The Pods
Ranking the 11 Most Politically Charged Moments in ‘Love Is Blind’ History
A couple of years ago, we wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing political matters openly discussed on reality TV. It seemed like the two existed in separate echo chambers, and their paths would never cross. However, this is surely but slowly changing, following a society-wide shift into bringing politics to the forefront. Part of this is because we’re widening our scope of what “politics” entails.
Before, it was a matter of what ballot you ticked on a slip of paper. Now, we recognize that politics is all around us, in our daily interactions with marginalized groups, the content we choose to watch, the celebrities we support, and even our shopping habits.
Love Is Blind has jumped on this trend, weaving more political conversations into its recent seasons. This shift has led to some tense and eye-opening moments, encouraging viewers to consider discussing politics and personal beliefs early in their own dating journeys. Let’s dive into some of the most politically charged moments from Love Is Blind, especially from its most political season ever.
11. Virginia and Devin’s family voting patterns (Season 8)
You’re going to see a lot of Season 8 couples on this list. Somehow, Virginia Miller and Devin Buckley made it out of the pods without really discussing their political views. We’re not sure how someone can get engaged without confirming these vital matters. Virginia and Devin had confirmed they were both religious, but when Virginia brought up women’s rights, abortion rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and other matters, he was uncomfortably silent. She coaxed an answer on the matter, and Devin revealed his family has a history of voting Republican.
The outcome was that Devin supports women’s rights and abortion rights but specified that men should also provide input on the matter. This didn’t go down as well with Virginia, but the pair managed to find some common ground on the matter.
10. Virginia and Devin’s prenup disagreement (Season 8)
Financial independence can be seen as a political matter, especially when it comes to heterosexual relationships and the historical financial subjugation of women. In Season 8, we witnessed Virginia explicitly try to combat this by requesting a prenup. Devin seemed quite neutral on the matter until he spoke to his family. They made him question the request, viewing a prenup as something people only do if they doubt the marriage rather than as the safety precaution that it is.
Virginia reassured Devin that she was committed to him and the relationship. She was keen to merge assets and even help with his medical debts, but she believed a prenup would allow them to both leave with what they entered the marriage with. Devin had a lawyer and his family look over the prenup and was surprised that it said…exactly that.
9. Garrett’s reaction to the race discussion (Season 7)
In Season 7 of Love Is Blind, Taylor Krause chose not to disclose her ethnicity during the pod phase, aiming to focus on genuine connection beyond physical attributes. This decision led to a significant conversation with Garrett Josemans, who described her choice as “calculated,” expressing discomfort with the uncertainty regarding her appearance. Taylor found this characterization hurtful, feeling it undermined her intentions to prioritize deeper connection.
Taylor did allude to being mixed-race while still in the pods, and Garrett’s strange expression caught viewers’ attention. The pair became one of the season’s star couples, but we can’t quite forget that initial reaction.
8. Marissa and Ramses talk birth control (Season 7)
It’s actually quite surprising that birth control doesn’t come up more often on the show. Viewers will never forget when Johnny McIntyre and Amy Cortés of Season 6 discussed the matter, and he had no idea what a vasectomy was. The matter came up in Season 7 when Marissa Georgia expressed that she didn’t want to go back on the contraceptive pill, and Ramses Prashad claimed sex with condoms was “not enjoyable” for him. He was also adamant that he wasn’t ready to start a famil,y and yet seemed to provide no compromise on the matter of safe sex.
While this might seem like a dramatic discussion about sex on the surface, birth control is a highly political matter (especially in the United States), particularly when male partners are unwilling to share the burden.
7. Monica and Stephen’s voting histories (Season 7)
When it comes to Monica Davis and Stephen Richardson, we tend to focus on the dramas that came later in the engagement, and ultimately ended it— *cough* dirty talk at the sleep study. But the weirdness between the two started in the pods. There was the uncomfortable discussion about Stephen’s DNA test revealing his African American heritage.
Then Stephen admitted to voting for Donald Trump in 2016 due to a dislike for Hillary Clinton but switched to Joe Biden in 2020 after disapproving of Trump’s conduct in office. “I will happily admit that my first vote wasn’t the most educated vote,” Stephen said. Monica (obviously) wasn’t keen on him being a Trump voter but let it slide.
6. Marissa brings up her Trump-supporting ex (Season 7)
Despite Ramses and Marissa sharing similar voting views, he was caught off-guard when she mentioned that she had previously dated someone who was a Trump supporter. She also her ex with Bohdan Olinares. She felt it was important to respect everyone’s individuality. This raised a meaningful discussion online about the role of politics in dating, one that really popped off in Season 8 with Ben Mezzenga and Sara Carton—more to come on that.
