RECAP: “Love Is Blind” Season 7, Episodes 1-9
Y’all, I was not planning to recap this season of "Love Is Blind." I was going to even hold off on watching it for a little bit, as we just finished “The Circle” last week, and we did “Love Is Blind UK” basically right before that. And it just left me feeling…
But just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in with one of the messiest seasons of this show to date. What is happening, single people of Washington, D.C.? Are you all completely dysfunctional?! I think maybe you are. Because this is wild, and it keeps getting wilder.
While we were in the pods in episodes 1-5, I thought to myself, “Wow, we have so many couples we’re following this time; it seems like more than usual.” And I think that was true. And when we got to Cabo, I thought, “You know, I actually think almost all of these couples are going to make it down the aisle!”
Flash forward to the end of Episode 9, and I think we realistically have a shot at only one of the couples getting married this season, and even that one is going to require one member making a massive sacrifice. The rest of these matches are doomed. DOOMED! And for a surprisingly high rate of them, it’s because one member of the couple was flat-out lying or cheating.
Let’s jump into these couples, starting with the one I think is most likely to make it down the aisle, and moving down the list of dysfunction. Disagree with my takes? Drop them in the comments.
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Garrett & Taylor
Each season we have at least one couple that feels rock solid, and this season it’s science nerds Garrett and Taylor. I’ll just be blunt: Taylor is one of the most likable and relatable people we’ve ever had on this show. She is smart, capable, direct, chill, and thoughtful, not to mention absolutely stunning. I like Garrett quite a bit too; he’s a bit more reserved, but he seems like a genuine guy, obviously intelligent, and also quite attractive. Their bond feels real and I will be deeply sad, for both them and myself, if this doesn’t work out.
But there is a major wrench in the works: Tiffany informed Garrett (I’m not sure when — in the pods, or after the proposal?) that although they are both based in D.C., she wants to move back home to San Diego to be closer to her family. And if she and Garrett get married, she obviously expects him to relocate with her. That is a huge move for someone he has known just a handful of days, and it involves moving away from his family (to whom he seems close), giving up elements of his career, etc. That is a big, big ask. I remember a few seasons back, when Kwame had to relocated from Portland to Seattle (or vice versa) to be with Micah, and THAT seemed like a major concession. Moving across country? Huge deal.
Still, I hope that Garrett and Taylor can make it work. They both seem great individually, and as a couple, they could not be more lovable. I do think they will get married at the end of the “experiment.”
Nick & Hannah
Please note the massive drop — I would say chasm — in success chances between Garrett & Taylor and Nick & Hannah. I don’t think Nick and Hanna will get married. I don’t think they should get married. But right now, they are the couple with the second-least-broken relationship, and boy is that a statement.
I don’t particularly care for either member of this couple. But they are a great encapsulation of something this season is doing different from any other I can recall: the edit seems much more even-handed when it comes to showing the flaws of both parties. In seasons’ past we would often get couples where one party was very clearly painted as the “bad” one, and the other was by and large given a free pass — and we would be told in the press and reunion that it wasn’t an accurate reflection of reality. This time, I think the editors are doing a much better job showing almost all of these people as flawed in some scenes, and likable in others.
Hannah, for instance, started out quite likable. In the pods I was pulling for her, and I found myself concerned for her mental and emotional health, because I didn’t think it was going to work out well for her with Nick or Leo. I thought for sure they would both be highly judgmental and dismissive of her once they got to know her outside the pods. Meanwhile, Nick came off terribly in the pods. I don’t think that was the edit. The other women all found him untrustworthy and a player, and at one point actually pushed Hannah to break up with him (which she did!).
Things switched immediately at the proposal/reveal, when Nick seemed thrilled to see Hannah, and Hannah…obviously did not. She was very cool toward him, and her body language was VERY revealing. This is partially Nick’s own fault for talking a VERY big game in the pods; at one point he compared himself to Henry Cavill.
Henry Cavill?! It’s giving…
If Nick looks like Henry Cavill, then I am a Men’s Fitness cover model. My word. But the thing is, Nick is a perfectly good-looking guy. There’s nothing wrong with him! This is case of overselling and creating unrealistic expectations. (Although I think Hannah did some of that herself.)
