19 most memorable Love Is Blind US moments: Infamous LIB incidents - from Cuties controversy to eye drops drama

The Love Is Blind experiment is very intense as couples can go from meeting in the pods to standing before each other on their wedding day in just 38 days.

Viewers will know that single men and women get to know each other, sight unseen, over just 10 days in the pods. Those that form strong connections get engaged, before they meet for the first time in person. They then have a further 28 days before their marriage ceremonies take place, during which time they must decide if they are actually going to commit to a lifetime together.

As co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey put it: “Will you get married, or will you choose to walk away forever?”

With such high stakes, and such strong emotions, it’s not surprising that the show has brought about some truly jaw-dropping moments throughout the course of the last eight seasons.

During the Love is Blind season 8 reunion, the Lachey’s revealed the top five memorable moments from the show’s history as voted by the viewers, but I can’t say I agreed with most of them. In fact, I thought some of them were distinctly boring, and there were far better moments that could have been chosen. There’s only two I can agree with; Chelsea’s Megan Fox comparison and Jessica’s speech to Jimmy after he dumped her in favour of Chelsea.

So, we’ve put together our own list. Keep reading for our pick of 19 of the most memorable (and not for the right reasons).

Jessica giving her dog wine

Going back to season one, Mark Cuevas proposed to Jessica Batten. She accepted, despite her reservations about the fact he was 10 years younger than her. The pair had a difficult romance, to say the least, but that wasn’t what raised eyebrows the most amongst viewers.

During one tense conversation with her husband-to-be Jessica, without saying a word, lowered the glass of red wine she was drinking so that her dog, Payton, could take a drink. This was before producers introduced the famous golden goblets so it was obvious what Jessica was drinking as she was using a clear wine glass. Wine is potentially harmful to dogs as it contains grapes, so Jessica received a lot of backlash for her actions.

Jessica later told Entertainment Weekly that the incident happened due to her overall discomfort while filming, and adding that this also led to an unhealthy relationship with alcohol in general. Jessica and Mark did make it down the aisle, but their wedding was excruciatingly awkward - and it does make it in to our list of the most shocking Love Is Blind weddings.

Carlton threw his fiancée’s engagement ring

Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack broke off their engagement before they reached the altar when they had a huge row over his sexuality on their honeymoon in season one. It was all a bit uneasy from day one though. Carlton had told producers that he had dated men and women in the past, but that this had caused issues in his relationships with women in the past. This information was also shared with viewers. But he didn’t share it with his prospective dates.

Carlton doesn’t even tell his fiancée until after he proposed to her. When he does tell her, in Mexico, the two end up having a huge fight about it. He’s worried about rejection and she, though she is trying to be understanding, feels like she’s been lied to. Carlton ends up calling calls Diamond a b**** before she goes on to curse him out, throw a drink on him and quote Beyoncé as she storms away. She takes off her engagement ring before she leaves and Carlton then throws the ring into the pool - and that’s the end of their relationship.

Shayne called his date by the wrong name

During the dating stage of the process, contestants are only told which pod number to go to, they aren’t told who is waiting there for them. This caused a problem for Shayne Jansen in season two.

He was dating two women; Natalie Lee and Shaina Hurley, but in a classic LIB love triangle he couldn’t decide between them. In a classic freudian slip, he called Natalie Shaina while he was on a date with her.

We know he couldn’t see her as that is the whole premise of the show, but you would think after a number of dates he wouldn’t have been able to distinguish the difference in the voices of his love interests. Apparently, he couldn’t. He had to own up to his mistake, as there wasn’t really any way not to, and admit that he had been hoping it was Shaina who was waiting for him in the pod, not Natalie.

Somehow, they still managed to get engaged and make it to the altar. Unsurprisingly, it’s also on our list of the most shocking Love Is Blind weddings.

Shake’s obsession with weight

Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee was a very controversial contestant in season two. Although the whole premise of the show is about people falling in love sight unseen, Shake quickly made it obvious that he was obsessed with the looks of his dates and that was the most important thing to him.

