The Swedish version of the dating program "Love is blind" hit like a bomb among viewers last year. The dramatic events followed each other, and the Swedish version became a Netflix favorite even among international fans.
In the end, three of the couples got married, all of whom are still together. Two children have also been born, and a third is on the way.
You get incredibly happy and a little proud when you see how well it's gone for the couples. No other country that makes "Love is blind" has had the same outcome, says Jessica Almenäs.
Shit scary
On March 13, the premiere of season two is scheduled, but can it top the first one? Yes, if you ask Almenäs:
It's shit scary to try to repeat such a success, but I think this season is at least as good. The viewers will definitely recognize themselves, but at the same time, it's completely new participants with completely different life stories, she says.
One of the explanations for why "Love is blind" has become such a viewer success, Jessica Almenäs believes, is that the participants are often a bit older than in other reality programs. They are deeply ready to find their life partner, and those who "just want to be on TV" are quickly weeded out in the long and advanced casting process.
They're in the program because they really want to meet someone, they want to fall in love. They're not in it to become TV stars first and foremost, and if they have that agenda and try to hide it, it becomes very clear, she says and continues:
The participants are there for the right reasons. They're ordinary people that viewers can relate to. It's real feelings, and you can feel it. I think that's the whole secret.
"No brainer"
Jessica Almenäs' hosting effort was also noticed after the first season, mainly for how she handled a shock message during the program's reunion.
Accepting to host another season, she describes as a "no brainer":
It's clear that you want to be part of such a success. Then my role is very small since it's the love stories that should take place. It's only at the reunion that the hosting role grows, then it's important that I can be the viewer's voice and ask all those questions that everyone wonders about.
A dating program that involves a group of singles dating each other for a limited period.
During the dates, they sit in different isolated rooms, without the opportunity to see each other. If a participant proposes and the other says yes, they get to meet and see each other for the first time.
Over five weeks, the couples then live together to see if the relationship holds up for marriage.
The American original version of "Love is blind" premiered in 2020. Netflix has also made variants in Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Japan, the UK, Mexico, South Korea, and "Love is blind: habibi" with participants from several Arab countries. Versions are also planned in France and Italy.
