Two ‘Love is Blind’ participants spill tea ahead of Minneapolis season debut
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World, prepare to fall in love with Minnesotans this Valentine’s Day.
The long-awaited eighth season of reality show “Love is Blind” debuts on Friday featuring 32 singles — 16 men and 16 women — from across the Twin Cities.
In this “dating experiment” on Netflix, participants get to know each other sight unseen in divided pods, only meeting if they get engaged before their 10 days on set are up. Couples then continue onto a honeymoon and time together in their hometowns before heading to the altar on-screen.
This season was filmed about a year ago between the pods location in California, vacations in Honduras and normal life in Minneapolis — and already has a dedicated local following.
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Fans went into action after “Love is Blind” production was spotted around Minneapolis and surrounding areas last winter, forming a Facebook group for updates, sharing TikToks discussing what they may recognize of Minnesota and its dating pool, and scouting spots where lovers may be seen.
Several “Love is Blind” watch parties and trivia nights are planned this weekend in the Twin Cities, including one incorporating a dating concept in Minneapolis.
MPR News reached out to everyone on the show to get the scoop. Two participants, Vanessa Boreland and Kylie Schuelke, agreed to speak about why they decided to go on the show, their experiences dating in Minnesota and what they learned about dating and relationships. (No spoilers allowed!)
Boreland, 31 is a media planner and classically trained ballerina living in Minneapolis, but originally from the south Twin Cities metro. Schuelke, 28, is a bubbly medical student from Chanhassen.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Why did you choose to be on the show?
Boreland: My mom actually started filling out the application for me, because she was that adamant I needed to go try and do this.
I’m like the last one standing of my friends, as far as like being the single one goes. I had just gotten out of a pretty long-term relationship before I got cast for the show. I had started dating, but I wasn’t really having much luck, so my mom was like, ‘you should try something different.’ She wanted to sign me up for like a matchmaking service. She was like ‘try anything besides the apps, because obviously it's not working.’
Schuelke: I am a medical student, so I don’t really have time to date. The idea of just being able to find my husband in like six weeks was perfect. Let's do it. Game on.
Would you say that it was challenging trying to meet people in person or organically in the Twin Cities?
Boreland: I would say it was absolutely challenging trying to organically meet people, even like friends of friends, or just going out. I feel like because of the way the cities are, and they’re so small, and everybody knows each other, and there’s really just not a lot of options. You know, people start dating in high school and they just get married. That’s a very Minnesotan thing to do. So, yeah, it’s definitely hard to meet people out in the wild.
Schuelke: One thing about Minnesota dating life, compared to the pods, is everyone’s nice and wants to be respectful of your comfort zones. And I feel like it kind of creates this sort of — this lag, this stall. Like I’m a person that I want to go on a date like, almost immediately. I want to get to know you, but I really want to get to know you in person.
And I think that was something that really intrigued me about the pods. Like we’re not doing this back and forth, we’re jumping right in, we’re asking the tough questions and we’re doing kind of everything all at once in a very short time frame.
So it wasn’t, quote, unquote weird to be asking these serious questions right away. It was just the norm. And I think that’s something that is great about the experience, and it's something that, in Minnesota culture, I wish it was just a little bit more, maybe up front, maybe forward, maybe just a little bit quicker.
How was dating in the pods for you? And how would you rate on a scale from zero to 10, ten being like ‘great experience, highly recommend’?
Boreland: I had a lot of fun. I really did. I would give it like a seven, an eight. I mean, maybe some days it was a 10. I think the hardest part is just like, that physical connection you would have with somebody once you’ve dated for a while ... you want to be able to, you know, do everything you do in a real relationship. So hold hands, like, hug each other, and like, be next to each other, and so it starts to get difficult when you can't do that.
Schuelke: Oh my goodness, dating in the pods is actually so fun. Like 10 out of 10, would recommend. I had a blast. Like we got to meet 16 great, eligible bachelors, potential husbands. It was just so fun to get to meet everybody, be in the pods, forming connections.
My friends have always said that I could talk to a wall, and in going on the show, I was like falling in love with the wall, so that was unique and weird and interesting and all the things. It is really strange.
But then also, I think something that also doesn’t get enough credit is the lounges. Lounge life is so much fun, and I have 15 new best friends that we really went through a unique experience. It was difficult, fun, tough. All of the emotions, but it truly was an amazing experience, and it was something that was so great to get to experience with some amazing, uplifting, beautiful women.
What did you learn from the experience?
Boreland: I think I learned a bit more about, like, my values and what I value in a relationship, and maybe just — things that are considered to be, like, dating norms don't necessarily have to be.
Schuelke: I learned so much about myself and what I look for in a person.
I think I’ve realized how intentional dating can be, and I think that’s something that we sometimes miss, I guess, a little bit in the real world. I feel like we’re Minnesota Nice, so we sometimes skirt around some of those big conversations and those big questions.
But I think that I’d want to challenge people to just, when you’re dating, date with intention. I mean, there’s no too soon time to go on a date. I mean, get to know the person, but really, like, dive right in there and let’s not waste any more time.
How do you feel about the show coming out soon?
Boreland: I am personally excited. I think it will be just really cool to get some Minneapolis representation on a really popular television show. And I’m just really eager to see it, to see everyone else’s storylines. Like, because you have an idea of what you had going on, maybe some of the people you were close to there, but like, you don't have a full picture of what everyone else was experiencing too.
Schuelke: I am so excited for the show to come out. I'm so excited for everybody to see it. I'm so excited for the cast to be able to open up about their stories.
What’s something random and interesting about this show that surprised you?
Schuelke: I didn’t watch the show before going on, which, looking back, I probably should have, so I would have known what was going on a little bit more. So everything was a surprise for me, but I think the biggest surprise for me was how quickly connections can form.
Another surprise was those gold cups that you always see. We really do use the gold cups. It’s not like, placed there for editing. We drink out of those cups.
Were those real gold cups?
Schuelke: They were not real gold cups. They’re like — I don’t even know.
They’re not real, but, I mean, they’re really special. And I did actually get a real cup out of the experience. I don’t think I was supposed to. So, sorry, production! But I took one of those with me.
How do you think this season will reflect on Minnesota?
Boreland: People may be a little surprised with some of the Minnesotans they see ... but I also think there will be some very much like, “this is absolutely a stereotypical Midwestern, Minnesota person.”
Schuelke: I really hope that everyone gets to see how great and uplifting Minnesotans truly are because I think that’s something unique about Minnesota. It’s something that I love and why I’m still here, even though it’s freezing.
Is there anything else you want to share?
Schuelke: Minnesota dating life — like there’s so many fun restaurants. There’s so many unique places to go out to eat. Like, go out to eat. The worst you’re gonna have is a terrible date, but some good food and a good drink. So yes. Go out, get out of your comfort zone, and I don’t know, let’s find some love. It’s Valentine's Day. It’s February. It’s love month!
Boreland: I would just share that, at the end of the day, we are all real people who just happen to appear on a pretty popular television show. As you’re viewing things and as you’re taking to the internet to see what other people are saying, just keep in mind: these are real people. These are their real lives. It’s a real experience we all went through. And I just really hope everybody enjoys it too.
