‘Love Is Blind’: Jeremy Hartwell Claims Cast Was Underpaid and Would Be Penalized if They Quit
Love Is Blind became a huge hit. But one of the cast members from season 2 filed a lawsuit and made many claims about how the cast was treated and paid.
Who is Jeremy Hartwell from ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 2?
Every season of Love Is Blind starts with a large cast and narrows down to a few stars. Producers choose which couples to follow, which means some Love Is Blind engaged couples don’t make the cut! Season 2 started with 30 people and Hartwell was one of the men.
Viewers saw Hartwell listening to Nick Thompson talk about his date with Danielle Thompson in the pods in the first episode. Fans didn’t watch him date in the pods, and it doesn’t look like he found love through the experience.
He posted a photo of himself on Instagram in February and wrote in the caption, “When I was approached by @loveisblindnetflix casting agents, I saw it as a chance to challenge myself and explore an opportunity that was unfamiliar, uncomfortable even, while changing my approach to dating when traditional methods had failed.”
He later posted another picture of him smiling from the same photoshoot and wrote in the caption, “Sometimes, the only way to overcome our fears or insecurities is to face them head on. Despite being filmed for @loveisblindnetflix I’ve never been comfortable behind a camera. So before the season aired, I decided to book a professional photoshoot, where I had more control, to help get over this. To say I love the results is an understatement! Here’s a sample of some of the shots taken by @meaganshuptar. Let me know what you think!”
Jeremy Hartwell claims the season 2 ‘Love Is Blind’ cast was underpaid
Hartwell filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Netflix, production company Kinetic Content and casting company Delirium TV, according to People. He claimed the show restricted the cast from food and drink at “all hours of the day.”
Love Is Blind is a unique reality show where it starts with the cast away from the outside world in the pods. But if they move forward, they go to work and live their life with their partners as an engaged couple.
Hartwell’s attorney, Chantal Payton of Payton Employment Law, PC, of Los Angeles, gave a statement addressing how much the show allegedly paid her client. “They intentionally underpaid the cast members, deprived them of food, water and sleep, plied them with booze and cut off their access to personal contacts and most of the outside world. This made cast members hungry for social connections and altered their emotions and decision-making,” Payton claimed. “The contracts required contestants to agree that if they left the show before filming was done, they would be penalized by being required to pay $50,000 in ‘liquidated damages.’”
Hartwell claimed he was “sleep-deprived, socially isolated and mentally drained” from filming. Netflix hasn’t responded to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s request for comment.
‘Love Is Blind’ contestants get paid very little, according to reports
Hartwell’s claim that Love Is Blind underpays contestants aligns with reports that came out during the first season. According to a source close to Women’s Health, “the participants are paid little if anything.” Instead, the possibility of finding love or gaining other opportunities outside of the show seems to motivate participants.
A production representative for Love Is Blind also told the publication that participants largely pay for their own weddings. “Of course production supplies some of the basics, but because these are their real weddings, it’s up to them as to how to spend their money,” said the rep.
