Is it a live special if it isn’t actually live?
On Sunday evening, Netflix users tuned into the live reunion special of the Love is Blind dating reality show, only to see a waiting room screen long after the show’s scheduled start time. The show eventually started over an hour behind schedule, with some users still reporting technical issues trying to watch the show.
Ninety minutes after the live special’s scheduled start time, the streaming service tweeted an apology to “everyone who stayed up late, woke up early [and] gave up their Sunday afternoon,” pledging to have the recording on its platform “as soon as humanly possible.”
To everyone who stayed up late, woke up early, gave up their Sunday afternoon… we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as we had planned. We're filming it now and we'll have it on Netflix as soon as humanly possible. Again, thank you and…
— Netflix (@netflix) April 17, 2023
The streaming service is trying to break into live programming to compete with its rivals, including a multiyear deal to stream the Screen Actors Guild awards show starting in 2024. Netflix’s first live streamed event—a stand-up special from comedian Chris Rock—aired last month, seemingly without a hitch.
Social media users made jokes about the unexpected hour-long delay Sunday night, chiding Netflix for the snafu despite its higher prices and crackdown on password sharing.
we deserve to all share the same password after this #LoveIsBlindLIVE #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/wClMHJO0ro
— T (@trinawatters) April 17, 2023
Even Netflix got in on the fun, retweeting a joke from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D—N.Y.) saying that “Lucia the seamstress”—who helped save a wedding between two contestants in a previous episode—could help solve the delay.
Someone call Lucia the seamstress to fix this. I believe in her
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 17, 2023
Love is Blind, now in its fourth season, features contestants who decide whether to get engaged to other participants without meeting in-person. The “reunion special,” a standby of reality shows, would have brought back contestants to reflect on the show and how their lives have changed since production wrapped.
When the special finally appeared online Sunday, viewers had to put up with the streaming version of a tape delay. “We are no longer live, but we are now finally here,” said co-host Vanessa Lachey.