Another notable political moment for Ramses and Marissa occured when Marissa told him that the movie Barbie made her realize she couldn’t be with someone who supported the patriarchy. In response, he scoffed, “It took Barbie to make you realize that?”
5. Marissa and Ramses clash over the military (Season 7)
It’s Marissa and Ramses AGAIN! This time, the subject was their opinions on the U.S. military. Marissa had been open about her time in the Navy and how proud she was of this part of her life. Ramses, a justice reform worker, later brought this up with Marissa and her Navy and military veteran friends. Marissa valued her service despite acknowledging its patriarchal and imperial aspects, while Ramses, originally from Venezuela, strongly opposed American imperialism. It seemed like a point they both couldn’t budge on, and viewers were surprised it took so long to come up. Ramses concluded the discussion by saying he’d break up with her if she ever reenlisted.
4. Brittany opens up about her sexuality (Season 8)
We’re waiting for the moment when sexuality can be discussed in the pods in a safe and welcoming manner because it definitely hasn’t happened yet. This was clear in Season 8, when Brittany Dodson shared with Devin that she had previously dated women as well. She didn’t feel the need to label her sexuality but simply felt inspired to open up after Devin revealed his past addiction to painkillers. Devin did not take this well. He clearly felt bothered by the matter and said he needed space. Brittany politely called him out on this when they spoke at a group mixer (while he was engaged to Virginia), and he apologized for his reaction. Sexuality is a spectrum, and contestants seem more content to stay blind to this fact right now.
3. Ben is "ignorant" about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter (Season 8)
Things were going well for Ben and Sara, until she decided to discuss the important topic of politics. She brought up significant social issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the killing of George Floyd. Despite both residing in Minneapolis, Ben admitted to being largely unaware of these events, stating he preferred to “keep out of it.” Sara had to explain who George Floyd even was.
Sara found Ben’s apathy concerning, especially given their city’s central role in these discussions. Ben further admitted that he’s “kind of ignorant towards that stuff” and “didn’t vote in the last election.” She expressed reservations about continuing their relationship due to these differing perspectives. Her strongest opinions were about queer rights, given that her sister is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ultimately, Sara chose to give the relationship a chance, and told viewers, “I just hope my partner is wanting to learn and [be] able to empathize with others and put themselves in other people’s shoes.” The internet did not agree with her, to say the least. Ben and Sara’s differences were too difficult to overcome in the end. Sara rejected Ben at the altar.
2. Carlton reveals his sexuality (Season 1)
This is one of the worst breakups on Love Is Blind, and one that holds a lot of political weight for all those involved, as well as fellow members of the queer community. Don’t forget that this was a Season 1 couple of Love Is Blind, so all the more shocking.
Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack were a couple that made it out of the pods but didn’t make it out of Mexico. On the “honeymoon” trip, Carlton opened up to Diamond about his bisexuality and admitted that he had previously dated both men and women. He explained that he’d waited until they were engaged so it wouldn’t change her opinion of him in the pods, as he feared judgment and rejection.
Diamond was clearly caught off guard, and the two argued about trust and honesty. The next day in the pool, things escalated. Carlton felt hurt by Diamond’s reaction, which confirmed his concerns, while Diamond felt like he had blindsided her and withheld vital information. The argument worsened to the extent that Carlton insulted her, and Diamond threw a drink at his face. The engagement ring was tossed aside, and the pair called it quits.
While Carlton apologized for his behavior in the argument, Diamond didn’t confront her reaction toward his sexuality. Viewers have long debated whether it was a case of dishonesty or the far-too-frequent prejudice against bisexual men.
1. Bartise and Nancy discuss abortions (Season 3)
It was tough to rank all of these political Love Is Blind moments, but this was one of the most fraught discussions on the show, and honestly, it became challenging to watch.
Back in Season 3, Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez became engaged in the pods after a love triangle with Raven Ross. Their struggles were far from over, as they experienced numerous hurdles between the pods and altar, one of which was a tough conversation about abortions. Nancy, having worked with special needs children, admitted that she would consider aborting a special needs child, as she has seen the toll it can take on a whole family. Bartise was shocked by this and very clearly anti-abortion. Then, to worsen the matter, he brought this up to his family (although he left out the special needs criteria and made it a matter of Nancy supporting all abortions), and they all reacted very emotionally and defensively to Nancy. At the altar, Bartiste listed this as one of his reasons for not going through with the marriage. Unsurprisingly, this turned into one of the most chaotic weddings ever on Love Is Blind.
Opinions on abortion can differ between people for their personal reasons, and it’s definitely something to discuss before getting married. It was a shame to see Nancy so vilified for opening up, especially given her personal connection to the matter and how it got shamed without the necessary context. This was before abortion rights came into question again in the U.S., making the shocking discussion all the more relevant.
