Love is Blind and The Nigerian Demon are a match made in heaven
The Love Is Blind Season 5 finale just aired on Netflix and rather than clear a lot of things up, it left me questioning things even more. Is Lydia lying about following Uche to the show? Is Uche truly a colorist? Are Milton and Lydia really in a happy marriage? I guess we will never know.
In the first season, we were offered an authentic attempt at the show's experiment making what viewers saw believable. But as seasons went on, the process came across as less natural leading viewers to believe there’s a blueprint to follow. How do we really know most of these people have come for love and not fame? Previous cast members have revealed what their income is like after the show and if the platform is used right, you can become a top influencer.
A consistent pattern that’s been introduced in the last two seasons is the virality of African men. First it was Sikiru also known as SK. The fact he was Nigerian was a big deal because who would think we would see a well put together Nigerian man on Love Is Blind. Producers and viewers ate him up and he was on track to becoming the season’s best couple. He seemed stable and wholesome until word got out that he was cheating on his partner, Raven. It turns out his feelings were just for the show and Raven revealed that some of the issues stemmed from his lack of attraction to her. Based on the women that came out about the affairs he was having, it appears his type is white women. There’s no surprise here as we’ve seen in countless dating shows that black women are treated as less than and her white counterpart ends up with the bachelor. Black women can’t win a dating show if it’s not considered trashy television and even if it is, if there’s a lighter or white woman in the mix, the chances are slim. The drama generated from SK’s infidelity was probably one of the biggest highlights of the season and henceforth, the staple African man on Love is Blind was born.
The following season we were introduced to Kwame. He seemed like a good guy and his story ended with him getting engaged to a white woman. There were mixed reviews from viewers about him not choosing a black woman as well. He revealed he had another connection with a black woman in the pods but it didn’t work out and this wasn’t shown on Netflix. Kwame unfortunately didn’t live up to the African demon hype that his predecessor set in the previous season.
Finally in season 5, we get introduced to Uche. Uche came off promising and it seemed like we were going to get another black love story like Brett and Tiffany. But those dreams were cut short due to the hiccup of his previous entanglements with another woman in the pods prior to getting on the show. He accused the woman, Lydia, of following him onto the show and ruining his relationship with Aaliyah. The facts seem to make sense but Lydia claims it’s a mere coincidence. This doesn’t discredit how Uche has come off in the show. He spoke poorly to Aaliyah for her doubts about his unfinished business with Lydia and shut down the only other Nigerian woman he spoke with in the pods while giving other women a chance to speak fairly. Overall, Uche came off conceited and in his own bubble. Aaliyah, who is of darker complexion, has stated that some of the reason it also didn’t work out is because she wasn’t his type and there’s been some talk that he has said this in the pods. Uche has gone on Instagram stating otherwise, noting his ex-girlfriend was dark skinned. As a lawyer, it seems Uche has had some convincing rebuttals to all the allegations made about him. Lawyer aside, every woman that has a Nigerian demon story knows coming up with good stories is only natural. The reunion and Uche’s responses left us with more questions and we will probably never know the truth.
Love is Blind is a show with a premise of exploring if people can fall in love and marry without seeing the person. When you think about it, catfishing is almost like it but you’re falling in love based on a presumption of what they’ve shown you they look like online. See the parallel. In the absence of the outliers, we have seen love is really not that blind guys. Honestly, there’s so much that goes into a life commitment with someone that should be done with time and care. Yet, people keep going on the show. If Netflix has found a great show to consume our minds, featuring some African demons and aspiring stars that can be their true selves all while cashing out, then the show must go on!