Chris Coelen explains how unpredictability shapes Love Is Blind season 9
Engagements and early departures in the pods
The first batch of Love Is Blind Season 9 featured six engagements: Ali and Anton, Madison and Joe, Annie and Nick, Megan and Jordan, Kalybriah and Edmond and Kacie and Patrick. Of these, five couples continued to the post-pods vacation, while Kacie exited shortly after meeting Patrick in person.
Coelen explained that production does not intervene when contestants decide to leave, including those who depart during the pod stage. Referring to early exits by Anna Yuan and Blake Anderson, he said,
“If people fall in love, it’s amazing. If people decide it’s not for them, they want to leave for whatever reason, then they do, and we follow that story.”
Addressing instances of contestants abruptly ending communication, Coelen said that it is not "typical" for participants to disappear or stop responding, but if they choose to do so, it is entirely up to them.
The production team continues to document events as they happen without altering the process to accommodate such departures.
The Kacie and Patrick situation
One of the more discussed moments of the season involved Kacie and Patrick’s breakup, which occurred immediately after their first meeting.
During their conversation, Kacie expressed uncertainty about continuing their relationship, telling Patrick she could not proceed. Patrick initially believed she was referring to the trip, but she clarified that she meant the relationship itself.
She later explained to Tudum that her intention was not to end communication entirely, saying she wanted to continue seeing Patrick, go on dates, and understand their connection on a more physical level to determine if it was “really real.”
In response to the situation, Coelen did not give a personal interpretation of Kacie’s actions. He said that it was a question for her to answer regarding her thoughts and that viewers would form "their own conclusions" based on what they saw during those moments.
He added that while there were visible emotions, the dynamics between the two were complex:
“I think there’s probably a lot of feelings that are there… maybe not being able to really come to terms with that in a way that is up front.”
Conversations in the pods
Season 9 also featured numerous in-depth discussions among participants, covering topics related to family and social values. Coelen cited the example of Annie and Nick, who discussed how they would approach raising a child who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
When asked whether producers encourage such conversations, Coelen clarified that participants freely choose what to discuss during filming. He explained that it is "whatever they want to talk about," noting that contestants engage in a wide range of topics over ten days, with hours of continuous conversation.
According to him, the production team’s task is to determine which exchanges best represent each person’s story.
“As producers, the fun part of what we do is to try to figure out what the things are that really represent people’s stories in terms of what feels relevant to them in any particular journey that they’re on.”
Stay tuned for more updates.