In the pods, instead of pursuing emotional connection, Shake brazenly asked dates about their bodies, even going so far as to ask one what size she was and telling another that he preferred to date people that “work out.” The most shocking display of this was his first conversation he had with Deepti Vempati, whom he would later propose to, where he queries whether or not he could put her on his shoulders at a music festival. He asked her: “Will I have trouble picking you up?”

The romance was doomed, although their wedding is one of most shocking Love Is Blind weddings from across all the seasons.

Bartise and Nancy’s abortion conversation

Season three couple Bartise Bowden and Nancy Rodriguez had a conversation about abortion after they had met in the real world and moved in together. He said he believed that people should only be allowed to have one abortion in their lifetime. They get one “pass”, he said. His fiancée wildly disagreed with him and was very pro-choice. She said: “I have no say in anyone’s body. If you need to have an abortion, have it.”

She also spoke about how her work with children with severe disabilities had led her to her view, believing particularly that a person has right to choose to abort their baby if they learn it will have a disability, and she was in favour of that course of action - something Bartise did not agree with.

As if the conversation wasn’t painful enough, Bartise then decided to bring it up when Nancy met his family. They all also clearly disagreed with her viewpoint too - although it’s actually her family that also earns them a place on our list of the most shocking Love Is Blind weddings.

Andrew’s eye drops

Speaking of Nancy from season three, she also formed a connection with another man called Andrew Liu in the pods. She went on a few dates with him, but of course ultimately chose Bartise. He said he was heartbroken by her choice.

In his piece to camera after Nancy had dumped him, however, he astounded viewers when he asked producers if they were rolling before putting eye drops in - and then appearing to cry about the situation.

Show creator Chris Coelen said that watching what unfolded was ‘jaw-dropping’. He told Variety it was his ‘impression’ that it was all for show. He added, however: “Obviously I’m not speaking for him. I don’t speak for him, but we put it out there as it happened.”

It has never been officially confirmed if Liu’s tears were fake, but that’s what most viewers seem to think after watching the clip.

Cole seemingly criticised Zanab for eating two oranges

Cole Barnett and Zanab Jaffrey were another couple who caused controversy during season three, or rather he did. In one of the most talked about moments of the series, it was alleged that Cole questioned his fiancée when she decided to eat two small oranges which have the brand name Cuties.

She alleged: “It was like 2pm. we were still filming, I hadn’t had a chance to eat, so I grabbed two Cuties - little, tiny oranges that fit in the palm of your hand. He looked at me and he goes ‘are you gonna eat both of those?’ And I said ‘Well, yeah. That’s a serving.’ And he goes ‘well, we’re going out to eat later. Maybe you should save your appetite’.”

Cole repeatedly denied that he ever tried to control what Zanab ate or made negative comments about her appearance.

At the end of the reunion episode, the show’s produers aired the previously unseen footage, which they called “Zanab & Cole: ‘The Cuties Story.’” At first, the couple are chatting in kitchen about the possibility of visiting Zanab’s family abroad. She takes a bowl out of the fridge, and they both start snacking on some food.

They light-heartedly poke fun at each other about how she apparently she never listens and he “talks a lot of Cole”, meaning his goofs around alot. While watching her peel an orange, Cole asks Zanab ‘are you about to eat two of those?’. ‘Maybe. That’s a serving. You OK with that?’, Zanab replies.

Then Cole says ‘you better save your appettito” for their ‘big ol’ supper tonight’. She tells him she’s only eaten a “banana and a scoop of peanut butter” today. He wants to know why, and when she doesn’t want to answer he jokingly asked if it’s because she’s getting wedding dress ready.

The back-and-forth has been taken in different ways, by different viewers; some think it’s harmless and others do not. Cole didn’t help himself, however, by also telling Zanab on camera previously that he rated her nine out of 10, while fellow contestant Colleen Reed was a 10.

Zanab and Cole’s wedding is also on our list of the most shocking Love Is Blind weddings.

