All the 'Love Is Blind' cast members who stirred the pot, so far

Jessica Batten was among the most criticized contestants when the show aired in February 2020.

Batten, Amber Pike, Matthew Barnett, and Mark Cuevas fell into a love square in the pods. Barnett was forming relationships with Pike and Batten, who also talked to Cuevas. 

When Barnett floated the idea of proposing to Batten, she decided to stop pursuing Cuevas, but Barnett pulled a U-turn on the proposal the following day. As a result, Batten attempted to warn Pike about Barnet — saying he's a "fuckboy" — but Pike stood firm that Barnett was her endgame.

Barnett proposed to Pike, and Cuevas proposed to Batten, but the four continued to bump heads during their trip to Mexico. Batten admitted on camera that she lacked physical attraction for Cuevas, who was 10 years younger than her and was still attracted to Barnett. Pike expressed annoyance at Batten's behavior toward Barnett, leading the two women to clash at their bachelorette party. 

Ultimately, Pike and Barnett tied the knot while Batten and Cuevas split. 

Batten told ET in July 2021 that she tried to make amends with Pike and Barnett while reuniting for "Love Is Blind: After the Altar," but it fell flat. She said she attempted to give the couple a gift, which they refused.

"Probably the most awkward moment of my entire life. I'm just standing there, holding out this bag, and [Barnett] just wouldn't grab the bag. It was quite embarrassing," Batten said. 

As Newsweek reported in March 2020, fans criticized Barnett for being indecisive, but the hate lobbed at Batten was much louder. She told Refinery29 the backlash was "really rough" in an interview that same month. 

"My dad's actually on Instagram, which is the worst part. I am 35 years old. I don't really care about people on social media, but someone told me to go kill myself and my dad saw. It's the worst part," she told the outlet. 

It's not unusual for couples to stumble on "Love Is Blind," but Damien Powers' decision to bring an unexpected guest to the reunion special shocked fans, contestants, and even Netflix. 

He and Giannina Gibelli got engaged after bonding in the pods, but disagreements caused cracks in their relationship. Although they made it to the wedding, the couple didn't get married at the end of the season, as Powers said no despite Gibelli saying yes.

The pair dated on and off before appearing on "Love Is Blind: After the Altar," but Gibelli told Insider in August 2021 that they broke up after an incident at the anniversary party. Gibelli told Insider that although she and Powers weren't officially dating, they were "still being boyfriend-girlfriend" and "constantly communicating" leading up to the reunion. 

Powers arrived at the "After the Altar" event with Francesca Farago — a contestant on Netflix's "Too Hot Too Handle" and "Perfect Match" — without telling Gibelli, prompting Gibelli to confront the pair and question her relationship with Powers. 

"After that party, I just knew there's nothing I can do anymore," Gibelli told Insider in the same interview. "I was just so turned off." 

The move shocked fans and prompted Netflix's official X account to call Powers "messy as hell."  

Gibelli told Insider that she and Powers had a "drawn-out" breakup, but she's since moved on. 

One of the most controversial contestants on "Love Is Blind" was Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee, whose approach didn't land with fans. During season two in February 2022, fans watched Chatterjee try to determine his female contestants' body sizes by asking workaround questions, which goes against the experiment's premise. 

At one point, he asked Deepti Vempati, who he later became engaged to on the show, "Will I have trouble picking you up?"

He later admitted he wasn't physically attracted to her despite discussing marriage and children. Chatterjee compared Vempati to an aunt at least twice and even told his mother he doesn't have "animalistic attraction" — which prompted his mother to defend Vempati. 

"Being really frank, I'm very much identifying with her right now more than you," she tells him. "She could find someone who absolutely loves her the way she is, and she's a wonderful person. She doesn't deserve someone who gives her even half a percent less."

Vempati remained steadfast by Chatterjee's side but later decided against marrying him. The majority of fans rallied around Vempati and criticized Chatterjee over his behavior toward Vempati and other female contestants. 

Amid the backlash, Chatterjee told his Instagram fans in March 2022 that there were "certain things" he wanted to improve about himself but wasn't remorseful for his behavior on "Love Is Blind." 

"One thing I don't feel inclined to do is to pretend I'm sad or sorry about certain things — certain things that were out of my control, certain things that I can't necessarily even speak about," he said. 

Shaina Hurley was involved in a love triangle with Shayne Jansen and Natalie Lee during her time on the show. Jansen formed a relationship with both women in the pods but eventually proposed to Lee. 

