"Love Is Blind" fans are racing through the latest international installment of the reality TV franchise, this time set in Sweden.
Out Jan. 12, the Swedish iteration of the hit reality series has some elements in common with the American one, including featuring contestants get engaged without ever meeting face-to-face.
But viewers say there's a significant difference: The contestants, according to fans, are the "most shallow" yet.
One X user wrote, “Of all the Love is Blind franchises, the cast of Love is Blind Sweden HAVE to be the most shallow. I’m actually a bit surprised.”
“Bunch of shallow people. Do they not understand the goal of the show?” another chimed in.
“Nahh, these people on Love is Blind Sweden really think about appearances too much. Which is fine but don’t go on this show then??” one user wrote.
What led to these opinions? It goes back to the pods. Rasmus, 32, was upfront about his preference for how potential partners look.
“I’m very superficial myself. So you might want to sneak in some details of how you look,” he said in his confessional.
Later into the first episode, contestant Krisse-ly expressed her interest in exploring her relationship with Rasmus on a deeper level, forgoing dates with other contestants to focus her time on him.
Following what seemed to be a genuine conversation about their connection, Rasmus told the camera he was concerned about Krisse-ly's looks.
“From what I already know now, I want to explore things more for sure. But I have to see her first. She’s from Estonian descent. I don’t even know what that is. I don’t know how it affects your looks,” he told the camera privately.
After they got engaged, Rasmus turned out to be pleased by what he saw — but other couples had problems. Lucas and Emilia's relationship struggled during the honeymoon phase, after he realized he wasn't physically attracted to his new fiancée.
Lucas was distant when they arrived in Cyprus for their getaway. “I’m a bit scared of the whole situation. I don’t feel that the physical attraction is quite there yet,” he said in a confessional.
In the fourth episode of the series, Lucas outwardly expressed his concerns with the men, admitting he has "a problem with the intimacy bit, the attraction ... I'm incredibly scared of hurting her."
Lucas and Emilia's relationship wasn't the only to struggle post engagement. 32-year-old HR specialist Catja wasn't completely pleased after she met her fiancé, Christofer, face-to-face.
"Previously, I think I've dated guys with a more sporty look. He's got more of a rock look ... But I mean, clothes are a small detail. They don't mean anything. It's what's in here that matters," she said in her confessional.
While in Cyprus, Catja struggled more with Christofer's looks. After he let down his purple hair, usually tied back in a man-bun, she judged his style once again.
“It’s been necessary for me to not think too much about what Christofer looks like,” she told the camera.
Sergio, another contestant, questioned his own emphasis on looks. The soccer coach and DJ had a conversation with his future fiancée, Amanda, about her experiences being bullied in high school due to her scoliosis.
“The thing is, I have scoliosis ... I wore (a corset) throughout secondary school. And because of that, I was bullied,” Amanda said.
Sergio seemed to respond well, reassuring her, “You made it a part of your story. That’s the lesson here.”
After finding out she was bullied, though, he become concerned her looks wouldn't measure up to his expectations. He told the men as much in the dorms, too, and faced criticism.
“It’s not the fact she was bullied. It’s that you worry what she will look like since she was bullied,” 43-year-old contestant Mow clapped back.
“If you open up about your past and you confide in someone, I don’t think it should be thrown back at you like it’s something negative, that you’re ugly or disgusting, or anything like that,” Christofer said during a confessional after their conversation.
Fans took to X to express their support for Christofer, sorting him among the "certified sweeties" of the show.
"The guy that constantly calls his partner “my heart’s joy and eternal longing” is so sweet," one wrote.
"Love Is Blind" is returning for its Charlotte, North Carolina-set sixth season in February. Since its premiere in 2020, the show has also had versions in Japan and Brazil.