Raven’s jumping jacks

Back to Bartise from season three, his other love interest was fitness instructor Raven Ross. She raised eyebrows by performing a workout routine, which including jumping jacks, while having a pod date with Bartise.

He was talking about his family, and explaining how things were complicated for his parents when they first met was his mum was actually engaged to another man. While he poured his heart out about his family’s beginnings, she started doing a range of yoga movements and exercises.

Bartise seemed to notice Ross was slightly out of breath when she replied to him after he finished his story and commented about her jumping jacks routine.

“You can hear it?” Ross asked him. He laughed and said: “Oh yeah! I heard it during that story, that monologue I was telling. I was like, ‘oh my God, Bartise gets as deep as he’s ever gotten in his life, and the person that’s listening to him is doing a f***ing workout.” Ross simply said “No, that’s funny,” as she continued her cross jacks.

Unsurprisingly, their budding romance ended soon after. Raven later apologised for her actions. “I am super sorry especially after watching it. Horrible moment. Horrible taste. Horrible timing,” she told USA Today.

Tiffany slept while Brett declared his feelings

Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown are one of the successful couples from all LIB seasons who have remained married after appearing on the show. But, she almost ruined their romance in season four when she accidentally fell asleep during one of their pod dates - while he was pouring his heart out to her. After the two singles formed an immediate connection, Tiffany fell asleep on the sofa as Brett, who had no idea she was snoozing, told her he was his “perfect match”.

The inopportune nap put entire relationship in serious jeopardy, as Brett assumed his potential future wife has abandoned him out of sheer boredom or indifference and re-considered proposing. Luckily, Tiffany was able to apologise, Brett accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tiffany later told Tudum that she has a history of getting shut eye at random times. “My friends have a photo album of me called ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ and I have a habit of falling asleep in the most random places,” she said. She also explained that it was her man’s soothing voice and the fact they had been speaking for hours which caused her to nod off.

Zack chooses Irina

Zack Goytowski was caight in a love triangle with Irina Solomonova and Bliss Poureetezadi in season four. Viewers watched awkward moments, such as when Bliss baked a batch of cupcakes for Zack in honour of his birthday and then love rival, Irina, who had forgetten, asked Bliss to lend her a candle she could give to him.

What Zack didn’t see, but viewers did, was Irina also made a name for herself as a mean girl in the women’s living quarters as she would be seen laughing as other contestants expressed their upset. Viewers were therefore shocked when Zack chose to propose to Irina, not Bliss.

In the end, the couple didn’t last very long. It was obvious their relationship wouldn’t work from their first in-person meet up. Irina strangely, told her then-fiancé that he looked like a cartoon character and turned her cheek when he went to kiss her. They broke up just days in to their honeymoon when their strained relationship became too much to bear and Zack said he knew Irina wasn’t attracted to him.

Zack then realised he’d made a horrible mistake and met Bliss in the real world, where he apologised, declared his feelings for her and apologised. The pair are now one of the few LIB couples who are still together, and they even have a baby daughter.

Jackie misses her wedding dress fitting to go on a date

Jackelina “Jackie” Bonds and Marshall Glaze got engaged during season four, and though things seemed to be looking promising at first, their relationship quickly began to go south when they moved in together.

They had many arguments, mainly about how they each displayed emotions differently. Jackie felt her then-fiancé was too emotional, while he felt she needed to open up and express her feelings more. But, still they continued with their relationship and they were due to go for their wedding dress and wedding suit fittings with the other couples.

Before the fitting day, however, Jackie met her other pod connection Demas at a cast party and it was obvious the pair were attracted to each other. So much so that Jackie decided not to go to her wedding dress fitting in favour of going on a date with Demas - thereby ending her engagement to Glaze is shocking fashion.

Even more shocking was the fact that Jackie didn’t tell Marshall, and he did go to his suit fitting. Once there, he was informed by one of the other grooms that Jackie hadn’t attended her wedding dress fitting. When they each returned to their home, Jackie told Marshall she couldn’t give him what he wanted and admitted she was attracted to Josh - but she still refused to give her engagement ring back.