Tensions continued between the trio, with Hurley calling Jansen's relationship with Lee "fake" at one point. 

In the end, no one said, "I do." Jansen and Lee later broke up, while Hurley ended her engagement to Kyle Abrams. Her relationship with Abrams went awry due to religious differences and her continuing interest in Jansen. 

Following the season, fans criticized Hurley's comments and behavior online, prompting her to address the online hate in an interview with E! News in March 2022. 

"I was very shocked on how people are so quick to judge and give their opinion," she told the outlet. "I understand that you become invested in something, but they have to understand that they're not seeing the full picture. So I was kind of shocked with how hateful some of the comments could be." 

SK Alagbada and fellow contestant Raven Ross connected in the pods when season three premiered in October 2022, but the drama surrounding their relationship bled into the reunion special.

After getting engaged in the pods and making it to the altar, Alagbada shocked fans after refusing to marry Ross, leaving her visibly upset. 

It seemed Alagbada and Ross reconciled in time for the season three reunion, but they announced their split on Instagram after the episode aired. At the time, accusations claiming Alagbada was cheating on Ross surfaced online. When the "After the Altar" special premiered, fans learned the couple got re-engaged, but that was before the allegations became public. 

"My world is completely different because SK cheated on me, and now our relationship is over," Ross said in a confessional. "It's so crazy to watch it back and remember my feelings then. I was so happy."

Alagbada acknowledged the cheating allegations in February 2023, telling People: "I do want to deeply express my sincere apology to Raven for the hurt and embarrassment that I caused her. I'm not proud of how I conducted myself. I conducted myself in a way that's making me take a step back and reflect."

Bartise Bowden called himself the "Love Is Blind" villain during an Instagram Q&A in November 2022. Fans also referred to Bowden as the season three antagonist for his fallout with Nancy Rodriguez.

Bowden and Rodriguez got engaged in the pods, but their relationship sputtered when they came face-to-face. At one point, he admitted to Rodriguez that he found Raven Ross, who paired with Sikiru "SK" Alagbada, attractive. Bowden and Rodriquez also disagreed on topics like abortion. 

Tensions came to a head when Bowden and Rodriguez prepared to get married, but Bowden backed out at the last minute. When Bowden refused to marry Rodriguez, her family lashed out at Bowden, and it devolved into a very strained conversation. 

Bowden admitted feeling "embarrassed" and "ashamed" of his behavior in a November 2022 interview with People. 

"I love my journey with Nancy because, especially watching it back and watching myself, kind of feeling embarrassed to have watched myself say some of the stuff that I said and ashamed of myself," he told the outlet. "I like that journey because I'm able to learn from it and grow from it."

Fans had lots of opinions about Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett during season three.

Jaffrey and Barnett got engaged in the pods, but tensions flared when they entered the real world, and their emotional connection faltered. Jaffrey eventually broke things off with Barnett at the altar.

"You have disrespected me, you have insulted me, you have critiqued me, and for what it is worth, you have single-handedly shattered my self-confidence," she told Barnett on their wedding day. 

But one of the most talked-about moments in "Love Is Blind" lore is "Cuties-gate." During the reunion episode, Jaffrey claimed that Barnett tried to control what she ate during filming, which he denied.

"I stopped eating. I was eating a banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter just so I wouldn't pass out on the long days we were filming," she said. 

Jaffrey said the incident occurred during a long day of filming when she grabbed two clementines to munch on. She said Barnett "looked at me, and he goes, 'Are you going to eat both of those?'" before suggesting she save her appetite for dinner. 

Netflix aired the footage at the end of the reunion episode, which showed Barnett making those comments and offering Zanab a Poké bowl after learning she hadn't eaten that day.

The moment divided fans online. While some criticized Barnett over his comments, others suggested Jaffrey exaggerated the interaction to paint Barnett in a bad light. 

Barnett told Entertainment Weekly in November 2022 that the reunion was the first time he heard Jaffrey's concerns. Jaffrey appeared to defend herself in a now-deleted Instagram post in November 2022.

"I'm sorry we don't have the same triggers. I'm sorry me standing up for myself, offended you so greatly," she wrote. 

Fans called Irina Solomonova and Micah Lussier "mean girls" during season 4, which premiered in March 2023.

