experiment

This article contains spoilers for the Season 9 finale of “Love Is Blind.”

Netflix’s hit dating series “Love is Blind” is actually an experiment, its creator, Chris Coelen, says. The show tests whether couples can build a lasting relationship based on a core emotional bond that is not tethered to physical attraction or appearances.

In Season 9, for the first time in the show’s history, the experiment failed to create lasting bonds. No couples from this season said “I do” at the altar in the finale, which began streaming Wednesday.

Six couples left the pods engaged, but the decoupling began almost immediately, with Kacie McIntosh breaking things off with Patrick Suzuki. They were followed by Annie Lancaster and Nick Amato, and finally Madison Maidenberg and Joe Ferrucci, whose breakups were documented in Episodes 10 and 11. The remaining couples going into the final episode, where the weddings would take place, were Ali Lima and Anton Yarosh; Kalybriah Haskin and Edmond Harvey; and Megan Walerius and Jordan Keltner.

Megan and Jordan didn’t make it to the altar — Megan broke things off just before the wedding because she felt their lifestyles would not mesh well long term. That partly had to do with their jobs. Jordan works long hours in transportation and logistics, while Megan is a wealthy entrepreneur with a flexible working schedule. Jordan is also a single father to a young son, who has Type 1 diabetes. Over the course of the season, the pair often discussed the demands of parenting.

Anton said “I do,” but Ali said “I can’t be your wife” at the altar. She said she felt like the man she had fallen in love with in the pods was not the person she’d been experiencing in real life before she ran off in tears. Anton said in an interview later that he had “done nothing but care for her,” and that the rejection “f— sucks.”

Kalybriah also said no at the altar after her fiancé said yes. Kalybriah said Edmond “deserve[s] someone that is 100% at the altar” and that she wasn’t there. Edmond had a tempered reaction to the rejection, and Kalybriah thanked him for being graceful before the two walked off hand in hand. Kalybriah left the door open for a possible reconciliation down the road.

Season 9 was full of messy breakups and controversial comments from the participants. Patrick went into the experiment with insecurities about his Asian American identity, and his short-lived fiancée, Kacie, broke up with him on the heels of their first meeting. Annie and Nick, who split before the wedding preparations were in full swing, received backlash over a conversation they had about raising LGBTQ+ children, and they have both since walked back those comments in recent interviews. And an argument between Kalybriah and Edmond about her decision to wait until the wedding to have sex with him was the subject of intense scrutiny on social media.

Before Season 9, each season ended with at least one couple getting married. While some later split, many still remain married and several have started families. Days before Season 9’s finale was released, Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed-Hamilton from Season 1 announced Monday that they welcomed their first child together.

The Season 9 reunion, which will address unanswered questions about the many breakups, will be available to stream on Netflix on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET.

A Channel 4 sex experiment show has left viewers shocked as committed couples agree to have sex with other people to see if they are willing to have a polyamorous relationship

A Channel 4 reality show has left viewers stunned – and some reaching to turn off the TV – after a contestant vomited while participating in a bizarre sex experiment that saw his girlfriend sleeping with other men.

In the latest explosive episode of Open House: The Great Sex Experiment, Tom and his girlfriend Lauren signed up to explore non-monogamy in an attempt to reignite their relationship – but the reality proved too much for Tom to stomach, quite literally.

The controversial show, which airs on Channel 4, invites committed couples to a luxurious countryside retreat to test the boundaries of their relationships by experimenting with open sex – all under the watchful eyes of cameras and sex therapists.

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Touted by the show as a bold dive into “one of society’s greatest taboos” – monogamy – Open House has become one of the broadcaster’s most talked-about series, following in the footsteps of the equally provocative Virgin Island, which was slammed by some viewers as “creepy” and “uncomfortable”.

In one episode, Tom and Lauren were advised by non-monogamy coach Effy Blue to try spending time independently to see how it would impact their bond. But things quickly turned from awkward to distressing.

Despite Lauren’s pep talk – “Don’t be nervous. You absolutely got this” – Tom looked pale and anxious as she reassured him about the day ahead. Moments later, he was seen rushing off camera to vomit in the bathroom.

“This is going to be horrible,” he admitted. “I feel absolutely petrified and sick.”

Lauren, hugging him from behind, gently urged: “All that anyone can ask is that you just try, okay?”

Lauren had been the one to suggest they experiment with other people from the outset. Speaking to the camera, she said: “Yes, it’s throwing me and Tom in the deep end… but for him to have the confidence that we can go off, have our fun, and come back to each other at the end of the night – it’s insane.”

But viewers weren’t convinced – many taking to social media to question both the format and the wellbeing of those taking part.

“I’m no prude, but this is unnecessarily graphic and getting away with it by being ‘educational’,” posted one user on X. “Grow up, Channel 4. Full of exhibitionists.”

Another wrote: “Tom needs help and support – he shouldn’t be anywhere near this show. #OpenHouse.”

“Honestly feel bad for Tom,” added one viewer. “He needs counselling, not cameras in his face.”

A fourth branded the episode “so awkward to watch,” while others said Channel 4 was simply pushing boundaries for shock value.

Tom had opened up about bedroom issues in the episode, explaining he struggled “to get it up” due to performance anxiety. But later on, his worries passed as both he and Lauren had sex with different people in separate rooms at the same time.

Open House: The Great Sex Experiment is available to stream now on Channel 4.

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