Nick Thompson of Netflix reality dating show “Love is Blind” has revealed that he could soon face homelessness, and he says the streaming giant is partially to blame.
The show “ruined” his life “completely,” the 38-year-old told the Daily Mail.
USA TODAY has reached out to Netflix for comment.
On season two of “Love is Blind,” Thompson married Danielle Ruhl despite a slew of disagreements that followed the love they grew in the show’s infamous pods. Ruhl moved to file for divorce in August of last year, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
Thompson, who has spoken publicly in the past about his issues with the show, called out the reality program for pay issues. He said he made $10,000 for the 10 weeks that the show was filmed, with no residuals.
“When you think about the amount of money that’s being made, and the way that it’s the path for future seasons, and the fact that anyone can go on and watch me… and I’m going to be homeless,” he said.
“I lost my job last November,” he said, noting he’s had trouble finding a new one.
He added that he “burned through my savings that cashed out my 401(k). I’ve got two months left in the bank to pay my mortgage. I can’t get a job because people don’t take me seriously.”
Thompson said he was a vice president in software for five years. “So it’s not like I don’t have track record of experience or success,” he told the Daily Mail.
Since the show aired, Thompson has been involved with the launch of the Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network, which aims to provide legal and mental health support to reality television cast members.
He claimed the conditions of being on the show were less than ideal.
“You are filming 18 to 20 hours a day,” he said.
“Then when you go home at the end of the day, you’re locked in your hotel room without a key without your wallet without money without identification,” Thompson continued.
“You literally are held captive like a prisoner and there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t be considered an employee when you’re technically under the control of your employer for 24 hours a day,” he said.
The hit reality dating show “Love is Blind” plays on the popular adage, exploring whether it’s truly what’s on the inside that makes a marriage work. Separated by a wall and unable to see their potential mates, contestants speed date for less than a month to find their perfect match. A select few then leave the “pods” engaged, take a honeymoon-style trip, and move in together before heading to the altar.
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“I wish I could just go back to having a nice life that I had built for myself, instead of wondering whether my mortgage is gonna get paid,” Thompson said. “It’s a brutal, brutal, brutal industry.”
Contributing: Anna Kaufman
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