Married at First SightandLove Is Blindhave similarities between each other because they are run by the same production company, Kinetic Content.Married at First Sightpremiered in 2014 on Lifetime network, andMAFSseason 18is currently airing.Love Is Blindis certainly the younger of the two powerhouse shows, and appears on Netflix.LIBpremiered in February 2020, andLove Is Blindseason 7 just finished airing in October 2024.MAFShas historically takensix month long hiatusesbetween seasons, whileLIBhas produces seasons faster.
Love Is Blindseason 8is set to premiere in February 2025, so that is only a four-month break in between seasons.Married at First Sightalso airs for much longer thanLIBseasons.MAFSseason 17 was the longest season in franchise history, as it aired from mid-October 2023 to late April 2024.Love Is Blindseasons typically get released in the vacuum of one month, as episodes are released in chunks weekly. Regardless of the formatting, both shows are extremely popular among viewers, and they share other similarities.
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Kwame Appiah Auditioned For MAFS But Was Cast On LIB
Cast Crossover
SinceMarried at First SightandLove Is Blindare both produced by Kinetic Content, access is shared between the casting choices for each show. This was apparent whenLove Is Blindseason 4 cast member Kwame Appiah was spotted by aMarried at First Sightfan in an audition clip that aired during theMAFSseason 9 reunion. Kwame would have been auditioning forMAFSseason 10, which took place in Washington D.C. In the clip, Kwame could be heard saying he was ready for love.
LIB season 4took place in Seattle, so it’s possible he sent a general audition video, or that his interview clip was played because he was a strong candidate for a different season. NoMAFSseasons have taken place in Seattle thus far. Him not being cast forMAFSbut going on to be cast inLIBseason 4, signifies thatKinetic likely thought he would be better suited forLove Is Blind. And they were right. Kwame found love with Chelsea Griffith inLIB, and the two are still happily married, with Chelsea even working inLIBcasting now.
Kwame is the onlyMAFSandLIBcast crossover that is currently known, but it may not be out of the question for there to be future crossovers. Since both shows are about people trying to find their forever person in a unique and experimental way, the casting pool and motivations for each show are similar.
Sharing a casting pool between both shows signifies that while one show may not have the people they are looking for in its casting population, one from the other may be better suited.
Kinetic Doesn’t Do Deep Enough Dives Into Cast Choices
They’ve Let Shady Characters On The Shows
One of the major downfalls of both shows has been that the casting choices have historically not been properly vetted. For example,LIBseason 7’s Tyler Francis hid the fact that he had three kidsfrom production and his now-wife until he made it out of the pods and was confronted with it. Moreover,LIBseason 5’s Carter Wall had a criminal record that was not uncovered, and his fiancée, Renee Poche made allegations about Carter’s aggressive behavior.
InMAFS, season 3 cast member David Norton had a violent past and criminal background that was missed by production.
Kinetic Content has demonstrated that they are not thorough enough with their background checks, and that has led to shady characters being cast on both shows.
Having that happened has discredited both shows, and showcased that Kinetic doesn’t care enough about their cast.
LIB & MAFS Cast Clout Chasers
Kinetic Doesn’t See Through Dubious Cast Intentions
Another similarity that lies betweenLove Is BlindandMarried at First Sightis the number ofpeople that have been cast who have been obvious clout chasers. While it has been a more prominent problem withLIB, it’s happened withMAFStoo.MAFSseason 16’s Jasmine Secrest was a beauty pageant queen and dog breeder who seemed to use the show for exposure. InLIB, cast like Nick Dorka, Deepti Vempati, Jessica Vestal, have all catapulted themselves into the public eye, and seemed to have motivations to do so by their reality TV appearances.
WithLIB, cast members have the potential to appear on other reality TV shows, likePerfect MatchorThe Traitors, so there is incentive to stand out in the seasons and carry on a public persona that suits their best interests. ForMAFS, the platform has been around for a long time, and cast members have the potential to level up their Instagram followers and drum up interest in their other pursuits, like podcasting.Married at First SightandLove Is Blind’s similarities due to their Kinetic Content production hosting are obvious, and more could even be revealed with time.
Married At First Sightairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
Married At First Sight
Cast
Based on the Danish version of the series, Married at First Sight is a reality show/social experiment that gives singles a chance to find a lifelong partnership with one particular caveat: they must agree to marry a stranger arranged the moment they meet. Experts provide counseling and guidance as they help couples navigate their new marriage with their unknown partner and highlight the journey of the newlyweds from wedding to honeymoon to beginning their new lives together. At the end of eight weeks, couples will decide to stay married or divorce.
Love Is Blind
Love Is Blind is a reality series where participants date and become engaged without seeing each other. The experiment examines whether emotional connections can outweigh physical appearances as couples decide if they will marry after meeting face-to-face for the first time.
