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Love Is Blind Season 7 almost had us all fooled.
After Netflix’s hit dating series rolled out its first batch of episodes earlier this month, viewers quickly picked out the couples they would and wouldn’t be rooting for to say “I do” this season. At the top of the list was Ashley and Tyler, the seemingly drama-free duo who sparked a fairy-tale romance in the pods before they even laid eyes on each other.
All seemed well when the two got engaged, met face-to-face and blissfully whisked off to their honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas. They (mainly Tyler) spoke about their impending nuptials and the idea of starting a family with such optimism that many of us declared them our favorite pair, hoping they’d become the next Brett and Tiffany. So imagine viewers’ shock ahead of Episodes 7 to 9 (which aired on Oct. 9), when the show’s detective fan base discovered that Tyler hid a massive secret from Ashley: his three kids.
During Episode 9 — two weeks before their wedding — Tyler shocked Ashley when he revealed that he fathered “three sperm babies” for a friend but claimed to be “uninvolved” in their lives. However, a few days before his revelation aired on Love Is Blind, a TikTok user posted a storytime video with screenshot receipts alleging that the reality star is an “active father” to his three children, claiming he “scrubbed” them from his Instagram page before filming the show.
The video (and several others posted) also included claims from Tyler’s alleged exes — the same ones he warned Ashley might have negative things to say about him — accusing him of lying about having children while they dated and also of texting another woman while he and Ashley were engaged.
Viewers couldn’t believe such an egregious scandal could surface about the same man who bragged about his goal to marry Ashley and have kids with her on multiple occasions. Until Tyler’s double life was exposed, many believed he and Ashley would become the latest Love Is Blind success story — boy, were we wrong.
According to Tyler, he has “no regrets” about his Love Is Blind experience. Nor would he “really change anything” about his time in the pods. “There’s maybe a couple conversations that could’ve been had at a certain time, who knows?” he told E! News, seemingly alluding to keeping his kids a secret. “I can’t sit back and wish that I could change something… . I’m living in the present.”
It remains to be seen how Ashley feels about the whole ordeal, given Episode 9’s cliffhanger. We’ll likely have to wait for the reunion to get her most up-to-date thoughts on her and Tyler’s relationship and the lies she was told during filming. It’s unfortunate that her partner’s actions soiled what could’ve been a storybook ending for the couple. Add to that another embarrassing moment for Black women on Love Is Blind when the success stories for us on there are already far and few in between (lest we forget what happened to AD last season).
We can’t only side-eye Tyler, though. The Love Is Blind audience also questions the show’s producers for allowing Tyler to sit on such a big secret until nearly the end of the season. It’s similar to how viewers felt betrayed by Season 5’s Uche-Lydia debacle after it was revealed the two dated before joining the show — something producers were “blindsided” by but still kept quiet about initially to not “ruin the experiment.”
It’s a shame that the love in Love Is Blind continues to take a backseat to the scandalous drama, which, while entertaining, detracts from the romance that should be center stage. Because what’s the point of this show if there aren’t enough strong couples left to answer the big question: Is love truly blind?
In Ashley’s case, it seemed so at first because, looking back at Season 7’s early episodes, the red flags were there. In her defense, viewers missed them, too, so we can’t blame her for falling for Tyler’s false promises that he’d never lie to her (which he boldly told her father). As Tyra Banks once said, “We were all rooting for you,” Tyler. It’s a shame that’s no longer a resounding sentiment.
The Love Is Blind court of public opinion has proved to be unforgiving with past seasons’ scandals, and Tyler may be no exception. From here on out, his best bet is to be as honest as possible. Because as we see with every season, if there’s dirt to be found, the Love Is Blind fans will find it.
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