To her credit, Hannah seemed to get over her disconnect pretty quickly, and at first they seemed good in Mexico. But then I think we started to see the “real” Hannah. She repeatedly, bordering on constantly (based on what we see), insulted and disrespected Nick. She is mean to him. She seems to think she’s being “funny” (she’s not), but it’s telling that as soon as Nick responded with anything approaching the level of critical commentary, she says he crossed a line.
It was bad in Mexico — that whole weird scene with the duck was where she started to lose me — and it got worse when they returned to D.C. That scene where she lectured him about money and stocks was one of the most condescending moments in the history of this show. She came off like, “You don’t understand stocks, you peasant?” What an asshole, my god. Especially coming from someone who was, at that point, unemployed.
My read on Hannah is that she’s very skilled at ingratiating herself to people at first (see: the scene with Nick’s parents, where she showers them with gifts and says everything just right), and once she thinks she has you, she drops the pretense and then starts shitting all over you. She is astonishingly immature, even in a cast overwhelmed by immature young adults. Her exchanges with her brother and then her parents painted a picture of someone who was spoiled, entitled, and who treats people poorly. (Also, these are the same parents who “cut her off” at 18? Either they too are skilled at hiding their true natures, or something there does not add up.)
As for Nick, he does need to grow up. He does feel stuck in his development as an adult. He doesn’t seem to really know himself yet, much less what he wants/needs out of a partner. But he seems fairly harmless. I think the “player” thing in the pods was an act, something he developed via years of online dating, and accelerated given his career in real estate, where you HAVE to sell yourself constantly. But I don’t think he’s a bad guy. And he certainly deserves a partner who will treat him better than Hannah does. She seems miserable in her life, and determined to make everyone else around her miserable too. Nobody deserves that.
Ramses & Marissa
I thought these two were going to be smooth sailing, until we got back to D.C. and discovered that they apparently did not have any serious conversations in the pods. Because how do you not cover some of the core issues they are now grappling with, which really should be dealbreakers for one or both members of any couple? I think they were caught up in the excitement of the experience, and the fun they were genuinely having with each other (and once in Mexico, the thrill of each others’ respective hotness, as they are both beautiful people). But these two should absolutely not get married.
Given that this season is based in D.C., it makes sense that the military would be a component of the cast. We had a few veterans, including Marisa and her other romance in the pods, Bohdan. I suspect Marissa might now regret splitting with Bodhan, given Ramses’ intractable stances on a few key things, including her opinion of the military. Ramses is from Venezuela, and his disgust with the American military makes perfect sense — we have been involved in a lot of destructive actions in South America, including in his home country. So I don’t blame him for his take. But this feels like something that should have been talked through prior to any kind of proposal, because he seems to have strong feelings about a key component of Marissa’s life, and I genuinely do not see how the two of them can realistically move past that. These feel like diametrically opposed takes. Marissa would still be serving in the Reserves if the logistics of it weren’t so onerous. Ramses has strongly held ethical beliefs that the military is unjust, period. How do you reconcile that?
But it’s not their only issue, because Marissa is concerned about her biological clock and wants to have kids in the near future; Ramses wants to wait, so they have time for just each other. That’s tricky enough, but on top of that, Marissa refuses to get on birth control (second season in a row we have had someone ethically/medically opposed to birth control, after it never being an issue prior; that’s an interesting social trend worth exploring). She thinks the obvious solution is for Ramses to use condoms. And he won’t. Because condom sex is “unpleasurable” for him.
Ladies. Let’s have a little chat. As a gay man, specifically one who came up during the AIDS epidemic, this is a topic on which I have some insight. I understand that everyone is different, and different guys have different levels of sensitivity. But the argument that, “I can’t wear a condom during sex; I can’t feel anything” — that’s bullshit. That is a line that guys tell women (and other men) because they simply do not want to wear a condom. If the issue is the condom is too tight, they make many different sizes and types of condoms, some of which are unbelievably thin. They even make female condoms that are inserted into the woman’s vagina, so the man’s penis is free and easy. This is a bullshit manipulation, and it has been around for a very, very long time. You should never feel pressured to have sex without a condom if the only reason is the man “can’t feel anything.” In my opinion, it’s an act of selfishness on the part of the man. A condom is the easiest, least-invasive form of birth control, and it is crazy that two seasons in a row this show has acted like it’s some medieval torture device for men. Crazy! And memo to the condom industry: y’all need to massively step up your marketing to young men, because something is clearly not working.
