Love Is Blind Took A Major Toll On Nick & Danielle's Mental Health In Season 2
"Love Is Blind" has been a hot topic in the cultural zeitgeist as of late. After all, the Netflix dating series wrapped up its fourth season with a fumbled live reunion. Despite several successful couples — in Season 4, three out of the four couples said yes at the altar — the show has received some bad press lately with former contestants speaking out about their negative experiences on the series, such as Season 2's Nick Thompson and Danielle Ruhl, who married in the Season 2 finale but later divorced.
Last week, Thompson and Ruhl were two of the former contestants who spoke to Business Insider about the major downsides of being on "Love Is Blind," including the lack of resources for mental health and low resources in regard to food and water. Ruhl told Insider that she wasn't expecting her past traumas to come up on camera, but producers brought them up, such as her past struggles with weight.
"They would use these things to kind of cut you down day over day," Ruhl said. "The interviews were horrible."
In the wake of the Insider feature, both members of the former couple have taken to social media to further explain what they went through, especially in regard to their mental health.
Danielle explained what actually went on behind the scenes in a Tik Tok video
In response to the article, Danielle Ruhl took to Tik Tok to elaborate on some of the points made in the piece. Ruhl explained that prior to being cast on "Love Is Blind," she had to undergo a psych evaluation, during which she explained she had suicidal thoughts in the past. Furthermore, she didn't expect the past experiences she disclosed to be brought up.
"The producers were constantly bringing up past traumas in order to break you down emotionally and get the reaction that they wanted," Ruhl said.
Ruhl also explained what occurred during one of the Mexico scenes from Season 2, where it appears Ruhl is mad at Nick Thompson for going to a party without her while she was sick. Ruhl says that isn't the full picture. According to Ruhl, the producers made her stay in the hotel room because she might have COVID but told Thompson he was safe to go.
Ruhl had a panic attack while being left alone and hid in the closet to avoid being filmed. When Thompson came back, Ruhl refused to be filmed or recorded, but they sent Thompson — unaware of the situation — in with a mic to pick up what Ruhl said.
"[When] Nick realized what actually happened," Ruhl said, "he actually took off his mic and threw it at producers, saying 'We are done. You're not exploiting us anymore. Let us leave.'" From there, Ruhl told producers she was beginning to have suicidal thoughts again and needed to leave. "Everyone from production, the crew ran over to try to persuade us to stay, but no therapist."
Nick pointed out details of the unfair treatment on set in a Tik Tok video
Nick Thompson, who was also quoted in the Business Insider article, took to Tik Tok to reiterate some of the points made. In the video, Thompson lists a number of harmful and concerning conditions from "Love Is Blind" that he did not sign up for, regardless of what people think.
Thompson claims he lost 15 pounds over three weeks because of the lack of food and water. In the Business Insider article, several contestants also noted that the food was extremely limited and that the producers controlled when and what they ate, but the alcohol was always in vast supply.
Thompson then notes that no mental health support was provided at any point during the process — before, during, or after. He then touched on the story Ruhl told about producers making them film after a panic attack. Next, Thompson wrote that filming included days of isolation, even from Ruhl. Finally, he wrote that what the contestants are paid comes out to just $7.14 an hour, and this was corroborated in the Business Insider article.
The show's production company has responded to the allegations
Kinetic Content, the production company behind "Love Is Blind," released a statement to People addressing these allegations.
"The wellbeing of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic," the statement read. "We have rigorous protocols in place to care for each person before, during, and after filming."
Kinetic's statement contradicts what Nick Thompson told Business Insider. In the article, Thompson says he reached out to Kinetic for help when his and Danielle Ruhl's marriage began to crumble. While Thompson expressed he wasn't doing well when Kinetic asked, the production company would quickly move on, telling him to let them know if he needed anything. He also asked for help finding a couples therapist but received no help.
"It felt like checking a box," Thompson said. "I literally begged for help, and I didn't get it. Like, I want to fix my marriage that you've thrust us into for profit."
The only time Kinetic reached out to Thompson was to let him know that they weren't going to sue him for breach of contract after they announced their divorce. Their contracts state the couples aren't allowed to publicly split until after their final episodes air, and news of Ruhl and Thompson's split broke before their "After the Altar" episodes were released.
"I really just hope that [my speaking out] teaches Kinetic to treat their contestants as human beings," Ruhl said in her Tik Tok video, and I also hope that it helps viewers give contestants more grace when they're watching."