Term Paper 3 - Reality Television

 Hannah Diffee

Professor Reppert

 Introduction to Mass Communication

Nov. 2022

Term Paper 3 - Reality Television

"Love is Blind" and "Love is Blind: Japan"

Reality television has always been fascinating to me. This type of programming aims to portray real-life situations that are completely unscripted. A wide variety of situations and genres fall under the umbrella of "reality." Game competitions, outdoor survival, and court shows are among the most popular of these. The reality television genre became popular in the 90s and early 2000s with shows like Survivor and Big Brother. Growing up, my family eagerly tuned in to the weekly episodes of shows like America's Got Talent, The Voice, and Wheel of Fortune. I love hearing people's stories and seeing snippets of their talents through these competition shows. In high school, I began to partake in the Netflix baking show craze. Nailed It!, and Zumbo's Just Desserts are some of my personal favorites. One genre of reality shows that I tended to avoid was dating/marriage competition shows. I was never a Bachelorette gal like many of the older women in my life.  Though as I have gotten older, this reality format has become more appealing to me. One series I'm currently hooked on is Love is Blind.

   Love is Blind

Love is Blind is a dating reality TV series produced by Chris Coelen and hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey. The series follows a group of young men and women who aim to find love. Throughout the show, the couples go on one-on-one dates in "pods," small rooms with speakers where they can only hear, not see, the people to whom they are speaking. The aim of the series is for a man and a woman to get engaged, sight unseen, after truly getting to know one another. This is meant to eliminate any worldly physical factors of finding love. The couples truly get to know each other for who they are on the inside, not the outside, Once a marriage proposal is accepted, the couple meets face-to-face for the first time. They then go on a honeymoon-style retreat to build their physical attraction. The couple's wedding is the next week. They must each decide whether to say "I do" or walk away from their partner forever. Is love truly blind? The series currently has three seasons.

          

Barnett having a conversation in the pods with one of his love interests

Above: Abhishek, also known as Shake, proposing to the supposed woman of his dreams.

Above: Giannina's wedding day did not go quite as she expected.

Love is Blind has received overall mixed reviews. The review site Rotten Tomatoes writes, "Addictive, but problematic, Love Is Blind is undoubtedly an intoxicating binge, but its version of romance often comes off more toxic than aspirational." Despite criticism, the show's overwhelming popularity has spawned two international renditions. One of these is Love is Blind: Japan.

Love is Blind: Japan

Japan's spinoff of Love is Blind was released on Netflix on February 8, 2022. It has the same premise as the American version, though the Japanese seem to be much more sophisticated and respectful to one another during the dating process. The couples seem to really aim to get to know each other on personal levels. One main difference that this series has from its American version is the number of couples. Love is Blind: Japan features eight main couples instead of the usual six. This sometimes makes the couples hard to follow. In addition, the Japanese have a vastly different culture than the Americans. The Japanese appear to value their privacy more than other cultures do, so many of the arguments that take place between couples occur] off-screen. To many, the show is "watered-down" compared to the American version since drama is a large selling point in reality television. Unlike the American version, the Japanese cast is comprised of calm, well-mannered individuals who truly want to find love. Like one review website posted, the Japanese don't ask questions like "What are you wearing?" or "What do you do on the weekend?" Instead, they ask meaningful questions, and viewers can truly witness the couples fall in love.

Ryotaro and Motomi

Right: Some of the women who took part in the experiment

The way these programs are structured is very similar, but they can at times appear completely different. The American version of the show tends to capitalize on the drama and arguments between couples, both in the pods and after engagements. Love triangles such as the Barnett-Amber-Jessica dilemma of season 1 and the Shayne-Natalie-Shaina triangle of season 2 are huge selling points for the show. I really enjoyed watching these situations unfold, and I could truly feel the stress and excitement all the couples experienced during the 9-week experiment of the show. I could not tear my eyes away from the screen as I watched everyone debate if they were ready for the lifelong commitment of marriage. While Americans generally prioritize romantic excitement, the Japanese seem to be more focused on finding partners they can spend the rest of their lives with. Both shows are successful and appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Though because of the way the series' are constructed, Love is Blind: Japan may be more appealing to older audiences while the American version may cater more towards the young or middle-aged "reality geeks." Both shows feature short interview sections where we learn what individuals were thinking and feeling during any given situation. I found these segments entertaining because they were often dramatic and gave us insight into how individuals felt about their partners or other participants in the experiment.

Cute moment that almost made me cry

Where are the married Japanese couples now?

Where are the American couples now?

Both shows utilize social media to garner interest and highlight key moments of the interactions between couples. Love is Blind has an active social media presence on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Most of the participants of each show are also active on social media and post updates of how life has been after the altar.

Love is Blind Twitter

Love is Blind Instagram

Another interesting point is that the Japanese couples didn't abandon each other at the altar. The ones who were unsure about marriage broke things off during engagement. This rarely happened in the American version, and many women left their wedding in tears. Hmm...