Inside Love Is Blind’s Brutal Conditions on Set

I love that we’re seeing a wave of workers demanding their rights across industries worldwide

Remember, reality TV shows was the networks' response to the previous writers' strike. This just shows just how evil they have ALWAYS been.

I think the unfair treatment of reality tv stars is so transparent just from watching reality tv. Cast members are coerced into behaving in ways they wouldn’t normally, on television through sleep deprivation, alcohol, and producer manipulation. I’m proud they are finally standing up for themselves. Cast members should be protected emotionally through this process, and compensated fairly.

12ish years ago I met a woman who directed reality TV shows and she gave me an example of how they would get people on TV to fight each other. She had a can of coke in her hand and was like “it would be like if I told you to hold onto this coke and don’t let anyone take it away from you or else we’ll kick you off the show, then went and told your boyfriend that he needs to get that can of coke from you or else we’ll kick him off the show.” She explained it like it was an interesting technique and not a sociopathic way of making money. She was probably the richest person I’ve ever had a conversation with.

Reality TV "actors" unionising is such a crazy thought but I'm glad they're doing it. The fact that the entire genre was born to compensate for a union strike, well, I don't know if that counts as irony but it's definitely not lost on me.

My daughter suffered mental health issues after we appeared on the Tyra Banks Show. They manipulated the kids as well as the parents to get the maximum shock value at our expense.

"You signed up for this" is a terrible thing to say to someone who went through something difficult. It makes them shut down, and stop expressing their feelings.

I noticed that they're always just pumping alcohol into the singles on Love is Blind. I remember one episode from Nick's "after the altar" season where they were showing the couples' itinerary for the day, and they had mimosas for breakfast, then a wine tasting, what looked like a few meals with alcohol, and a dinner party where everyone was taking multiple shots. Netflix is effectively drugging the cast members into compliance and drama to get the reactions they want for the story of their season.

I mean this makes sense. Anytime these production companies (or any company) can get away with treating people like slaves, they will always do it. As he said, they view them as "raw resources" that they need to manipulate to get their final product. They will not hesitate to exploit them in every way possible for the purpose of profit.

Ahh yes “you signed up for this” The go-to response from idiots when they have to think critically about the concept of exploitation

i did reality tv for one day as background and it was over 12 hours in a studio where they provided no coffee, one tiny meal, no water, only one bathroom break, and wouldn't let us go outside for fresh air...by the end, i could barely stay awake, and i had to fall asleep on set and get myself kicked off in order to go home...i would never do that again...i had pain from not going to the bathroom for so long that was really severe. luckily i was able to sleep it off because it was the kind of pain you would go to an emergency room for if it continued. felt like kidney pain... definitely feel for these people and i have no doubt they are being exploited and pushed to their limits in order to save money and create drama that comes from irritated and hungry people being stuck in a room together..

That alcohol part disturbed me so much. I didn’t understand why they were drinking so much! What if you’re an AA?!

This show employed cult tactics, honestly. Reality TV is very exploitative (watch Shiny Happy People) and I'm glad I don't watch or support it.

When he said you don't see daylight, I immediately felt my body start to feel claustrophobic and anxious. Had to pause the video to remind myself that I was not also in that situation... But ugh, I feel for these people. I actually stopped watching LIB after this season because I had thought it would be different than the other reality shows. But I could see the distress of the people, and have always wondered, "Why don't they bring in a therapist? And actually help these relationships succeed, if that's what they really want?"

Holy shit. It's not surprising to me that this happens, it's surprising to me that ALL THE STAFF IN THE PRODUCTIONS LET IT HAPPEN. The unionized crews? They know better. They know they're facilitating the abuse of these people. This is the literal Milgram experiment in real life, except the "subject" is actually being tortured. Edit: I can't IMAGINE not having any knowledge of the passage of time for that long. I visited The Forum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas where it's designed to appear as perpetual twilight, and by the time I was starting on my way out I was starting to get panic, once I ended up taking the other fork from the one I came in I was full on "I MUST get outside and see what time it is" and nearly ran to reach an exit. I'm all but certain I would claw someone to pieces if I were in their situation.

Labor is rising! Solidarity with these folks!

I used to be on a reality tv show as a child and they mentally abused us so they could put cameras in our face when we’d be having panic attacks. A lot of this is true and I’m so happy to see something being done about it

I can't believe there is no oversight for this. I used to work for an Institutional Review Board - a committee responsible for ensuring the ethical treatment of research study participants. This is a requirement for all published research that involves human "subjects." So why does this televised social "experiment" not have anyone overseeing the informed consent and ethical treatment of its participants? That's a rhetorical question, but I find this infuriating.

Wow. I knew there was a lot of exploitation going on, but I had no idea how bad. I’ve never been able to stand “reality” tv for basically this reason. It just all seems so gross

It’s almost as if being compelling and dramatic on camera in a production environment, without actually being abused or traumatized or manipulated, is like… a craft… a skill that is normally done by professionals. Oh but if such professionals existed, they’d surely be paid fairly, and wouldn’t need to strike to be able to afford to stay in the business. oh well!