When it comes to Love Is Blind, there are multiple factors that contribute to a couple's success in the pods, but one of them is not appearances.
So when host Vanessa Lachey was asked why fuller-figured contestants don't make it past the first phase of dating, she gave her best guess. "Their whole life they've been so insecure about being themselves because of this crazy swipe generation that we are in and this catfishing world that we're in," she told Insider, "that they're so afraid to be themselves."
But season two contestant Danielle Ruhl told E! News through email that Vanessa's comments aren't entirely accurate. Danielle, who shared her experience with body dysmorphia on the show, said, "There were certainly more confident women than myself who participated in this experience, regardless of body type."
Even so, Danielle found love with Nick Thompson, who she married at the end of season two.
As for the rest of the contestants, Danielle said she wouldn't describe them as insecure or anxious about finding a partner. "I can attest that many individuals with different body types, etc. were confident, enthusiastic and optimistic about finding love," she explained. "Weight doesn't and shouldn't define someone's confidence and after getting to know each woman, their confidence all shined and I admired them for it."
Danielle pointed out that relationships are based on mutual feelings, and people may not want to pursue a relationship outside the pods. "There were women who had developed feelings for men on the other side of the wall," she shared. "However, it is also dependent on how the men are connecting with everyone as well."
At the end of the day, Danielle doesn't hold Vanessa's remarks against her as the host was just sharing an opinion. She added, "The hosts had minimal interaction or involvement during our time in the pods so her comment could have been an assumption or something she heard from other team members."
Despite not spending a lot of time together during filming, Danielle saw the host's true colors further down the line, saying, "After getting to know Vanessa on a personal level, I can say that she genuinely cares about the cast."
And no one can say that Vanessa doesn't go to bat for the contestants. In the season two reunion, she called out Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee after he said that "love is not purely blind" and he couldn't form a deeper connection with someone if they aren't sexually attractive.
In response, the host told him that he was on the wrong reality show and called on him to "do better," to which we say, "Amen!"
Love Is Blind is streaming now on Netflix.