The 'Love Is Blind' cast member claims the contestants were denied water and food on the show

The lawsuit claims contestants "were encouraged to consume alcohol throughout the day" without sufficient food and water for "moderated drunkenness."A new lawsuit alleges that Netflix's hit reality TV show was filmed in an unhealthy environment where contestants were deprived of adequate food and water. The proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of Love Is Blind participants and those on similar reality shows alleges Jeremy Hartwell suffered several labor cases of abuse while filming the show, which stars couples only able to see each other after getting engaged.

Hartwell said that appearing on the show left him sleep-deprived, socially isolated, and mentally drained. The things I often heard myself say were contrary to my current thoughts. Afterward, I felt and looked like a zombie."The Chicago-based mortgage industry veteran wasn't featured on the show's second season but was filmed in 2021. As part of the lawsuit, he alleges the 30 cast members were isolated from the outside world, deprived of water, and forced to work 20-hour days. The show ultimately ended up not including Hartwell because he failed to get engaged and make the final cut.

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During the production, defendants were only provided with alcohol, soft drinks, energy drinks, and mixers for use by the cast regularly. Water along with other hydration drinks was strictly prohibited during the day for the cast members," the lawsuit states. Inhumane working conditions and altered mental states were caused by sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food, and excessive alcohol consumption. Netflix and Kinetic Content did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit. Delirium TV was also sued but did not respond to requests for comment. There was no response from Delirium TV.

This Emmy-nominated series premieres in 2020. Each contestant meets his or her future life partner in a separate pod before meeting face-to-face. In the end, it either ends in a televised marriage or a public split after a two-week journey. Since the workers are classified as independent contractors, the long days, isolation, and minimal pay compound the difficulties of the experience. While contestants worked seven days straight during production, producers paid them $1,000 per week. As Hartwell's attorney, Chantal Payton told The Daily Beast, reality shows exploit their performers by misclassifying them as independent contractors.

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A lawsuit alleges the show isolated cast members from family and friends and required them to provide all forms of identification, wallets, phones, cash, and credit and debit cards to producers to avoid leaving.“The defendants also prohibited any Cast members from holding the keys to their hotel rooms to coerce them to comply with this instruction,” the lawsuit states. While on set, including at the hotel, the producers "regularly refused timely food and water to the cast."Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that the hotel staff was instructed not to provide food to any cast member who asked for food due to hunger because they had been on set for several hours."

“The defendants' intake of alcohol was encouraged throughout the day, and they were provided with unlimited amounts of alcohol without any meaningful or regular access to food or water to reduce their inevitable drunkenness,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that the defendants were afraid to leave before filming was over since they were told they would be required to pay $50,000 in liquidated damages if they attempted to breach their contracts.“The fact that some of the cast members were earning 50 times as much during the entire production certainly had the chance to instill fear in the cast which would allow production to exert even more control,” Payton added.