Courtesy of Netflix / Tom Dymond
- "Love Is Blind: UK" is out now on Netflix and has two new hosts, Matt and Emma Willis.
- The new spin-off features contestants from across the UK and Ireland.
- The Willises told Business Insider they were rooting for the contestants but wondered "how's this gonna go?"
"Love Is Blind: UK" hosts Matt and Emma Willis told Business Insider they were rooting for the show's contestants, but there were a few couples who made them wonder "how's this gonna go?"
"Love Is Blind: UK" is the latest spin-off of Netflix's hugely popular dating show "Love Is Blind," which launched in 2020 and is hosted by married couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey.
In the first few episodes, contestants date in pods so they can't see each other and must connect based on personality rather than looks. Those connect get engaged, meet face-to-face, and then go on holiday.
In the final stage, they return home to see if their relationship fits into their regular life, before deciding whether to get married or break up.
When Netflix recruited Matt Willis, a member of the English pop-punk band Busted, and Emma Willis, host of the UK versions of "The Voice," "Big Brother," and "The Circle," they said they were already massive fans of the show.
Matt and Emma spoke to BI about what it was like to shoot "Love is Blind: UK," including having special access to the pods while filming in Sweden.
Tom Dymond / Netflix
BI: "Love Is Blind" is such a huge brand. What was your first reaction when Netflix asked you to host the show together?
Emma: My first reaction was "absolutely yes" because we'd watched it and had become obsessed. And then it was panic because it's such a huge show that you're like, "Oh, please let us be as good as all the others."
Matt: But then we watched it, and we're like, "Oh, it's brilliant. So, thank God." It's the best thing to be a part of because we love love.
As big fans of the show, what part were you most excited about seeing?
Matt: I was so excited to see the pods. It's [filmed in] a big hanger and looks incredible.
Emma: I couldn't wait to just get in a room with all of them to chat, be nosy, question them, and find out their motives. The frustrating thing was that we only dip in and out of it, and we just wanted to be there all the time.
Once they were about to go into the pods, [the production team] took us to the gallery, and it was literally a wall full of screens. They said, "Sit down." They put some headphones on us and gave us a little button to flip between pods, and we sat there for maybe two hours. We couldn't pull ourselves away. We had to get on a plane.
Matt: And I was matching everyone in my head and writing them down. This person is going to get with this person. I was wrong about everyone.
Netflix
Were there any couples you were rooting for?
Matt: It's a beautiful show and you kind of just want everyone to fall in love.
Emma: There was maybe one or two that you're like, "How is this gonna go?" That's the beauty of the show. When you think something's not going well, you put them in a different environment, and they thrive.
So the pods make them react a certain way, and then you get them on a beach. They act a different way, and then you take them back to the reality of home and real life, family, work, and living together, and then that changes the dynamic again. So you really see different phases of a relationship in a really short amount of time.
Some people tune in to "Love Is Blind" for the drama rather than the romance. Would you say the UK season is more or less dramatic than the original show?
Emma: I think it's less dramatic than the US, but the right level of drama.
Matt: It feels very real.
Emma: I feel like it's just pitched perfectly. It's not a show about drama. It's a show about love, but with love comes drama. So I think it's a perfect marriage of drama and love which reflects life.
The first four episodes of "Love Is Blind: UK" are available on Netflix.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.