Exclusive Interview
‘Love Is Blind’ Season 9 Star Blake Anderson Reveals the Real Reason He Left the Show
If we had a nickel for every time that a Love Is Blind Season 9 cast member left the dating experiment before the pods had closed, without telling their pod connections, we’d have two nickels.
During Season 9 of Love Is Blind, Anna Yuan took off without letting either of her dates know that she was exiting the experiment. Moments later, viewers watched as one of her strongest connections, Blake Anderson, chose to leave as well. While neither contestant gave a lot of insight into why they chose to leave the experiment, Blake told production, “Last night was a little bit of a wake-up call. I love this experiment, it’s been incredible, but, like, I don’t know if it makes sense to continue.”
Following the premiere of Love Is Blind Season 9 on October 1, Blake sat down with Swooon to reveal the real reason he left the pods and whether he’s spoken with Anna or his other connection, Megan Walerius, since.
Netflix
Why did Blake choose to leave Love Is Blind?
According to Blake, he chose to leave Love Is Blind early because he did not think he would be able to propose before the end of the “condensed timeline.” Before Blake left, he told production that it didn’t make sense for him to continue. After the season premiere, he told Swooon, “I think everyone in the cast, and certainly, I’m part of that crew, you go into this experiment and know the odds are probably not in your favor.” Looking back to other seasons, he shared, “We’ve seen the experiment work in the past, and that’s why we’ve all signed up, but you know the odds are low.”
While he went into the experiment hoping for the best, Blake revealed, “You start dating, you start having fun, you get optimistic, you’re like ‘Okay, maybe this will work for me.'” He continued, “But I think that condensed timeline was always in the back of my mind. And I think sometimes, to a fault, I’m a bit of a practical thinker, and I think as the experiment went on day-by-day, I started doing the math in my head, and I thought a proposal [was] probably not in the cards for me, for any of my connections.” Ultimately, he landed on the decision to leave because, as he put it, “The best thing for me at the time was to remove myself from the experiment.”
Did production encourage contestants to leave during Love Is Blind Season 9?
During the episode, viewers watched as Blake told a member of production that he wanted to leave. In response, she told him, “You’ve got to follow your heart with this. It’s your journey. You can walk out. Whatever you want, you know what I mean?”
According to Blake, production is very encouraging when it comes to each person’s individual journey. He revealed to Swooon, “It’s communicated throughout the experiment, and it should be, if you’re not working here, working towards a proposal, then you probably shouldn’t be here. For that reason, he “truly thought he was doing the right thing at the time.”
Are Blake and Anna together?
Seeing as Blake left the day after his strong connection, Anna, fans have been quick to wonder if Blake and Anna caught up outside of the pods, perhaps venturing on a slower timeline than the experiment’s ten-day engagement window.
However, it looks like Blake and Anna are just friends. He told Swooon, “I’ve connected with both [Anna and Megan]. They’re both great.” He continued to compliment the whole cast, stating, “I think the cast as a whole, I think folks have kept in touch with one another. Especially as we draw near to the premiere, I think folks are kind of reconnecting, and I think that’s really fun.”
Do you think Blake will return later in the season? Sound off in the comments below with your Love Is Blind Season 9 hot takes, and be sure to check out our weekly round-up of where each couple stands.
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Episodes 1-6, Streaming Now, Netflix
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Episodes 7-9, October 8, Netflix
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Episodes 10-11, October 15, Netflix
Love Is Blind, Season 9, Episode 12, October 22, Netflix
