11 underrated Netflix shows everyone should watch (2021)

Love is Blind: Brazil

Love is Blind is a popular reality dating/marriage series on Netflix. Fans have been impatiently waiting for season 2 in between two specials following the lives and loves of the OG cast. While the second season won’t be making its debut until February, it’s the show’s Brazilian iteration that should be getting more attention.

Love is Blind: Brazil unexpectedly has more heart than its predecessor. That’s not to say that the love stories in season 1 of the parent show weren’t genuine, but there was a particular sheen to the production that could feel empty at times.

Anyone watching a reality dating show knows that there’s a lot of manufacturing going on. Some participants play up their personalities or the show is produced in a way where you can tell the events unfolding are a tacky attempt at drama.

What sets Love is Blind: Brazil apart, however, is that there’s a sincerity and genuineness to the exploration of love between the couples. There’s a deeper dive into their emotions. Yes, they’re packaged like any other dating/marriage show, but the package is messy in an intriguing way.

The personality clashes ring true as does the panic around whether or not they’re each making the right decision for themselves and the future that they’ve pictured. The participants are growing and evolving and seemingly not self-conscious about putting themselves, their desires, and their fears on display.

It’s honestly refreshing considering they’re a part of a series that’s predicated on discovering whether or not love really is blind. There’s real struggle throughout the season and, while you can generally tell which couples will likely last and which won’t, the point is seeing each decided pair push the boundaries of their relationship within this bubble they’ve created and whether or not it’ll pop upon dealing with real life stressors and family dynamics.

Love is Blind’s first season is some good television, but it’s Love is Blind: Brazil that actually engages better with the experiment this series puts forth to its participants and its audience.

There’s a veneer and gloss of perfection that the original has that the Brazilian iteration doesn’t. That’s what makes Love is Blind: Brazil such a good addition to the franchise.

The participants are looking for life partners in a real and honest way that takes into account more than romance and love but also compatibility, shared life goals, beliefs, and more. It’s reality television that actually feels real.

—Sabrina Reed, Staff Writer