Stacy’s financial expectations

Stacy Snyder and Izzy Zapata seemed to be getting on so well at first during season five. Their connection only seemed to deepen throughout their pod dates, first meet, and honeymoon - but after they moved in together things started to go wrong. The source of their conflict was money.

Stacy made it clear that she expected a lavish lifestyle one which included international travel and other finer things. It became clear that Izzy didn’t share her views on money, and he became so upset by her strong views that he ended up in tears. Stacy’s dad also added fuel to the fire by telling Izzy: “Love is blind, but sometimes love wants to fly first class”.

Despite their differing approaches to money and lifestyle, the two made it to the altar and Izzy said ‘I do’. Stacy, however, said ‘I do not’, telling Izzy she thought they needed more time to resolve their issues before making the ultimate commitment. They still shared a passionate kiss, and even dated for a week after their almost wedding - but then they split up. Their wedding also makes it on to our list of the most shocking LIB weddings.

JP’s opinions on make-up

Jared "JP" Pierce and Taylor Rue were another couple who fell for each other fast in the pods during season five, but their romance turned awkward at the reveal. JP then inexplicably clammed up during their honeymoon in Mexico. A frustrated and confused Taylor asked him to tell her what was wrong one night on their honeymoon as they settled in to bed.

He admitted that his problem was make-up, specifically the make-up look she had chosen for their first face-to-face meeting after their engagement. He blamed the fact that their relationship had fizzled on the fact that she was wearing cosmetics when they first met and said things would have been better if she had not done so. “It felt like you were fake,” he added. “You had a cake-up face, fake eyelashes . . . I had make-up all over my jacket.” The next morning, a horrified Taylor broke off the engagement and went home early alone.

Lydia/Uche/Aaliyah/Milton love square

One of the most talked about moments during season five was the Lydia Velez Gonzalez/Uche Okoroha/Aaliyah Cosby/James “Milton” Johnson love square. First, came that revelation that Lydia supposedly knew one of the men she met in the pods in the real world, Uche. Considering the fact that all of the seasons include contestants who are from the same city in order to give the couples a chance to actually have a relationship which works in the real world, it was bound to happen eventually.

Coelen told Variety he was “totally blindsided” that the two had dated. "It was a complete shock. To be honest, it was like, ‘What are we gonna do?’ Nobody had any idea," Coelen said. Production intervened to contain the situation in the pods, as per Coelen's interview with Variety. They were banned from seeing each other again and the rest of the cast weren’t told to avoid questions being raised.

It then came out, however, that Lydia knew Uche would be on the show before she signed up for it. Next came Uche’s accusations that she exhibited unhealthy behaviour toward him in the real world, which she denied. Then Lydia started talking getting close to Uche’s love interest, Aaliyah, but didn’t tell her that she knew Uche in the real world. Instead she became her shoulder to cry on when she and Uche had an argument.

Uche ultimately told Aaliyah about his real world connection to Lydia. He told her he wanted to be with her, but she decided to leave the show early due to the drama. She, meanwhile had started a connection with Milton. Their relationship went much better, and they are one of the LIB couples who are still together now.

The drama did not end there, however. Later, Uche said suspected that Lydia knew he was coming on the show. He also voiced concern that she "stalked" women he followed on Instagram by viewing their Instagram stories. He even accused her of driving by her house. Lydia alleged that Uche had cheated on her. It was a very complicated square.

Chelsea’s Megan Fox comparison

Despite the fact that the show is supposed to be based around people falling for each other sight unseen, in season six Chelsea Blackwell couldn’t help but give beau Jimmy Presnell a hint about her appearance before they met.

During one of their dates, Chelsea told Jimmy that she gets told "all the time" that she looks like the actor Megan Fox. She first hinted at the famous connection, telling Presnell: "I don't even know if it's (Machine Gun Kelly's) wife or his fiancée." (as she was at the time the show was filmed, although the pair have since split up).

