These 'Love Is Blind' stars left toxic romances on national TV: 'It was gonna be a no'
The second season of "Love Is Blind," Netflix's dating binge-fest, spent much of its 10 episodes developing an emotional connection to cringe.
The season brought a windfall of baffling moments, many courtesy of two couples the internet couldn't stop talking about. One was chaotic and constantly bickering: Natalie Lee, the mellow yet goofy consultant whose love language is sarcasm, and Shayne Jansen, an extremely energetic real estate agent/notebook scribbler who covets validation. The other was downright toxic: Deepti Vempati, an optimisitc data analyst with a lot of patience, and Abhishek Chatterjee, better known as "Shake," a smarmy veterinarian with motorized drapes whose fat-phobic, misogynistic views of women doomed the relationship from the start.
Ultimately, Lee chose not to marry Jansen after he drunkenly berated her the night before their wedding, while Vempati proclaimed "I choose me" at the altar.
Because "Love Is Blind" is meant to explore and test the promise (and limits) of an emotional connection in an increasingly superficial dating world, it's easy to get swept up by its success stories — and the first season set high expectations with two happy marriages: Lauren and Cameron Hamilton and Amber and Matt Barnett. But though the sophomore season also resulted in two marriages, Lee and Vempati emerged as fan favorites, showing that self-respect can be the better happily ever after. Who needs to sit on a dude's shoulders at a music festival when you can hold your head high?
In separate interviews via videoconference, Lee and Vempati discussed the reception to the season, the turning points in their respective journeys to find love on the show, and walking away from toxic relationships. (Where the questions were the same, their responses are combined.)
Q: How would you describe what the last few weeks have been like?
Lee: This experience has been crazy, overwhelming. It's been really fun, though. It's been so amazing to just feel the love and support from viewers and from fans. Before the show came out that Friday, I was just working a 9 to 5 and just doing normal things. Once the show came out, my social media is blowing up, I have people stopping me in the streets. It's been quite an experience, for sure.
Vempati: It's been so emotional, it's been a lot. I'm in a glass case of emotion because, on the one hand, I'm so, so happy that it's done and I can move on and put this chapter to rest. But at the same time, it's disappointing and sad that I just have no idea who this person [Shake] is anymore. I cared for him. And it just doesn't seem like that emotion was reciprocated.
Q Let's talk about the reunion. The energy toward Shake felt very hot, from all sides.
Lee :We've all had our individual experiences with him and so, based on how he was acting at
