Love Is Blind is finally addressing its Shake problem.
Season two of the Netflix reality dating show was not short on drama, but it was one particular cast member that enraged fans the most: Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee. The veterinarian-turned-DJ rubbed many viewers the wrong way with the way he treated former fiancée Deepti Vempati.
Now, the show's creator Chris Coelen is defending his participation and the Love Is Blind casting process.
"Listen, we vet people coming into the show. It's not an infallible process. I'm not unhappy that Shake made it onto the show," Coelen told The Hollywood Reporter. "The intention is that you invite into the pods people who go through a pretty rigorous process to be chosen, and they have a stated intention of being serious about finding someone."
The way Shake and Deepti's relationship played out was uncomfortable to watch, but Coelen said he wouldn't have changed a thing.
"Am I unhappy about it? No, I'm not unhappy about it," Coelen continued. "I'm certainly unhappy that Deepti didn't get the happy ending that she wanted there, but I think even talking to Deepti after the fact, she has felt she has grown tremendously through this experience as a person, and I'm really happy about that. I'm happy for her. I'm hoping that Shake will feel the same way at some point, if he doesn't already."
As for how somebody so polarizing could end up on the show, Coelen argues that the show is merely an accurate depiction of society.
"We certainly vet people, and we do psychological testing—we do background checks and all of that—but we want to invite a broad array of people into the pods," he suggested. "Let's say I thought that somebody was a jerk and a chauvinist. I am not making the decision. If you look at Shake and Deepti, Deepti chose Shake—I didn't choose Shake for her. She chose him, and in that way, it's very reflective of the real world."
Controversy aside, the Love Is Blind machine just keeps on chugging.
The third season of the show has already been filmed and will air later in 2022. Oh, and earlier this month, Netflix renewed Love Is Blind for seasons four and five, as well.
With so much Love Is Blind matchmaking on the horizon, we know it won't always be pretty.
We just might be okay not seeing Shake again for a while.