It wasn't an easy decision, relationship expert Leigh Norén tells TT.
Max and Belinda are being criticized for being too passive and reluctant to take part in the various parts of the program.
The same premise applies to everyone. You can't have one couple who are vulnerable and share things, and another who aren't. It's not really fair to the other participants, says Leigh Norén.
The decision to ask Max Turpeinen and Belinda Hillman to leave the production before filming ended was, according to Norén, a “collective assessment” made after the experts had reflected on their own approach and discussed how they could get Max and Belinda to open up more.
“Didn't want to participate”
But when Max said he was only there to find a life partner and that the couple were not interested in opening up during couples’ dinners or in conversations with the program’s experts, it was difficult to justify their continued participation, according to Leigh Norén.
Then it became very clear to us that we might not keep pushing. They didn't want to participate in the experiment because they had already found each other. And okay, they're very happy, so there was no point in us continuing, says Norén.
“A big decision”
TT: Was it simply that the TV experience was too bad?
No, I don't think so, actually. It was a big decision to say goodbye to them. And we wanted to help them, so we kept thinking that maybe they would warm up, maybe their guard would come down after a while. But that didn't seem to happen.
What do you think?