Love Is Blind: 19 surprising facts - including how long couples know each other and who pays for the weddings

Hit Netfix dating show Love Is Blind season 8 will air tomorrow (Friday February 14), and the streamer has already confirmed that it will be renewed for seasons 9 and 10 too.

It’s the question that reality TV viewers want answered again and again - is love truly blind? And there is no shortage of singles from the United States who are more than willing to put themselves forward to test the theory either. That’s why in recent years there have been two seasons of the show which air on Netflix every year.

The format of the show is the same every series; single men and women date in pods where they can hear each other but not see each other, if they form a connection they get engaged sight unseen and only then do they meet in person, then they have a fast-tracked relationship followed by a wedding where they must decide if they are going to actually get married.

Every season, therefore, the same questions come up for viewers such as how long do the couples actually know each other for before their wedding day, and how do the producers know for sure couples will actually get engaged?

Below you will find 19 interesting facts about Love Is Blind, which will answer all of your burning questions about the beloved dating show - and tell you other fascinating things you didn’t even realise you wanted to know.

1. Everyone gets the chance to know everyone on the first day, but a second date only happens if both people say they like each other.
2. Contestants sleep in hotel rooms and are led to and from their rooms by members of the production crew to make sure someone wouldn’t sneak a peek of their potential love interest - accidental or otherwise. They are allowed to go back and forth to the pods whenever they want though.
3. Producers will let singles know if someone’s really interested in them, however, but it’s ultimately up to the contestants if they’d like to pursue the relationship.
4. Contestants are only told the pod number and time of their date, not the name of the person who is waiting for them. This can lead to awkward moments when contestants think they know who’s requested a date with them, and say a name - only to get it wrong.
5. Contestants have ten days to find their future husband or wife in the pods, and they’ll go on around 20 dates.
6. In the beginning, date times are strict, but then they relax. On day one, the dates are speed dates of around 15 minutes long to give people a chance to get to know all 10 potential spouses, but as contestants form connections they can stretch dates longer and even stay up talking until the early hours of the morning talking if they wish.
7. Contestants have the final word on pretty much everything, says show producer Chris Coelen. They’re allowed to discuss whatever they want with heir potential future partners and are encouraged to bring in any mementos they think will progress the relationship.
8. The entire season is filmed in 38 days. After couples get engaged, they have a further 28 days to decide if they are going to get married before their wedding day arrives.
9. Nobody actually has to get engaged. Coelen said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the show is so real they were even worried no one would get engaged during season one. “As a producer I was kind of nervous like, is anybody actually gonna get engaged?. ‘Is anyone going to make it to the altar?” But, in all eight seasons many couples have. In fact, often more couples get engaged than the producers are expecting and, as a result . . .
10. Not every betrothed couple is followed on the show. In the same Entertainment Weekly interview, Coelen said: “We had actually more success on this show than we were even able to document . . . In the end, we actually had more couples get engaged than we were able to follow. . . We only have so much time to tell a story, but there are lots of interesting stories.” In season six, Leo Braudy and Brittany get engaged but they don’t go on honeymoon.
11. Contestants aren’t allowed their phones during their time in the pods, but they are given them back later. For couples who get engaged, that’s after they’ve got back from their Mexico honeymoon. They also don’t have access to WiFi while they’re in the pods either, and there’s no TV.
12. The producers can’t interfere in contestant’s relationships in any way, and neither can the hosts. They can help them plan certain things, such as when contestants want to give their date a gift, but they don’t control the outcome in any way.
13. Contestants are allowed to describe what they look like to their dates. It’s not encouraged, however.
14. If a cast member doesn't connect with anyone, they're asked to leave. The show actually starts with a cast of between 40 to 50 members, but the cast is cut down to only the people who are truly connecting.
15. Proposals can happen at any time. Before the 10 dating days are up, some couples know they've found the one and don't need more time so they can propose.
16. The contestants have to be from the same city. "We wanted to give them a real shot at making their love and their marriage work," Coelen told Variety, adding that it would make a potential relationship too difficult if the contestants lived in different places.
17. Couples have to make their final decision at the wedding. After the couples return home from their honeymoon, wedding planning begins and cast members return to their normal life, including work. At the wedding, they'll either say "I do" or "I don't."
18. The show pays for part of the weddings, but not all of it and brides and grooms have to pay for the rest themselves. "Of course production supplies some of the basics, but because these are their real weddings, it's up to them as to how to spend their money," Coelen told Bustle. Colleen Reed, who married Matt Bolton in the series three finale, admitted spending an estimated $4,000 (around £3,000) on hair, makeup and clothes whilst on the show.
19. The marriages are real and legally binding. Plus, so are the divorces. Coelen previously told Bustle: “If they choose to get married, yes, it’s a legally binding marriage.”