This is, again, a topic that should have been covered in the pods. I don’t see either one budging, or if they do, they won’t be happy about it. Add to that the absolute battle ax that is Marissa’s mother, and I think the two of them should part ways amicably and find partners that are better suited to them.
Tim & Alex
Going into Episodes 6-9, I thought Tim and Alex were the couple least likely to make it. There are very clear problems here, and I’m going to ascribe it to both parties. Tim has come across as two entirely different people on this show. In the pods, and in the conversation with Alex’s family, he is this respectful, solid, emotional guy who is all about family. In Mexico, that Tim was completely absent, and we got this annoying child who deliberately irritated his fiancee (even after she told him to stop) crowing about his dog, and talking about being an “immovable object.” It was so bizarre.
Alex, meanwhile, doesn’t have much of a personality most of the time, until she has what appear to be some kind of meltdowns. Several key plot points have happened offscreen this season, which is frustrating as a viewer. At the end of Episode 5, there was some event that happened between Tim and Alex post-party with the other couples in Cabo, in which Alex apparently put her hands on Tim and was generally out of control. It ended with Tim removing himself from the room.
In my opinion, that should have been it. If someone ever physically puts hands on you (Alex covered his mouth, at the very least), walk away. I’m serious. Just end it. I don’t want to hear, “Everyone has bad days.” “Bad days” do not equate to “invading your physical space disrespectfully.” Alex successfully begged Tim to take her back, and they seemed to have a good time for the remainder of their trip in Mexico. Back in D.C., more red flags, as Alex showed Tim her literal hoarder apartment.
All signs point to Alex having some issues that she needs to sort out before she can be a good partner to anyone. And we got hints of more to come, as the previews suggest that she shuts down when meeting Tim’s family in the next batch of episodes. (I should note, Tim was excellent in meeting Alex’s family, especially the very moving moment with her father.)
I can’t get a great read on either one of them, nor can I get a great read on their relationship. They both feel like they’re holding elements of themselves back on camera, and there’s no way that’s going to result in a serious relationship. There’s too much dysfunction already for this to work out, and I hope they don’t get married.
Tyler & Ashley
Up until Episode 9, I thought these two were locked in. They seemed so easy with one another. It felt absolutely destined for success, and they were so sweet and lovely to watch. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with both of them.
Then, KABOOM! Out of nowhere, we’re in another scene already in progress (this happened SO OFTEN this season!), in which Ashley talked around the fact that Tyler apparently already has children from a previous relationship, which he said absolutely nothing about until like 12 days before their wedding. Like, what the FUCK?!
Tyler sat there in absolute silence as Ashley attempted to process this fairly major new development, almost shellshocked because — as she said — she is hard-pressed to trust anything Tyler has said up until now, given how blatantly he has been omitting key elements of his life. Like, yeah. They talked about children numerous times that we saw. And he never once even mentioned that he already had kids? That’s not sketchy. That’s not sus. That’s sociopathy.
But it apparently gets worse, because based on what Ashley was saying to Tyler, she seemed to believe that he was solely a “sperm donor” for a couple of friends to have kids. Based on what has been coming out on social media since those episodes released on Wednesday, that is not the truth of the situation. He was allegedly involved in parenting, including the fact that he fathered an additional set of twins with the birth mother.
I’m sure we’ll get more context on this at the reunion, but this is very much a developing story in the real world. Bottom line: Ashley doesn’t trust Tyler anymore, and apparently, she should not. He does not appear to be what he presented himself to be, and I will be stunned if they make it to the altar, and sad if they end up married. Ashley deserves better than this. This is literal deception, bordering on fraud. It’s shocking that Tyler went on this show thinking he could get away with this. Like, genuinely shocking.
Stephen & Monica
Speaking of shocking, let’s talk about this mess. Another couple where I both liked, and then disliked, each member up through Mexico. That all seems irrelevant now. Because once they were back in D.C., things abruptly imploded when Monica found texts from Stephen to another woman — being actively sent back and forth, not in the distant past — in which they discussed explicit sexual acts with one another. Basically, dude was actively engaging in kink sexting with a third party days after being engaged to Monica, and roughly two weeks before their wedding.
