Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen defended the show's casting methods in an October 31 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, addressing Season 7's Washington DC controversies. Coelen confirmed their process includes background checks and psychological evaluations for all participants. Coelen explained their role, stating they "aren't the police."
The statement followed Love Is Blind Season 7 contestant Tyler Frances revealing his three children to Ashley Adionser in episode nine after their engagement. The season sparked additional attention when contestant Hannah questioned Nick Dorka's show participation motives during the reunion special, now streaming on Netflix.
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Out of seven initial pod engagements in DC, five Love Is Blind Season 7 couples received main camera coverage due to production budgets. Among these couples, Ashley/Tyler and Taylor/Grant proceeded to weddings with positive outcomes. The show also announced removing "After the Altar" specials from future seasons.
Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen explains cast screening after season 7 issues
Love is Blind maintains specific standards for selecting participants while acknowledging certain operational limits. "Everyone in the world has a story, and we aren't the police," Coelen explained to The Hollywood Reporter, describing how they approach candidate backgrounds. He further stated,
“We don’t regulate or monitor their conversations whether they’re being filmed or not, by the way. We’re not dictating to them what they should talk about, what they shouldn’t talk about. If someone has children or doesn’t have children, that doesn’t preclude them from participating in the process.”
He continued,
“Everyone has stuff. Everyone’s lived life, and our job is not to make sure that everyone talks about everything…It’s not our obligation to report to everyone everything that you might find interesting. That’s not really our place, because our job is to document that.”
The process allows participants to have unrecorded conversations and time away from cameras, creating space for genuine interactions.
This statement came after Love is Blind Season 7 featured contestant Tyler Francis, who formed a connection with Ashley Adionser. During the ninth episode of filming, Francis shared information about his three children. This disclosure occurred after substantial time had passed in their filmed relationship.
The production crew captured extensive footage of their discussions following this revelation, showing both participants working through this new information.
Production limitations
Coelen says the camera teams maintain specific filming schedules rather than constant coverage. This structured approach led to some significant moments away from Love Is Blind Season 7 cameras. A clear example emerged with Tim and Alex's relationship development.
Alex later shared publicly that Tim requested certain conversations remain private. The production team focused on capturing available moments while respecting participants' boundaries during filming breaks. Coelen’s exact words were,
“If we were filming, it would’ve been on the show. We’re super transparent. There are some producers in the unscripted space whose philosophy is, if it doesn’t happen on camera, it doesn’t happen. That is not my philosophy…Because we weren’t filming, or as Alex just said publicly, there were certain things Tim wanted to keep off camera.”
Coelen explained this filming method to THR, saying they document what occurs during scheduled times. When important events happen off-camera, they work to provide context through later conversations.
Show structure changes
The Love Is Blind Season 7 production team announced changes to the show's format. They removed After the Altar specials from future plans, focusing instead on main episodes and reunion segments. This decision stems from their goal to complete stories within the main season structure.
The current format brings couples from previous seasons to reunion episodes, allowing brief updates without extended filming. The reunion special structure changed to include more direct conversations about crucial moments.
Love is Blind Season 7 documented seven initial pod engagements, choosing five couples based on marriage potential for main coverage. This selection process relied on early observations and couple dynamics. The production team adjusted coverage when needed to present complete relationship stories to viewers.
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