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Before the Love Is Blind season 4 finale, Netflix surprised the show’s fans when they revealed that the reunion special would air live for the first time in the series’ history. Following the announcement, Love Is Blind fans expressed their excitement at the prospect of watching the couples revisit unresolved issues from the season Live. The dramatic scenes from the last set of episodes also drove fans’ expectations for the reunion episode through the roof.
One such scene happened in episode 10, where viewers watched Jackie Bonds ditch her then-fiance Marshall Glaze in the most brutal way to rekindle her romance with Josh Demas — her other love interest at the pods’ stage. The season 4 finale also provided more talking points for the reunion as three couples tied the knot. Surprisingly, Paul Peden decided not to marry his partner Micah Lussier. Nonetheless, Paul caused a major controversy when he claimed he decided against the union because he didn’t see Micah as nurturing enough to be a mom.
Expectedly, fans braced themselves for a showdown between the contestants during the first-ever live reunion special. However, those expectations quickly evaporated, with Netflix experiencing technical issues that forced them to ditch the live format. Still, when fans finally got to watch the reunion hours later, they felt bitterly disappointed. From the performance of the show’s hosts to Netflix’s no-show and the absence of Jackie Bonds at the reunion, too many things went wrong.
Netflix Needs To Fix Up
On Sunday, April 16, Love Is Blind fans trooped in their numbers to the streaming platform to watch the live broadcast of the season 4 reunion of the show. Nevertheless, many became frustrated after seeing an error message on their screens. While some US viewers could watch the stream about 75 minutes after its initial start time, most fans worldwide continued to stare at a screen that read, “There’s an issue with the live stream.” Netflix continued to announce delays, and about 90 mins after the program’s scheduled time, the streaming giant took to Twitter to apologize to fans and reveal they had ditched the live format. The tweet read,
“To everyone who stayed up late, woke up early, gave up their Sunday afternoon… we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as planned. We’re filming it now and will have it on Netflix as soon as possible. Again, thank you and sorry.”
Following the massive circus show from Netflix, fans quickly took to social media to vent their frustrations. On Reddit, most of the show’s fans took to the comment section to criticize Netflix for failing to live up to the hype. Several Love Is Blind fans painfully narrated how they had planned their Sunday around watching the live reunion only to end up staring at a blank screen. Some fans also slammed the streaming giant for its unpreparedness, labeling them as overconfident. One user nightlyvisitor wrote,
“IDK why companies try to do this “extra” stuff when they know they can’t pull it off. When I first read it was going to be a live reunion, I knew it wasn’t going to go smoothly.”
The Hosts Didn’t Live Up To Expectations
Another aspect of the reunion that annoyed a lot of fans was the approach to hosting the reunion special by perennial show hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. The couple’s hosting abilities have been the subject of intense scrutiny from fans over the years, and those hostilities resumed following their below-par performance on Sunday.
Vanessa and Nick’s performance disappointed Love Is Blind fans, and they expressed their dismay in a reunion discussion thread on Reddit. Many users who commented noted how the couple made the show about themselves and didn’t even allow the contestants to express their opinions freely. Most viewers highlighted how Vanessa was the most guilty in this regard and slammed her for being too self-absorbed. One user, sherbertsunsets, painted a grim picture of Vanessa’s erratic behavior on the show by writing,
“Tbh even Nick couldn’t get many words In. It was more like Vanessa is Blind reunion.”
Some other users labeled Vanessa as “rude and intrusive” due to how she obsessively asked the couples if they were trying for babies. They felt it was a sensitive question as many factors contribute to people not having children, including infertility, so glossing over such a topic may be better. Many fans also slammed her for taking sides during the reunion. Several commenters also noted how Vanessa seemed favorably disposed to Jackie and Micah while she was very antagonistic towards Marshall and Paul.
Micah Lussier Got Off Easy At The Love Is Blind Reunion
Due to Vanessa’s inability to ask probing questions and her biased attitude, most fans felt Micah got off easy during the reunion despite being one of the most controversial cast members in season 4 of Love Is Blind. Micah formed a fearsome friendship with Irina Solomonova, and the two became the mean girls of the show as they terrorized other contestants.
However, during the Sunday episode of the reunion special, only Irina faced the tough questions from the hosts for her behavior on the show, even though Micah always cheered or supported her actions. This didn’t sit well with most of the show’s fans, who pointed out what they considered some conspiracy. While commenting, one particular user, capricorny1626, chipped in,
“I’m at a loss at how Micah got twisted into somehow being a victim at the reunion; meanwhile, Irena got all the smoke.”
Most users echoed this sentiment, with some even wondering how Micah was allowed to sit through the whole reunion undisturbed. Meanwhile, Vanessa grilled less dramatic stars like Marshall and Kwame. Some of the fans argued that it almost felt like there was a deliberate attempt by the show’s producers to launder Micah’s image. One user, Specialist_Egg_1705, highlighted how the hosts opted to only question Irina about the incident even after showing a clip of Irina and Micah being mean.
Jackie and Josh Should Have Been Present At The Love Is Blind Reunion
Ahead of the Love Is Blind season 4 finale, Jackie and Josh produced one of the most significant moments all season during episode 10. Jackie raised eyebrows when she decided to ditch her wedding dress fitting to link up with Josh at a cafe while her then-fiance Marshall was at his suit fitting in preparation for their wedding. The two ended up breaking up at the end of episode 10, with Jackie moving on with Josh and refusing to return the engagement ring that Marshall gave her.
Still, fans expected a massive showdown between the trio, but again they ended up disappointed as Jackie and Josh didn’t show up at the reunion. Jackie and Josh did have a recorded interview with co-host Vanessa, which aired during the reunion. However, most viewers felt they got off too easy despite having many questions to answer for their behaviors on the show. One user, Random0s2oh, commented,
“Jackie got off scot-free! She’s such a coward! What about those receipts, Jackie?”
Love Is Blind fans were even more enraged by Jackie’s absence in the reunion due to her antics leading up to Sunday’s special. Fans pointed out how she had been trashing Marshall online over the past few weeks and picking fights with commenters despite claiming she had grown since being on the show a year ago. She even made several accusations against Marshall and swore to bring receipts to the reunion, albeit it was all just empty words. Despite all the hype surrounding the Love Is Blind season 4 reunion special, its memory will only evoke feelings of disappointment from the fans. Thankfully, next season provides another shot at redemption for producers, but they must return to the drawing board.