Thirty-two Colorado residents got the opportunity of a lifetime to find true love on “Love is Blind” – and to sell themselves to millions of viewers as a new class of influencers.
However, at least in the first aspect, Denver’s season was the most unsuccessful in the reality dating show's nine-season history. None of the relationships ended in marriage. (This is actually the second dating show to be completely unsuccessful during its Denver season, after “Married at First Sight" last year.)
Whether the cast successfully gained a platform is still to be seen.
Denverite checked in with cast members at a “Love is Blind” reunion watch party at Empower Field on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The event, put on by Verizon and Netflix, also included a Q&A with the cast members.
“This experiment makes you, whether you like it or not, think about what you want, what you don't want, what you need in a partner, teaches you how to communicate in a relationship,” said Megan Walerius or “Sparkle” Megan. “And so yeah, it was just super helpful. The outcome wasn't how I had hoped, but I think it set me up for success going forward.”
Denver was hardly brought up in the pods, at least in the final edit.
Denver was the backdrop of the season, but according to the participants, the Mile High City was hardly mentioned in the pods. A lot of them said if Denver was brought up, it was mainly about sports or outdoor hobbies like skiing or hiking.
“We didn't really talk much (about) Denver. I'm a native, so I grew up here in Denver, born and raised. I'm probably one of the least Denver people, though, by stereotype,” Sparkle Megan, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, said. ”I don't really ski, don't do all the typical Colorado things that I think people were anticipating leading up to the show.”
Some chose to avoid conversations around topics like the homeless in Denver.
“I would say in the pod, the homelessness and things like that, or more social work topics didn't come up as much. And I think that's just more so because I was really trying my best to leave my work (away from) home,” said Kalybriah "KB" Haskin, a 29-year-old social worker.
“I tried to keep a lot of the social work or kind of topics and things like that not at home because when I was living in Denver, I was working at a psych hospital,” she added. “I was tired all the time and I dealt with a lot of those concerns, those problems, the homelessness, especially as it's getting cold and not having anywhere for those people to go.”
Blake Anderson, a 34-year-old accountant, said a lot of the conversations he had about Denver were focused on more mundane aspects of living here.
“I think a lot of the conversations about Denver were really just kind of a day-to-day, ‘Hey, what neighborhood do you live in? Commute? What are you doing on the weekends?’ That sort of thing,” he said.
Denverite asked each contestant we spoke to about the election and the bond package on this year's ballot. No one knew about it.
“I haven't researched and I haven't sent in my ballot, but I absolutely will,” Anderson said. “I'm a diehard mail-in ballot subscriber, so I just need to do some research."
Life with a platform
For most, life has continued on like normal, though they’re starting to get recognized in public.
“Just going out to King Soopers and out in public and people are like, ‘Oh my God, is that Edmond?’’ Edmond Harvey, a 29-year-old realtor, said. “It's kind of surreal.”
He said he’s gotten to meet more people in the city since the show aired.
“It's a little shocking compared to just going out in public before and being able to not talk to not one person,” Harvey said. “And now I love people for sure. So now I'm bound to meet somebody just because they saw the show.”
Some, like Haskin, have moved out of the state, while others haven’t changed much.
“Just social media influence, I guess. I'm still working my day job right now, and I'm still a single dad and just chugging along, still sitting in I-25 traffic for hours,” Jordan Keltner, a 30-year-old branch service manager said. “So just not much change to be honest, but that's OK. I love my life.”
Several cast members experienced some form of pushback online, which they said took some time to get used to.
“Initially, the feedback I was getting, I was like, ‘OK, people are seeing me for me.’ But I think the more recent feedback has kind of thrown me for a loop because I'm like, ‘Wait, y'all hate me. What did I do to y'all?’” KB said. “And so it's been more shocking than anything. But at the end of the day, I think it's just a character builder kind of thing.”
Harvey said that since being on the show, he’s received a lot of feedback online, and he’s working on not letting it affect him personally.
“Yeah, I'm feeling good. Not surprised by the negativity from online,” Harvey said. “The comments and the memes have been funny, but yeah, it's really been the best ride, truly, honestly. “
Each person Denverite spoke to said they didn’t have a platform before the show, but have now been thrown into a public persona.
“I've honestly kind of been hiding since the show has come out, and I think the public attention … that'll take some getting used to, because up until now I have lived a pretty private life,” Sparkle Megan said.
Another source of stress: the waiting. The Denver cast filmed their season a year and a half ago, but it only came out last month.
“It was crazy. A lot of sleepless nights. Not knowing. I didn't even think we were going to be shown. I chose to leave,” Kacie McIntosh said. “A lot of therapy, a lot of healing, a lot of emotions. We came off of an engagement, it was rough. Lots of self-healing.”
Should other people do it?
All the cast members we spoke to said they’d recommend a friend to participate in “the experiment” – if they’re strong enough to handle an influx of public attention.
“It's hard for me to answer. I actually would say yes, though, just because even though things played out the way they did for me, it's forever changed me,” McIntosh said. “It really, actually has made me realize what's important in life. Social media, this whole thing. It's a wild world, and it's just like, man, it really has changed my perspective of that whole thing. So, a hundred percent I would say do it.”
