Love Is Blind: UK part one review – Matt and Emma Willis look like they’d rather be anywhere else
When Netflix announced a UK edition of its hit dating show Love Is Blind, fans were promised a “very British” affair. Episodes were billed as “self-deprecating” and “full of banter” – but there were equal amounts of scepticism as there was excitement. Would it work to graft British silliness onto such a glossy American format?
Things got off to a promising start when it was announced that former Busted singer Matt Willis and his wife Emma would be inheriting hosting duties from Netflix stalwarts Vanessa and Nick Lachey. Who better than the charming, down-to-earth couple who got candid about their own marriage struggles in Matt’s 2023 documentary Fighting Addiction? All signs, then, pointed to a series that would be less preened than its tired US predecessor, which has been churning out the same formula for six identical seasons.
That hope, though, is quickly lost in episode one when an unenthused Matt asks “Is love truly blind?” through gritted teeth. Everything is copied and pasted from the US edition, minus the accents. Rinse and repeat. The Willises are essentially reading from the same script as the Lacheys, delivering the same unimaginative one-liners with the same sing-songy intonation. In one moment, Emma gives Matt a cringeworthy on-camera bum tap; Matt looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here.
The original show has been one of Netflix’s biggest success stories in recent years. Released in 2020, season one was wildly popular. People were taken aback by the then-fresh format, which sees a group of singles date one other through a wall, eventually getting engaged “sight-unseen” before meeting in real life to determine if they still want to go through with the wedding (which, I might add, is only weeks away). Even romantically speaking, the concept has proven fruitful; around 10 of the couples from across the six seasons remain married today.
The UK season, for which Netflix granted critics access to the first four episodes, is a case of watching contestants plough through conversational platitudes. No topic is too dull, ergo the 10-minute discussion on gym routines. Slowly, conversation digs deeper – but meditation and gratitude journals prove even less interesting than workouts. The chatter does, at times, feel nice and familiar. It’s relatable, for example, when Ollie gets the ick for Catherine when she admits to going to the ultra-bougie Mayfair club Cirque le Soir.
The novelty wears off quickly, though. Largely because the casting criteria for the show generates contestants that are clones of one another. Every season, there’s the guy – this year it’s Sam – who dishes out the same perfectly crafted sentences to the girls before they begin to suss him out. And then there’s the girl who worries she’s too attractive for men to take her seriously. In fact, all of the contestants lament the state of a “superficial” modern dating scene “based on looks” – but the funny thing is everyone here is conventionally hot, making the concept of “love is blind” sort of redundant.
The uglier side of the experiment comes out, too, in a grimacing moment when Sam speculates about a woman’s weight when she doesn’t sound immediately keen about his desire to physically lift her in the air when they meet IRL. This very much echoes past seasons of the American series, such as in series two when a male contestant faced backlash for saying any wife of his would have to be small enough to put on his shoulders at a festival. It’s an uncomfortable aspect of the show that Netflix never seems willing to challenge. Or perhaps a clever bit of rage-bait they know it pays to include.
When the couples eventually meet in person come episode four, the successful pairings (ie the ones who go through with the engagement) are flown out to Corfu, Greece, where they will attempt cohabitation for two weeks ahead of the weddings. In the next four episodes, the couples will also begin to mingle. As ever, I suspect there will be a few wandering eyes. Things will inevitably get more heated – and potentially a bit more exciting. But I’d wager nothing new will be added to this knackered format.
The first instalment of ‘Love Is Blind: UK’ is now streaming on Netflix
