Texas is certainly seeing an uptick in filming as of late. Not only was the 2022 romcom “Look Both Ways” shot on location in the Lone Star State, but the upcoming David E. Kelley crime drama “Love and Death” as well as the most recent season of the popular reality series “Love Is Blind” were also captured there. Deemed a modern-day dating “experiment,” the latter initially hit Netflix in early 2020 and became a surprise smash, thanks largely to the onset of the pandemic, which rendered audiences stuck at home and ripe for the binging! It was promptly renewed for additional seasons, with the third just wrapping up its 12-episode run on the streamer this week.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the show presents an interesting take on the reality dating scene, with contestants meeting and interacting in closed-off pods, completely invisible to each other, before ultimately pairing off and becoming engaged over the course of a ten-day period – all sight unseen! It is only once a proposal is accepted that the newly-formed couples get to see each other face-to-face. Cameras then follow the betrothed over the next 21 days as they embark upon a luxury getaway, are set up in apartments together and eventually make their way down the aisle. TV Insider describes the process as tantamount to “extreme speed dating.” But does it work? The jury is still out on that one. So far, the first two seasons have produced only two duos that remain together today.
One major element in the couples’ favor, though? All participating contestants call the same city home. As “Love Is Blind” creator and executive producer Chris Coelen explained to Variety, “We wanted people to all be living, currently in the same place. It’s too difficult if you’re from Tampa and they’re from Portland, that just throws another wrench in. We wanted to give them a real shot at making their love and their marriage work.” Yet another boon? All post-engagement filming…