A former Love Is Blind participant is taking legal action against Netflix for a “predatory” contract practices. Renee Poche claims that starring in the hit reality TV show was “traumatic” for her, as the producers forced her to live with a man she was “utterly terrified” of, Newsweek reports.
Now, Poche is suing Netflix and Love Is Blind production company Delirium—after Delirium sued her for speaking about her experience on the show. Find all of the details below.
Renee Poche sues Netflix for "predatory" contract practices
For those not familiar, Love Is Blind is a Netflix dating show in which 30 singles date one another—but the catch is that they don't even see each other's faces until they're already engaged. Couples meet and date from separate pods, with a wall between them to hide their faces. They "fall in love" only through the sound of each other's voices. Couples who choose to get engaged within these identity-shielding pods are then finally able to meet in person. From there, they move in together and test their real-life compatibility in the days leading up to their wedding. Their wedding day holds their final decision; it is never guaranteed that both parties will say "I do" at the altar.
It should go without saying that this doesn't always make for the most successful love story. But viewers may be shocked to hear just how "traumatic" Poche's experience on Season 5 of Love Is Blind was in 2022. Although Poche is seen in the first few episodes, the episodes detailing her relationship with Carter Wall—including her decision to cut off their relationship at the altar—did not air.
"My experience on Love is Blind was traumatic. I felt like a prisoner and had no support when I let Delirium know that I didn't feel safe," said Poche. "I tried to deal with these emotions over time, and eventually felt like I needed to share what had happened."
After initially speaking out, however, Poche faced legal action from Delirium, who sued her for $4 million. "I believe Delirium is trying to silence the abuse that occurs behind the cameras and ruin me for telling the truth," she said.
Now she's fighting back. Poche is suing Netflix and Delirium for breach of contract, claiming the non-disclosure agreement Love Is Blind contestants must sign to be on the show is unlawful.
The lawsuit claims that contestants had their phones, passports, and driver's licenses taken upon their arrival to Los Angeles, where filming took place. Poche also says she was unable to leave her hotel room or interact with others when she was not filming.
Poche earned $8,000 for filming Love Is Blind. Contestants received a weekly stipend of $1,000. However, the lawsuit alleges that Poche was led to believe this stipend could be withheld or taken from her and she could be sued "unless she agreed to all of production's demands."
After being told that couples would be paired based on compatibility and that each contestant would undergo an extensive background check, she was paired with Carter Wall, who she said "lied malignantly." Poche claims she was "utterly terrified" of Wall, who claimed he was a 6-foot, 5-inch former football player. In reality, Poche claims, he was violent, homeless, emotionally abusive, and misused drugs and alcohol.
Poche believes there "is little doubt" that Netflix and Delirium were aware of these "troubling issues" and "Wall's mental instability," but still pressured her to stick with the relationship, and even went as far as to "admonish her for 'not giving him a chance.'"
"Poche was utterly terrified of Wall. Nonetheless, she was forced to spend long stretches of time alone with him—every minute of which she felt unsafe," the lawsuit states. "Despite knowing about Wall's behavior and Poche's concerns, Defendants made it clear that Poche would subject herself to legal action if she were to discontinue her participation in the Program or otherwise refuse to move forward with the engagement."
If you're wondering why neither Poche nor Wall sound familiar, that's because their episodes did not air. Although Poche was told this was to spare her from being triggered, she later found out that it was actually because Wall threatened to take his own life if the episodes aired.
This isn't the first scandal Love Is Blind has undergone, and legal pushback from reality TV stars is not a new phenomenon. In fact, Poche is represented by Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, the same lawyers Bethenny Frankel of Real Housewives of New York is working with as she calls for better conditions, pay, and mental health support for reality TV participants.
Poche's experience certainly seems to be an indication of a bigger issue in the realm of reality TV. How far will producers go for an entertaining show—and how long can they continue to get away with it?
