can’t your partners physical characteristics, I can see Micah wanting to have some type of friendship with someone like Irina to get an advantage over the other women.

Alexa: Their insecurities were definitely present this season and although I do sympathize with Micah being ditched at the altar, her actions shouldn’t be excused. I do believe that Micah was swept into her actions too. I can make a laundry list of things that Irina has done but the worst of all was disrespecting Micah by hitting on Paul, leading her to sever her only lifeline to the rest of the group. It’s hard to believe her apology in the Reunion so all I have to say is that I hope she grows from her mistakes.

Diego: I hope so too. On that note, I also hope Paul learns from this experiment to be more communicative in the future. There’s no excuse for his lack of transparency with Micah. You shouldn’t put something like marriage up in the air, especially if you still have some issues to iron out. I understand that this show is an experiment to see if love can be found without seeing the physical characteristics of potential partners, but it seems that once couples actually get together, the mystique and charm that comes with the show starts to break down. It then becomes a run-of-the-mill reality love show.

Alexa: From a viewer’s perspective, it’s fun to ask friends, “Would you do something like this?” The “reality” part of the show becomes foggy as it makes a spectacle out of emotions and relationships. Though some of the relationships that came out of the show are real, it feels as if most of them stem from wanting to have a presence on the show so that they can stay relevant. To me, it’s not much more than an overproduced Netflix show with sensational marketing tactics to convey the believability to audiences. It inspires me as a Marketing major.

Diego: I agree. It’s blind, but only to a certain extent. Either way, if there’s a season 5, I’ll be there.