If you need some clarity on how Monica discovered those texts, she has provided some details in interviews. Stephen got up to use the bathroom, he left his phone near Monica (stupid move #1), and his phone was blowing up with text alerts, which were clearly visible to Monica. Stephen did not have a password lock on his phone (stupid move #2), so she was able to just click the messages and read through them. She discovered active back-and-forth starting the night prior, reviving a relationship that Stephen had previously had with this woman.
Stephen offered no real reason for the sexting, he instantly went into self-flagellation mode. So you can be confident that one of Stephen’s kinks is humiliation/degradation; he just slipped into that with astonishing speed and ease. Monica had negative interest in any kind of apology or explanation, and honestly, she shouldn’t. The dude couldn’t stop seeking external validation within days of this relationship starting, and Monica had been open about her past struggles with cheating men — end it right there. And that’s what she did. Including a pretty savage Venmo demand, which left me breathless.
Stephen is an idiot for many reasons — the sexting, not having a passcode on his phone, some of the sophomoric shit he said after the pods, voting for Trump in 2016. He is not a good dude, and I agree with Monica, he was never on that show to truly find love. He’s like that wall of meat from last season, Trevor, who obviously just wanted exposure and attention. Well, he’s got it now. Let’s see how that works out for him.
That being said, Monica also needs to do some course correcting after this experience. I found her behavior toward the end of Mexico to be cold and sharp, and I wouldn’t want anyone to speak to me the way she had already started to speak to Stephen. And lastly, if you really want flowers that bad, buy your own fucking flowers. I was losing my MIND with the way she would not stop talking about the flowers. I get that gifts are one of your “love languages,” but there is absolutely nothing lovely about haranguing someone into buying you things. If the so-called “gifts” have to be demanded, they are not “gifts” at all, they are tributes. Maybe you should satisfy that need yourself. Just putting that out there. (Every time someone else brought someone flowers for the rest of the episodes, I just kept thinking, “Monica must be so triggered watching this.”)
Leo & Brittany
This is already long AF, so I’ll just briefly say that I absolutely hated watching the Leo/Brittany/Hannah/Nick love rhombus in the early episodes. I felt like the pods went on forever this time, and I ascribe that mostly to this situation, in which I was generally rooting for nobody. I guess I wanted Hannah to be happy, and I was worried neither Nick nor Leo would be good to her. (Ironies!) But I never liked Leo or Brittany, and I was shocked and delighted when the show put up a message saying that even though they got engaged, the show would not be following their story.
Thank god for that. Leo came across terribly in the pod episodes. In basically every single way. He repeatedly whined about people only being interested in him for his money or career, and yet it was all he seemed to talk about. The scene where he was flashing his Rolex? The cringe of it all. Secondly, his pathetic final dates with Hannah, where he begged that woman to not cut him off, reeked of insincerity, someone who simply did not want to lose. Him asking her to put in a good word on his behalf to Brittany — like holy shit, dude.
As for Brittany, there were moments I was rooting for her. I was glad that she stood up for herself more than once with Leo. But she was ultimately just as emotionally manipulative as he was, climaxing in her tearing into him for treating her so poorly (which really was just…engaging in the same experiment in which they all signed up), and then immediately saying yes when he responded by proposing to her. Brittany was here to score a hot, rich husband, whether it was via the pods or via social media after the show. You will not change my mind about this.
And ultimately I don’t think Leo was hot — and possibly not rich — enough for her. Their meeting/proposal was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve seen on television this year, and I’m watching Drag Race Global All Stars. So that’s really saying something. He was very handsy and forward with her, and she was just not feeling it at all. Her body language could not be more clear. It seemed to go on forever, and I was begging for it to end.
The final nail in that coffin was Brittany refusing to tell Leo she loved him, which I fully support. But again, I just don’t think she was ever here to make a true emotional connection. I think for Brittany, love is anything but blind. She made a comment to Leo that if she was only marrying for money, she would have done so long ago. I believe that, but I also don’t think that’s the flex she thinks it is. I think looks are a critical component for her, so is the size of the bank account. If you don’t have both those things, she’s moving on to the next DM.
