Is 'Love Is Blind' scripted, or is the Netflix dating series real?

Is Love Is Blind scripted? Surely a few elements of the experimental dating show have been stretched, right? 

The pods have just opened for the fourth season, and Netflix has gifted us with more drama than we know what to do with. The Love Is Blind season 4 couples have been revealed (more or less) and we already have had tension, tears and a regretful proposal. Oh yes, and someone fell asleep mid-date in the pods. 

Needless to say, we're working with reality TV gold over here. This has to be at the hands of some creative directors over at the streamer, no? Well, the authenticity of the series isn't necessarily black and white. Here's what we know. 

Is 'Love Is Blind' scripted or is the reality show real?

According to the producers and the cast, Love Is Blind is not scripted—all of the matches are real. Back when the show premiered in 2020, creator Chris Coelen told Entertainment Weekly that he had reservations about the way it would all turn out due to unpredictable circumstances. 

"As a producer, I was kind of nervous, like, is anybody actually gonna get engaged?" he told the outlet. "Is anyone going to make it to the altar? And, in the end, we actually had more couples get engaged than we were able to follow on the show."

Additionally, Melissa Cuevas, the sister of season one cast member Mark Cuevas, took to social media to confirm the authenticity, according to Life & Style. Of course, host Nick Lachey thinks it's the most genuine dating series out there. 

"The whole premise of the show is authenticity," Lachey told People. "It’s getting to know someone from their true, real self and then introducing the physical. [It's] probably the most authentic dating show we’ve ever seen that ends at the altar, in my opinion."

Though the matches are real, that's not to say that certain events aren't edited in a particular manner and that producers' questions don't lead the story in a certain direction. We did have a few fallouts over the past three seasons where one party alleged that another was in it all for fame (i.e. Shayne and Natalie, SK and Raven, and so on). And Andrew's fake tears last season did make us question quite a bit.

However, when you look at Irina's reaction upon meeting Zack in Love Is Blind season 4, that kind of shock cannot be faked. (Many are asking, "Does Irina leave Love Is Blind early?" Here's the scoop.) 

Given that we've also asked "Is Perfect Match scripted?" and "Is Too Hot To Handle scripted?", we're not surprised this Netflix series has also been scrutinized. But we'll be honest: we're still going to tune in, even if a few scenes were encouraged or edited by a production team. 

There's still plenty to unfold, and some couples are on their way to a happily-ever-after, while others are on a road to disaster. We wouldn't dream of missing a moment of it!

Love Is Blind season 4 premiered on Netflix on Friday, March 24. Here's the schedule for all of the upcoming Love Is Blind season 4 episodes, and be sure to check out other shows like Love Is Blind, too.