Thanksgiving is an opportunity for families to come together and enjoy themselves. That might include bickering, awkward moments getting to know each other, and getting carried away. Here are the 10 times Love Is Blind gave us the beauty and mess of the holiday.
10 Cam and Lauren’s Toothbrush Situation
Season 1
The dating series took the world by surprise with its shocking premise in season 1. It was almost unbelievable that the experiment worked so well for Cameron “Cam” Hamilton and Lauren Speed Hamilton. They bonded over their love of cooking. Lauren said they had a natural chemistry. However, even perfect couples have their differences.
Episode 6 showed Cam and Lauren calmly eating and talking about their expectations of living together. Lauren draws a hard line at sharing toothbrushes. Cam has shared one before and is open to it. The private moment feels like a funny Thanksgiving discussion people have at the table. Couples tend to bond over the weird things that freak them out about their partner.
9 Giannina and Damian’s Drunk Party Fight
Season 1
One of our first messy couples was Giannina Gibelli and Damian Powers. They had butterflies as they talked to each other in the pods. She opened up about feeling different growing up as a Venezuelan immigrant, and he comforted her. But the couple struggled out of the pods and had multiple major blow ups.
Giannina accused him of being awkward at a party with the cast. He claimed she was reading too much into it, which escalated the situation. The couple became louder, which brought attention to themselves. The other couples looked confused because the topic of the argument didn’t make sense. But who hasn’t had a Thanksgiving celebration take a turn for the worst when that couple had too many drinks? It’s a good thing these two didn’t get married. Giannina is currently in a relationship with Blake Horstmann of The Bachelorette, and they have a son named Heath.
8 Deepti and Shake’s Great Wasabi Debate
Season 2
Family had an uncomfortable place in Deepti Vempati and Shake Chatterjee’s story. They learned that they hadn’t dated someone in their Indian culture before. They took a chance and got engaged in season 2. Shake became one of the show’s biggest villains for how he talked about Deepti to the camera behind her back. However, the couple’s best moments were when they were around each other’s family enjoying food.
Episode 6 showed Deepti and Shake having sushi in their apartment. Deepti said it was weird he ate his sushi with wasabi because she thought it was a palette cleanser. They bet whoever is wrong has to plan a date. Deepti looked it up and lost. Who hasn’t argued over their food knowledge or knowledge in general and made a bit at Thanksgiving? At least people will know the wasabi answer now if someone asks.
7 Shake’s Mom Giving Him a Wake-Up Call
Season 2
Sometimes, the parents and family members are the most valuable players of the season. They’re able to use their wisdom and experience to help their children navigate this emotional process. Fans normally expect parents to grill this stranger who is engaged to their partner. However, the show was on the other foot for Shake.
Shake told his mom everything is perfect about Deepti but he is missing that “animalistic attraction” in episode 7. His mom didn’t validate his shallow concerns. She sided with Deepti instead of him because she knows she deserved more. It was a brutally honest moment that is similar to those moments when you ask an older family member for advice. If Shake followed the advice he might’ve avoided making more controversial comments at the reunion.
6 Nancy and Bartise’s Wedding Day
Season 3
Thanksgiving and weddings can take a bad turn when someone feels disrespected. Season 3’s Nancy Rodriguez was very close to her family. Her brother grilled Bartise Bowden about his intentions. Bartise failed and made it clear that things like her weight were very important to him to stay in ther relationship. Nancy was ready to marry him in the finale, but he said no.
Nancy’s family were fired up that they were asked to attend despite Bartise telling her no at the altar. Her brother was very upset, and their mother had to calm him down. Her family didn’t want to leave Bartise alone with Nancy after the disrespect. However, she told them to leave, and she told Bartise she didn’t want to date after that.
5 Nancy’s Family Judges Her Friendship With Bartise
Season 3
Who hasn’t awkwardly explained to their family that they’re still talking to that ex who really messed up? That’s what Nancy had to do in episode 14 as part of the After the Altar special. She revealed that she talked to her mom regularly, but hasn’t told her about hanging out with Bartise again. “This is about me and the journey that I’m going through,” she said in the episode. “And the fact that I am forgiving, and I do want to see the good in people, for me to be happy, I have to allow those that have loved me, that want to love me in my life.”
She told her mom and brother why she wanted to stay friends with him. Her mom asked if Bartise was beating himself up for what he did. “Absolutely not,” Nancy answered. Her mother asked why she wanted to be friends if he wasn’t showing remorse. Nancy quickly tried to shut her down as her brother laughed. Nancy’s family was right and her friendship with him ended.
4 Zack and Irina’s Break-Up Roasts
Season 4
A good roast is to be expected at Thanksgiving for some families. It can be a loving way to show how well you know someone. You don’t usually see people who roast each other right after a break-up, but it happened in season 4. Zack Goytowski and Irina Solomonova had a terrible time on the cast trip after their engagement.
Episode 5 showed Zack and Irina’s awkward last night together. They talk about how horrible their trip has been and Zack said they could call it. The mood had already started to lift as they roasted each other. “Yeah, I don’t know how hard you tried,” Zack told her after she claimed she did. “It has been absolutely horrible sleeping in this bed you,” he later said. Irina smiled and told him to shut up. He went on to say they feel like a married couple of 10 years, and they hate each other. It’s very much the vibe of a family trip lasting too long.
3 Shelby Grills Paul
Season 4
If you’re bringing a new person over for the holidays, then you need to prepare for them to be grilled. Once they leave, the friends and family can give their honest opinions. The meeting of family and friends on Love Is Blind don’t typically get that heated or awkward. But that wasn’t the case for Micah Lussier and Paul Peden.
Episode 8 showed Paul meeting Micah’s friends at a bar. Micah said he needed Shelby’s approval. Shelby bragged about ending some of Micah’s previous relationships. These friends made fun of him for being long-winded. Paul gave up on trying to impress them after that and said he wasn’t worried about Shelby’s opinion. The power struggle was a weird one, and probably could’ve been avoided if they met anywhere besides a bar.
2 Season 5’s Meet Up From Hell
Season 5
Season 5’s cast was one of the most dramatic. It was revealed at the end of the pods that Uche Okoroha and Lydia Velez Gonzalez dated before the Netflix show. Uche rejected her and wanted to get to know new people. He met Aaliyah Cosby, and she became close to Lydia. Aaliyah asked Lydia not to talk about Uche, but she didn’t listen to her.
The cast hangs out in a later episode. Uche shows up seemingly to settle the score with Lydia. Izzy Zapata and Johnie Maraist argue when she pops up with her new man from the pods. The outing feels like the Thanksgiving from hell where everyone shows up to prove a point.
1 Hannah and Nick’s Duck Fight
Season 7
Couples don’t always agree on how to spend their time on holiday. Nick Dorka wanted to ride a big duck on the beach in Mexico. Hannah Jiles wanted to lounge and talk to him. No one could predict how this difference would lead to multiple tense conversations. The problem that made the situation worse is another woman witnessed it. She tells Hannah to not be jealous, and we see Hannah retell the story to someone else, making the woman’s words worse.
Love Is Blind has given us some love stories, but also familiar moments when it comes to hanging out with loved ones. The funny banter to family giving advice makes this time special. The series is a perfect choice for a TV binge-watch on Thanksgiving.
