Love Is Blind Season 9: Inside Anna and Blake’s unplanned exits and the stories they left behind

Love Is Blind Season 9 premiered on October 1, 2025, continuing Netflix’s experiment of pairing singles sight unseen inside the pods.

This season introduced viewers to Denver-based men and women hoping to form connections and proposals before meeting face-to-face.

Early on, a surprising moment shaped the season’s tone when Anna, one of the women with multiple connections, left the pods without telling her dates. Her strongest link, Patrick, walked in expecting another conversation and instead discovered she was gone.

A producer later informed Blake, another of Anna’s connections, about her departure. Soon after, Megan W’s date with Blake was also disrupted when he failed to appear.

In interviews for Tudum, both Anna and Blake spoke openly about the reasons for their departures. Anna said,

“I went in there thinking that anything could happen … I’d be OK if I didn’t find somebody because it’s such a wild thing.”

Blake shared a similar sentiment:

“Worst-case scenario, you have the opportunity to go through a really wild, kind of weird, unique experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

Their decisions raised questions among other cast members and highlighted the emotional weight of taking part in the show.

Anna explains why she left the pods without a goodbye and how family pressures shaped her decision in Love Is Blind

Anna told Tudum that while her “biggest goal” was to meet a future partner, she entered the pods understanding that she might not. Initially, she was drawn to Blake’s calm voice and sense of humor, but she also found herself connecting with Patrick.

She recalled early conversations with Patrick as “bro-y” because the first thing she heard him say was,

“Let’s send it, boys,” but they later discovered common ground as “both children of immigrants,” which led to discussions about childhood and family expectations.

These conversations felt special, but also began to feel overwhelming.

“I started seeing myself being pretty vulnerable, and it scared me a little bit,” she said.

Anna worried about how her parents, who were unfamiliar with reality television and Love Is Blind, would perceive her participation.

“With my parents being immigrants and having a language barrier, I’ve always naturally been their helper,” she explained, adding that when she told them she was going on the show without a phone, “they were like, ‘Are you being kidnapped?’ ”

Eventually, feeling exhausted and guilty for taking the spot of someone who could have found love, she left without going back into the pod to inform Patrick. She now says she wishes she had said goodbye, but believes she made the best decision at the time.

Blake reflects on his own exit from, his bond with Anna, and why he regrets not warning Megan in Love Is Blind

Blake told Tudum that when he found out Anna had left, he was concerned for her but not upset.

“At that point in the experiment, Anna and I hadn’t talked about a proposal or an engagement,” he said. “We certainly had a good bond and friendship … I’m proud of her for doing that.”

Like Anna, Blake realized the experiment wasn’t leading to a proposal for him.

“Sometimes I’m practical to a fault, and as the days ticked on, I just realized that a proposal wasn’t in the cards for me,” he explained.

Though his departure came soon after Anna’s, he emphasized that it was not influenced by her decision. What he does regret is how his exit affected Megan W, who had been his top match at the time. Blake admitted that telling Megan he was leaving “wasn’t even on his radar,” which he now feels “horrible” about.

“In the moment, I think I was almost exclusively concerned with where my head was at … I really thought I was doing the right thing,” he said.

Stay tuned for more updates.