Netflix's "Love Is Blind" is still captivating audiences everywhere. The hit reality dating show, which follows singles as they try to fall in love without ever laying eyes on one another, instantly became a trending show for the streamer when it debuted in February 2020.
Season 6 premiered on Valentine's Day 2024. The first batch of episodes dropped on Feb 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28, and March 6. Backstage reports that additional seasons of "Love Is Blind" are also in the works, as it's already been renewed for Season 7. If you want to become a reality TV star, read on to learn what it takes to get cast in a future season.
"Love Is Blind" has an eye-catching premise: For 10 days, men and women go on speed dates, but the kicker is that they are unable to see one another. The contestants are put into pods where they can relax, drink wine, and chat—all while not having any physical interactions with their date.
When a contestant decides they've found the one, they propose in the pod—still without seeing the person they're popping the question to. Following the proposal, the pair finally get to meet one another, then are whisked away on a tropical vacation together. During this getaway, contestants also meet the other engaged couples. Afterward, the two move into an apartment together and meet each other's families. On the day of the wedding, the couple meet at the altar and decide if they really want to go through with the marriage or call it quits.
Husband-and-wife duo Nick and Vanessa Lachey serve as co-hosts. Here are the Season 6 contestants:
The Women:
The Men:
The casting director for "Love Is Blind," Donna A. Driscoll, is the head of casting at Kinetic Content. She previously put together the ensembles of "Married at First Sight," "Little Women," and "Spy Games." She was also in the casting department of "The Amazing Race" and "Shear Genius."
Driscoll talked to Screen Rant about the casting process, noting that social media plays a big part in the decision-making process. "You can tell a lot about a person through the content on their social media, like their personality, their goals, and their interpersonal relationships," she explained. "We look for a myriad of tells about who a person is on their social media, and we do outreach on a grassroots level everywhere." Once her team finds someone to reach out to, the interview process begins. "The vetting consists of one phone call at the start, and then a casting producer interview via Skype. They would sometimes do two or three of those; it all depends on the person."
Asked what she looks for in potential contestants, Driscoll added, "Well, for guys and girls alike, we're always looking for people who are marriage-minded; and we don't want players. You can tell that about somebody from the first phone conversation, usually, especially if you've been in casting for a long time for a reality or docuseries. You just have a good sense. And we asked a lot of questions that were pretty good tells about that."
Driscoll added that an ideal contestant should project earnestness. "I think that they're genuine … and excited about the opportunity," she explained. "If that can come across in some way, and if a lot of their answers lead with love."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creator Chris Coelen echoed that desire for sincerity. "We have a great casting department, and they reached out to people who they felt would be genuinely interested in this kind of commitment," he explained. "I think that's really key; we want people who aren't just doing it for the attention. There's certainly plenty of places for people who want to do stuff for the attention. We wanted to be really dealing with people who were genuinely interested in it."
Those who want to take their shot at finding love on the series should fill out an application on the show's website. All contestants must live in the city where the season is filming, so they can move in together following their experience in the pods and on the couples' retreat. "Love Is Blind" Season 1 was filmed in Atlanta, Season 2 was filmed in Chicago, and Season 3 was filmed in Dallas—so it's clear the showrunners have an affinity for major metropolitan locales.
As Driscoll told IndieWire, once the season's city has been picked, she and her team make their presence known. "The big job for us is to make sure that everyone within a 50-mile radius is talking about the fact that 'Love Is Blind' is casting there," she said.
Casting will talk to an estimated 2,000 candidates on the phone before choosing 300 to 400 people for the Zoom interview stage. During this phase, the team dives deeper to ensure its eventual ensemble is truly there to find love. That means finding people who embody certain qualities that indicate they're in it for the commitment. "Those indicators would be if they've done the work on themselves, healed from past relationships, truly understand what the meaning of love is, or have experienced what it is to love," she said. Oh, and each applicant must complete a nearly 300-question compatibility questionnaire, too. "It's very detailed, and we have a background check and psych evaluation before anyone moves forward to the pod."
From there the casting team narrows its top 60 to 70 applicants down to 30, paying special attention to the potential connections. "The story really has to hone in on the connections or triangles that we're going to follow … ." Driscoll added. "The main thing is to follow the most authentic love stories at the end of the day."
Season 4, "Sightless in Seattle," saw the series jump to the West Coast after filming in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas, respectively, for Seasons 1–3. Season 5 saw the series return to Texas, this time in Houston. But Season 6 took place in an entirely new East Coast location: Charlotte, North Carolina.
Even though Season 6 of "Love Is Blind" has already wrapped, Season 7 is underway. Can you picture yourself as part of the future cast? If so, fill out an application here. You'll also need to prepare a 15-second video, provide photos, and answer a series of personal questions. For other reality show casting calls and auditions, check out our roundup of similar gigs. Keep an eye on our main casting call section for new opportunities as they arise.
Coelen said the key to choosing contestants is seeking out people who truly want to find love. "We picked participants, really, based on the feelings that they expressed and our judgment about whether or not they were really interested in exploring a lifelong relationship and/or getting married," he explained to Express.
Driscoll echoed the sentiment in her conversation with ScreenRant. "Personality is huge, especially in an experiment like this," she emphasized. "I know I sound repetitive, but I can't say this enough: The most important detail to all of this is if they're genuinely ready for a serious relationship and looking for a life partner.
"When I saw the success of the show, I was like, 'Wow, we're going to have to be really diligent about casting next season,'" she continued. "And I feel like we're still having a lot of conversations about that; but I feel like, at that point, we're going to have to incorporate people who are close to the candidates in their everyday life into the conversation at a certain point."
But who should apply in the first place? Season 2 fan favorite Deepti Vempati offered some helpful advice. "Don't waste someone's time," she told Distractify. "So really think about if you want to be in a committed relationship with somebody. And if you think you have it in you, if you have the emotional capacity to … care about somebody in this type of setting, to go through something that is a very emotional process and to be filmed while doing it, [you should apply]," she said. She added that only those who are "ready to be in a committed relationship" and "take the leap of faith to get married to somebody in a short period of time" should consider joining the cast.
This story was produced by Backstage and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