He replied: "You're saying you look like Megan Fox?". She did say: "It's only because I have light eyes and dark hair." Jimmy was visibly excited to hear who about his love interest’s celebrity link as he grinned and instantly asked her: "Can we get married?". He did go on to pop the question, with many fans thinking that Chelsea mentioning her supposed likness to Fox being what led him to make his choice.

When the pair finally met face-to-face after their engagement, Jimmy admitted he didn't quite see the resemblance between Fox and his fiancée, telling show producers in a piece-to-camera "she lied to me". He said: "She definitely lied to me about some, uh, how she looked. Chelsea told me she looked like Megan Fox. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter. I am very attracted to her. I can work with that."

Jess’ break-up speech

Chelsea wasn’t the only one who made a connection with Jimmy during season six. He also enjoyed a pod romance with Jessica Vestal, but he proposed to Chelsea over her. She didn’t take the break-up lightly, however, and gave him a brutal speech when he told her he wanted to end their connection.

“When you see and realize what you missed out on, you are going to choke,” she told him, adding “You are going to need your EpiPen to open up your airways because you are going to be in disbelief of what you missed out on.” Ouch.

Laura’s break-up speech

Speaking of break-up speeches, season seven’s Laura Dadisman ended her engagement to ex-fiancé Jeramey Lutinski in similarly dramatic fashion. After finding out he’d been with his other pod connection Sarah Ann Bick in the early hours of the morning, instead of being at home with her, she told him to “go kick rocks with open-toed f***ing shoes”.

Stephen's sleep test

In season seven, Stephen Richardson claimed to have to spend the night away from his fiancée Monica Davis due to taking part in a sleep test. But, when he returned the next day it was evident something wasn’t right. It was then revealed that Monica believed Stephen was lying about being at a sleep test at all because she had found “sexual” texts between Stephen and another woman.

Monica finding the texts wasn’t seen on-screen, but cameras captured the fallout from this. She confronted him and told him that she’d seen messages to another woman that were “filled with fetishes”, adding that what she’d read was “disgusting”. He claimed the messages were sent while he was drunk during the sleep test.

Monica officially ended things betwen them there and then, and asked Stephen to send her the money her for the expenses she had covered during their romance. He apologized to Monica for hurting her and wasting her time as he left their apartment.

Daniel and Taylor’s Instagram drama

In the latest season of the show, season eight, drama unfolded when Taylor Haag accused her fiancé Daniel Hastings of following her on Instagram before they entered the experiment.

The issue began when Taylor asked Daniel if he had ever followed her on Instagram during the pair’s fourth date in the pods. He denied this, saying: “I can’t imagine that I do.” He also added: “I have a weird memory when it comes to Instagram handles. And I can see the person’s profile picture in my head . . . I would recognise your Instagram handle and I don’t.”

Later, Daniel proposed to Taylor and she said yes. Then, as per the format of the show, they were able to see each other for the first time. This was in episode six. During their meet up, she once again asked him if he followed her on Instagram, and again he denied this.

After their first meeting, however, Taylor told producers she was convinced her new fiancé had seen her before they met on the show, recalling that he followed her Instagram before filming began. She described a specific photo she’d seen on his Instagram. After the couple met, viewers saw Taylor become emotional as she explained to the cameras during a one-on-one interview that something was bothering her after she saw her husband-to-be at the reveal.

“When the doors first opened, and I saw Daniel, I thought, ‘He looks so familiar to me,’ but I couldn’t place it,” Taylor said. “Is he familiar because I’ve pictured his face through a wall 15 million times? Is he familiar because I’ve heard his voice? I have this, like, overwhelming feeling that when the doors opened last night, that was not the first time that he saw me.”

She added that a “couple of months ago,” she remembered “getting a follow request,” but she said that she “never followed the account back.” She went on: “I’m fairly positive Daniel followed me on Instagram not long before coming to the show.” She also then shared her fears that Hastings could have used the information available about her on her Instagram to form his connection with her, which she was then questioning the authenicity of.

It would seem they did resolve the issue, as court documents show the pair legally married last year, but it was a bit touch and go for a while.