EXCLUSIVE: ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 9 Stars Reveal What It’s Really Like Dating in the Pods: ‘I Cried Almost Every Day’

Contestants on “Love Is Blind” spend a significant amount of time getting to know potential significant others from inside separate, small rooms the hit Netflix dating series refers to as “the pods.”

As is the case on every premiere episode, contestants first enter their physically isolated quarters after married show cohosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey deliver the series’ iconic catchphrase, “The pods are now open," which kick-starts the season's quest for love.

The pods have become a trademark of the hit dating series—but their design is also a key component of the show, which seeks to discover whether couples can develop a deep enough emotional relationship to get engaged without first seeing one another in person.

Throughout the first 10 days of filming, the men and women reside in separate living quarters, and only engage with members of the opposite sex while in the pods. And even then, it's only through conversation.

Netflix creators have previously shared that each of the 20 pods are only about 144 square feet and are mostly soundproof. A glowing wall flanked by two speakers creates a focal point for the singles to direct their attention while conversing on blind dates that take place during the first 10 days of filming.

By keeping participants visually hidden from each other and only allowing their voices to travel between the spaces, potential romantic matches could prove that indeed, love is blind.

Ahead of today's Season 9 premiere, a handful of the reality show’s Denver-based contestants have revealed to Realtor.com® what it’s really like opening up to one another from inside the iconic closed-off rooms, as well as the creative ways they passed the time when cabin fever kicked in.

UX/UI designer Madison Maidenberg, 28, was familiar with the pods as a fan of the show before becoming one of the 32 contestants this season, and says she was pleased to see the pods were as "cozy" as she had hoped.

“I was a ‘Love Is Blind’ fan from Day 1 and honestly, the pods were exactly what I expected,” she says. 

Interior design details from previous seasons also make for a recognizable setting: A curved cream couch covered with plush throw pillows anchors the rounded room, which is bathed in warm light that bounces off layered wall panels, some of which are adorned with art deco details.

Two small accent tables provide space for beverages, a table lamp, and decorative accessories. A shaggy red runner sits atop wood-toned flooring, while the pod’s ceiling boasts a sunrooflike window, where cameras can capture the action inside from above.

“The atmosphere is absolutely so cozy,” explains Maidenberg. “Every surface has a nice style [and] texture; it's like velvets and kind of sexy lighting.

"I loved laying down on the couch and looking up to the glass panels because it feels so, like, dream worldly. It just feels like a little, warm, cozy, hug, like you're on the phone with your best friend.”

Nurse Ali Lima, 29, felt the same way, and likened the intimate pod experience to a simpler time in life.

“The pods were surprisingly comfortable, like we were on the phone, like, back in the 2000s, just chit-chatting away with our friends,” says Lima. “We had our blankies in there with us. We took our little drinkies and our snacks, so it was a very enjoyable experience.”

While the pods are a decidedly unconventional location for a date, accountant Blake Anderson, 34, credits their disarming nature for fostering a safe environment where he could really let his guard down.

“Going into it I assumed it would be very difficult to get to that level of vulnerability that's needed to create a connection in that condensed of a timeline,” says Anderson.

"But the pods, they're designed intentionally to kind of wipe away all of that, and I found it pretty easy and comfortable to open up. I found the pod portion to be the most comfortable portion of the experiment.”

As the weekslong dating process on the show goes, contestants initially get to know each other over 10 days of conversation in the pods. The first round of speed dates are limited to 15 minutes, but after potential romantic connections are made, dates can progress to lasting hours. 

Service Manager Jordan Keltner, 30, reports many of this season’s contestants made the most of their time apart in the pods.

“Your standard date is during the day, and then they also give you the option to date more at night, so it's kind of up to you how much you want to spend in there,” explains Keltner. “For the most part, the cast wanted to spend as much time going through this process as possible, so we all did as many night dates as possible. We spent a lot of time in there.”

For her part, Maidenberg “never felt cabin fever” inside the pods, but admits she “did planks in the pods with a couple of dates” when she got the urge to shake things up.

Meanwhile, several other contestants reported fatigue would sometimes set in following their marathon dating sessions. When Lima needed a break, she’d excuse herself from the pod and expect her date to understand.

“I definitely had a moment where I was like, ‘I am tired. I've been talking all day and dating all day,’” she says. “I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I'm going home. I don't want to date tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise.’”

Social worker Kalybriah “KB” Haskin, 29, acknowledges that she, too, “would get a little tired,” though part of the problem was that she’d “wake up in the middle of the night” to write down questions she wanted to remember to ask her date the next day.

“I am a certified yapper—I can talk,” says Haskin. “Outside of us just having our natural, normal conversation, I'm like, ‘Hey, I thought about this: How [would] you react if I lost my arm? Will you still love me?’”

A notebook and pen to record those sort of questions and other personal thoughts are some of the only items contestants are allowed to bring with them to the pods. Limiting the number of physical distractions, once again, was by design.

Lima and her match used the notebooks to exchange drawings of “what we thought the other person would look like,” while Keltner shared that he “played tic-tac-toe” and wrote notes.

“It is very intentional,” adds Keltner. “They want you to think about what you're doing. The whole point is to be present. You don't want to be sitting there reading magazines.

"I mean, some of the date nights, there [were] games or you would plan stuff out—I think there was a silent disco—but again, the whole point is to be intentional and present.”

While contestants couldn’t yet say whether they found love on the show that led to marriage, they confirm the pod atmosphere achieved what it was designed to do.

“In the pods, oh my gosh, it was so deep,” says Haskin. “I cried almost every day—it was like speed therapy. And the voices and things didn't matter in that moment. You literally went for who made you feel a certain way versus, does this voice or this person sound like they can be attractive? None of that mattered anymore. It was just, like, how do you make me feel when I'm talking to you?”

Clearly, the pods made the participants feel comfortable, though some suggested there’s room for improvement. 

Anderson deemed the couches were in fact “very comfortable,” before adding that because he is “a little bit taller, it would be nice if they were a little bit longer so you can kind of spread out on them to relax a little bit.”

Maidenberg had even more customization on her mind, particularly for the room’s color palette. 

“I would love a pink wall,” she says, “I would love to be able to customize the wall, because in the morning, I would want more of a bright white, and then at night more of a sexy red. 

“Then in general, if I could customize it based on our mood, or customize it for the guy so they can, like, feel our vibes, I think that'd be fun.” 

Both Lima and Haskin presented a practical upgrade to the pods’ furnishings. 

“Maybe some exercise equipment in there, like, some dumbbells, [a] trampoline,” recommends Lima. “I got antsy sometimes, you know?”

“I like that idea because some of us like to work out,” adds Haskin. “We’re like, ‘Pick that 50 pounds up. Do a squat. Do you really work out?’”

Whether any of the show’s relationships work out remains to be seen, but it appears the unique atmosphere truly helps the paired-up contestants feel like two peas in, well, a pod.

Season 9 of “Love Is Blind” premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1 on Netflix.