Credit: NetflixNetflix may be in some deep waters as a new lawsuit making headlines, and it appears the studio has reportedly forced on of their reality stars to be stuck with a “lying, violent, emotionally unstable drug addict”, according to the star.
Over the years, Netflix has introduced a handful of shows to its subscriber base that have had viewers hooked and watching for hours on end. Shows like Orange is the New Black, Wednesday, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game, and more brought in millions to the platform, but one genre of television was missing: reality.
Reality TV heavily existed on cable networks, and week in and week out, viewers would tune in to see where the story would progress. Whether you are a hopeless romantic who loves The Bachelor, or you want to see who is going to win in the wild on Survivor, and everything in between, the birth of reality television that blossomed in the 2000’s has only continued to gain popularity.
Of course, Netflix had to get a piece of that pie, launching many of their own original reality shows like Too Hot Too Handle, The Ultimatum, and Love is Blind. Love is Blind brings in a large group of men and women, allowing them to date each other in what the show refers to as a “pod”, These pods are rooms that are furnished nicely but only hold one person. In the pod in front of them holds another person. The two people can talk to each other, but will not see each other.
The point of “the experiment” is that the players will talk to each other without ever seeing what the other looks like in hopes to make an emotional connection. Over 10 days, if a pair ends up falling in love, a proposal will take place, and only after it is accepted will the two reveal their appearance. The show is held in different cities to make sure that location is not a factor in the relationship, but will follow the engaged couple for one month, as they prepare for their wedding, which will be held at the end of the month.
In the show, some couples stay together, while others may choose to walk. That decision is typically made at the alter.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the show has grown in popularity over the years, making spinoffs in Brazil, and soon the U.K.
This past season, one couple’s journey was entirely cut from the show, and it was not until the show aired that the drama began to unfold. Renee Poche was engaged to Carter Wall but left him at the alter; however, we never saw that storyline unfold.
According to Renee, Netflix called her a few months before the season was set to air and let her know her storyline wouldn’t be a major part of the season. “What I was told was, ‘We’ll just, point blank, say that Carter was awful and we don’t want you to have to relive that”. There have also been rumors that Carter threatened Netflix, telling them they had to cut his storyline.
Now, Renee is suing the streaming giant, and ‘LIB‘ production company Delirium TV, claiming they matched her with a lying, violent, emotionally unstable drug addict and forced her to spend long stretches alone with him despite her concerns, according to TMZ.
“According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Renee says her pre-determined match, Carter Wall, was unemployed, addicted to drugs and alcohol, estranged from his family, homeless, violent and dead broke when producers matched them up for the cameras.”
The publication continued, “Renee says she initially hit it off with Carter, but claims she later found out he was lying through his teeth and was far from marriage material.
In her suit, Renee says production put her through a rigorous background check and claims Delirium must have known about Carter’s “troubling issues” and “mental instability.” She says she became terrified to spend time with him but claims producers forced them to film together for long periods.
Renee claims Carter was emotionally abusive on and off camera, heavily abused drugs and alcohol, and physically threatened a camera operator in Mexico. She says producers threatened her with legal action if she did not move forward with the engagement, and when they got to his Texas hometown, producers warned her to ensure Carter had no access to firearms or weapons because they were concerned he would hurt Renee, himself or others.”
Renee also believes that producers “admonished” her for not giving Carter a second chance at the altar, reportedly wanting. Renee to go through with the wedding.
Below are photos that Renee shared from the show, proving she made it to the alter, all the while viewers would not have ever known.
Wish everyone could have seen this wild journey 💖💖. Regardless of the up and downs I had a blast filming with my girls!!
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With their storyline cut, Netflix only had two couples to follow past the pods, which was their smallest group yet. Stacy Snyder and Izzy Zapata, and Milton Johnson and Lydia Velez Gonzalez made it to the altar, but only Milton and Lydia got married. The two are still together today.
The show has been accused of mistreating cast in the past. “They would run out of food,” said season two contestant Danielle Ruhl. “I remember every time we’d get to the freaking kitchen, there’d be like one hard-boiled egg, and it was like a fight to see like who could actually get the stuff.”
Related: Netflix Purges Over 200 Titles in New Year, Hundreds of Movies and Shows Gone
Another season two contestant, Jeremy Hartwell, sued Netflix and the show’s production company, Kinetic Content, in June 2022. Hartwell accused the two of labor-law violations and subjecting participants to working conditions that were “unsafe and inhumane.” He also cited lack of food, water, and sleep while on the Love Is Blind set, according to Delish. Other cast members of the show have come out stating that they felt they had an over-abundance of food on set,
While the show may be going through drama, season 6 is set to premiere, naturally, on Valentine’s Day: February 14, 2024.
What do you think of this ongoing lawsuit?