Nick Thompson blindly met Danielle Ruhl in the Love is Blind pods. They stayed married for over a year after Netflix wrapped filming, but the story of their breakup was leaked before Nick had told his family about a divorce.
Nick Thompson talks Love is Blind ‘dream’
Nick Thompson sat down with Reality Tidbit to talk about how he was “sold a dream”. In 2020, a casting agent contacted the marketing leader on LinkedIn before going through an “intense vetting process”.
Although he “wasn’t very dramatic” and “wasn’t his perception of what a reality TV person would be,” Thompson ended up spending almost three weeks getting to know Danielle Ruhl in the pods.
During filming, Nick dropped 15lbs, and was mainly focusing on how he’d navigate his marriage as they moved back into normal life. He had “no idea how much it would impact or change his life.”
Just over a year after Love is Blind, Danielle and Nick got divorced. Coming out of the show, he said how while he is “mentally resilient,” life “got really hard” for him as he lost his job as a VP in marketing.
“It was supposed to be the best year of my life, I had a wife I loved and endless opportunities were supposed to open up. But I had nothing and lost everything,” Nick claimed to Reality Tidbit.
He said how his “life was ruined” as being a public figure made it hard for him to be hired as many companies didn’t trust him. “By the end of 2022, I decided, I don’t care about being famous,” he added.
Nick decided that reality TV was not for him and ditched the social media posts he says he was instructed to upload. Instead, he began journaling and realized how “surreal” the show’s experience was.
Love is Blind star claims they weren’t allowed their own room keys
Nick claimed that as soon as he arrived to film, he was “told to get in the car and not talk to anyone”. They then took his wallet and phone, and checked his bag.
He alleged the cast would film for 18 to 20 hours a day – before returning to hotels – and were only allowed to leave the hotel for 30 minutes at a time to use the gym or pool. He further said they were not given the room key.
He accused the show of “chewing people up and spitting them out” as they had a “huge impact on his relationship”. Nick also said that, while his feelings were real, he was “forced” to have certain chats.
Thompson helps reality TV stars
Having been “left to fend for themselves” and claiming to have not received help with getting a counselor after the show, Nick decided it was his calling to help reality TV stars like him.
He has now founded The Ucan Foundation, an unscripted advocacy network providing mental health and legal services to past, current, and future cast members.
