Love Is Blind viewers were rendered utterly speechless after a contestant on the Netherlands spin-off shared outrageous racial preferences for dating.
The reality series sees 30 singles dating each other sight unseen and, if they grow a bond close enough, proposing to one another before finally unveiling themselves in an experiment to see if love truly is blind.
There have been countless global spin-offs, with the Netherlands now joining this number.
However, in the new series, there was one interaction between 32-year-old sous chef Jurriaan – a white man – and 26-year-old functional specialist Mika – a Black woman – which left people with their jaws on the floor.
Earlier on, in an aside to the camera, Mika explained that the blind dating was ‘going really great’ and that she wasn’t ‘saying anything about [her] appearance’ to anyone.
She explained that she was ‘Eritrean’ with African roots, adding that: ‘Because of that, people will sometimes assume things about me that aren’t true.’
While dating in the pods Jurriaan tells Mika that he’s interested in meeting someone ‘based on character’ and that this ‘seemed like a beautiful experiment’.
His charming words soon fall apart, however, during a later date when Mika asks if he has a type that he wouldn’t be ‘into at all’ when he pushes to know her appearance.
Although clearly hesitant, Jurriaan replies: ‘Yeah, um, how should I say this… I wouldn’t, um, I wouldn’t fall for a fully Black woman’.
As they get into it, Mika announces that it ‘shouldn’t matter if [she is] white, Black, green or purple’ but Jurriaan doesn’t come across as fully convinced.
Speaking to the camera, Mika shares: ‘It hits me pretty hard because I’ve been rejected for that in the past, that people might have had a certain prejudice against me, maybe they have a certain idea because I have a different skin colou. That doesn’t work for me’.
Meanwhile, Jurriaan separately reflected: ‘Love can certainly be blind, but I don’t feel very comfortable with all this right now’, although he added that he ‘hoped she wouldn’t pull the plug right away’.
Naturally, the discriminatory comments have left a bad taste in many people’s mouths for their shocking and backwards nature.
‘I’m gonna need these folk, who aren’t open to dating other races, to stay off Love Is Blind,’ NekieNek wrote on X.
‘Maybe they should screen people better,’ poetictannies said.
‘Why are you on the show if race mattered this much ?!?!?’ BonDaShaun added.
‘Then why are you on a show called LOVE IS BLIND,’ TatianaIslands echoed.
What has left fans even more shocked is the fact that Mika and Jurriaan decided to get engaged even after this conversation and give the relationship their best go.
In a conversation down the line, Jurriaan said he had sought counsel from his friends and realised ‘in principle it wasn’t a problem’.
He added that his ‘opinions and feelings’ about her hadn’t changed and praised her ‘beautiful and warm heart’, revealing that he is ‘one-sixth Indonesian’ so he ‘doesn’t consider it a big issue’.
His words may not have convinced fans, but they seem to have won Mika back around.
The show is still airing weekly, so time will tell whether they will make it down the aisle and say ‘I do’.
Love Is Blind Netherlands is available to stream on Netflix.