‘Love is Blind’ Alum Says Cast Could Benefit From Mental Health Professionals on Set
Most moments seen on Love is Blind are viewed as explosive, but there some more subtle that also make an impact. One of those moments was Kelly and Kenny’s wedding from Season 1. The two have since moved on and are dating other people, but Kelly says filming and getting back to normal life after the experiment was so overwhelming that she and the other cast members would have benefited from mental health professionals provided by the show.
A recap of Kelly’s time on ‘Love is Blind’
Unlike the other couples, not much of Kelly and Kenny’s courtship was chronicled on the show. Looking back, the reason their dates were ommitted could possibly be due to the amount of footage shown leading up to their wedding and their actual breakup.
In the scenes viewers did see, their lack of chemistry was apparent. While Kenny was openly affectionate towards Kelly, she preferred that they abstain from going all the way and preferred “sweet kisses and cuddling” until their wedding night.
Kenny remained patient and optimistic throughout their engagement, but Kelly appeared to be drifting further apart. During one of her confessionals, she admitted that she was not physically attracted to Kenny and viewed him as more of a brother or friend.
At the altar, Kenny said yes to marrying Kelly, but Kelly shot him down, saying that though she loved him, she needed more time. Kenny seemed visibly hurt but he respected her decision. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the former couple claimed they never intended to get married.
Kelly says ‘Love is Blind’ cast should have mental health professionals to assist on set
With Season 1 being so green, the whole experiement was just that. And while Kelly says producers were supportive whether the cameras were on or not, she notes dates in the pods, followed by interviews with producers, and then living as a couple was so overwhelming that everything was hard to process. She says she would have benefited from having the added help of a mental health professional to navigate everything.
“I was surprised no mental-health professionals were available to me during or after filming or once the show aired, especially since the experience was emotionally charged,” she told Insider in a 2022 feature.
Things were even magnified once filming wrapped because she was out of that bubble. “During filming, emotions were high because of intense interviews and the pressure to get married. After we wrapped, I had mixed emotions about my relationship with Kenny and the connections I made with other cast members and production getting taken away in a matter of moments. And when the show aired, emotions were high because of fan reactions,” she recalls.
She added: “I can’t speak for the rest of the cast, and I’m not sure if this has changed since I filmed the show in 2018, but I had expected to have professionals on-site to help us through any big or little traumas that surfaced or new anxieties and fears triggered by filming or the experiment. Regardless, I’d encourage any production set to have on-site mental-health professionals.”
She says she was not prepared for the backlash from viewers
The main reason Kelly says mental health professionals would have been helpful is dealing with the fallout of the show airing. She and the rest of the cast had to relive their experience, while combating viewer opinions on social media. Viewers were particularly angry with Kelly because they felt she misled Kenny.
“I was astounded by the amount of hate, harassment, bullying, and death threats all cast members received. It truly goes to show how every single person formulates an opinion based on what they saw and heard, especially on TV,” she explained.