During the pods, Lussier and fellow contestant Amber Wilder pursued Paul Peden, but Peden eventually broke things off with Wilder. When Wilder returned to the women's common room, Solomonova and Lussier eavesdropped on Wilder while she cried. 

Meanwhile, Solomonova and Bliss Poureetezadi were interested in Zack Goytowski, whom Poureetezadi baked cupcakes for ahead of his birthday. Solomonova admitted she forgot about Goytowski's birthday, prompting an awkward encounter between the women when Solomonova asked Poureetezadi if she could use a birthday candle as a makeshift gift. 

Solomonova got engaged to Goytowski but discovered they didn't really have a connection and later broke up. The couple's lack of chemistry led Solomonova to flirt with Paul Peden, her friend Lussier's fiancé. 

Solomonova told Entertainment Weekly in March that flirting with Lussier's match was her biggest regret of the show. 

Like Solomonova, fans also called out Micah Lussier for her behavior on "Love Is Blind."

Aside from spying on Amber Wilder, Lussier became embroiled in a love triangle with Kwame Appiah and Chelsea Griffin despite being engaged to Paul Peden.

Although Appiah initially chose Lussier in the pods, Lussier pursued a relationship with Peden, prompting Appiah to propose to Griffin. 

But Appiah and Lussier's chemistry continued even after they got engaged to other people. At one point, fans suggested that Lussier flirted with Appiah at a pool party. 

Lussier apologized for the interaction in a March 2023 interview with People, saying the conversation was misinterpreted. 

"I think the way that I interact with people could come off as flirty, which I totally understand, but in reality, that's how I am, that's how I act," she told the outlet. "I want to stay genuine to who I am. I'm not going to put on a show and be stiff, I was myself."

She added: "The only regret I would have is causing anyone else pain or causing their relationship issues. That's something that I would regret and hope that it didn't cause any issues."

Jacqueline "Jackie" Bonds expressed interest in both Marshall Glaze and Josh Demas in the pods but chose to pursue her connection with Glaze. However, they eventually broke up. 

One disagreement that struck fans aired in episode eight when Glaze said he left their shared apartment after Bonds told him to "boss up" and be more "aggressive" sexually.

"The way that she made me feel in that moment when she said that — I wasn't a man. That hurts, because I truly, genuinely do love this girl," Glaze said in a confessional. 

Bonds attempted to leave the apartment, sparking another fight where she addressed her comments toward Glaze. 

"I never said you weren't man enough for me, I just said to be more aggressive. We don't have sex, bro!" she said. 

Fans took fault with Bonds' reasoning and footage that appeared to show her going on a date with Demas instead of attending her wedding dress fitting. Bonds also received backlash after leaked text messages disparaging Glaze went viral on TikTok. She apologized for the text messages and her behavior in April 2023. 

"I would also like to apologize and take accountability for my disparaging remarks as well in those leaked text messages," she wrote, adding that the comments were "tasteless and disrespectful."

"Love is Blind" season five just kicked off, but a bombshell revelation has already blindsided two contestants, Aaliyah Cosby and Milton Johnson. While mingling in the pods, Cosby began a relationship with Uche Okoroha and befriended Lydia Velez Gonzalez, who found romance with Johnson. 

But in episode three, Okoroha revealed to Cosby that he dated Gonzalez before appearing on "Love is Blind." A flashback scene during their first date in the pods shows Okoroha and Gonzalez's discussion after realizing they knew each other. At the time, Gonzalez suggested they continue dating in the pods, but Okoroha declined, explaining that their  "Love is Blind" would be inauthentic. Instead, the pair decided to keep their past romance a secret. 

The news shocked Cosby, who said she needed to sort out her feelings and discuss the revelation with Gonzalez. 

Gonzalez explained that she and Okoroha began dating in 2020 but broke up before appearing on the show. The women hugged it out, but tension lingered because Gonzalez kept sharing personal details about Okoroha, including that they slept together three months before filming.

Cosby later expressed her apprehension with Okoroha, but they decided to continue their relationship after a tense conversation. However, as Okoroha prepared to propose to Cosby, he discovered she left the series in a surprise twist. 

Outside of the ex issue, some fans suggested Okoroha was too critical toward Cosby after learning she cheated on a previous partner. 

Meanwhile, Gonzalez eventually told Johnson about her relationship with Uche. Johnson said he needed time to process the news, leaving Gonzalez in tears, but he ultimately proposed to her.