Could we see more fall foliage, secluded waterfalls and romantic Granite State backdrops on Netflix? The streaming service is scouting out New England as a potential location for its popular reality dating show, “Love is Blind.”
Donna Driscoll, the show’s casting director, said she has always wanted to film a season in an iconic New England city, and she respects the type of person who lives in the Northeast.
“I feel like they’re strong in character, trustworthy, loyal family members,” Driscoll told New Hampshire Public Radio. “Those are a lot of the attributes I’m looking for when casting the show.”
There is an idea that reality television shows welcome influencers and fame seekers. But Driscoll said “Love is Blind” is not interested in those qualities in their cast members — instead, they are looking for people who are ready for mature relationships.
“I mean we have nine couples over the course of the last six seasons, who are still married and together,” Driscoll said. “And two of those couples already started to build their family. We have two ‘Love is Blind’ babies.”
New England is also competing with Miami, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, as the potential setting for the show’s next season. No final decisions have been made yet.
Still, Driscoll said the team behind the show has already heard from good local candidates — and they are looking for more.
While people might think they could never be picked for an opportunity like this, Driscoll said potential contestants will never know unless they audition. She said they are interested in “people from all walks of life, every type of interest and career.”
“We’re wide open,” she said.
Interested candidates can apply online at libcasting.com.
“We like to test the social experiment,” Driscoll said. “And that’s why you see our cast is so varied and different from other relationship or dating shows out there, and you do want to test the theory, ‘Is love blind?’”
One way to stand out in your application, Driscoll said, is to share a clear story about why this is important to you, what hardships you have experienced and what makes you unique. And if you apply sooner rather than later, you could help make the case for New England by proving the region has at least 30 cast members to launch the show.
This story was originally published by New Hampshire Public Radio. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.