Former Love Is Blind Season 2 participant Danielle Ruhl is speaking out about her terrible experience on Netflix and Kinetic Content’s reality series, which took a toll on her mental health.
“When I was experiencing some medical stuff in the pods, there were no doctors. When I was experiencing mental health issues, there were no therapists,” she told ET. “You kind of just had to rely on your producers to make you feel better.”
She also made claims about a lack of support on and off the set, only receiving a single follow-up call after filming wrapped. “There was absolutely no therapist on set. There was absolutely no support after filming, and I will take that to my grave,” she said.
While in Mexico, there was strict access to get food or water, and she was secluded in her hotel room with no television for three days.
“I will say that we didn’t have to go that long without food and water, but it was solely because of the people we lived next to,” she claimed, saying that a couple in the room next to theirs helped sneak them food. “It was solely because of the relationship. We didn’t get anything from production or from the hotel.”
Adam Rose/Netflix
She also said she had to hide in the closet during a panic attack after producers told her she wasn’t allowed to attend a cast meetup because they thought she had COVID. However, Nick, who had been around her constantly, was allowed to. She shared that she was having “suicidal ideations” with her then-fiancé and the crew.
“To the producers, I said, ‘You know what, I’m not trusting myself right now. I’ve tried committing suicide in the past. I haven’t had these type of feelings since high school.’ And in that moment, they all came rushing in, all of the producers, all of the crew, and instead of sending a therapist, they all kind of persuaded us to stay in an environment that I knew wasn’t going to be healthy for me,” she stated.
After filming wrapped, Ruhl’s mental health began to decline further.
“The aftermath of experiencing this doesn’t go away quickly. I mean, the first month, I couldn’t even leave the house. It is hard. So it’s gonna take me a while to feel myself again,” she admitted. “I felt like a shell. I didn’t feel like a human being. I wanted to dig myself in a hole and not come out of it… I was not myself. I wasn’t OK. After the show was released, it just amplified all that.”
She said she underwent eight-hour days in therapy after filming wrapped and says despite their divorce in August 2022; she appreciated how her ex Nick handled that period in their life.
“It impacted both of us, and he did his best. It takes a lot of patience from both sides,” she professed. “But I was really glad to have him by my side during that whole period.”
Although Danielle had concerns, she still made an appearance on the show’s reunion special and the After the Altar special. She clarified that the production team’s persuasion influenced her choice to participate.
“They persuade you that going on and telling a different narrative is going to impact your side positively,” Danielle said. “Like, ‘You’re going to be better going on this because people are going to like you again. And you’re not going to feel like this.’”
As Danielle began posting allegations against the show on social media, her ex Nick, did the same on his account, accusing the production team of limiting food and water, which caused him to drop 15 pounds in three weeks, and not providing “mental health support before, during, or after” the experience.
In response to a Business Insider report, Kinetic Content released a statement, saying, “The wellbeing of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic. We have rigorous protocols in place to care for each person before, during, and after filming.”
Although they divorced last year, Danielle said it “means the world” that Nick is also speaking out.
“You know, we just weren’t compatible, which is fine, and the fact that now that we are divorced, but we’re still speaking out about the same exact topic, having the same exact goal, you know, makes me so proud of him and it means the world to me,” she said of her ex-husband.
Danielle mentioned that the show’s hosts, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, were unaware of her filming challenges.
“I never communicated this with Nick and Vanessa because it was COVID, they were less involved,” Danielle said about production during this time. “[Vanessa] really did care and she has reached out to me, asking how I was doing mentally after the show. She has sent me voice notes. So she cares, she just didn’t know.”
Regarding her guidance for individuals contemplating appearing on the show in the future, Danielle hopes they make sure to research what goes into it, whether that’s reading articles or the contract itself closely. She also recommended “speaking with your own therapist and multiple other therapists and connecting to the psych eval to your own therapist.”
If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s toll-free number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
