Renee Poche, a former contestant on the Netflix reality series Love Is Blind, has filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant and production company Delirium TV, alleging emotional distress, false imprisonment, and violations of labour laws. The suit, filed in California by high-profile attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, seeks to nullify Poche's contract and claims intentional infliction of emotional distress.
According to the lawsuit, Poche's phone, passport, and driving licence were seized on the first night of filming, and she was kept locked in a hotel room, unable to leave without a chaperone. She alleges she was forced into a relationship with a contestant she describes as broke, jobless, homeless, and addicted to amphetamines and alcohol, whom she claims was abusive. The relationship ended after filming wrapped.
Poche, a Texas veterinarian who appeared on the show's fifth season in 2022, earned $8,000 from her appearance. Delirium TV had sought $4m from her in private arbitration for allegedly violating a non-disclosure agreement by making public remarks critical of the show. The lawsuit is part of a broader campaign by Freedman and Geragos to challenge what they call exploitative practices in reality television, representing hundreds of reality stars and crew members alleging mistreatment.
“My experience on Love is Blind was traumatic,” Poche told Variety. “I felt like a prisoner and had no support when I let Delirium know that I didn’t feel safe.” The suit follows similar allegations from another season five contestant, Tran Dang, who sued Delirium and Kinetic Content for sexual assault and false imprisonment. If successful, Poche's case could have far-reaching implications for the industry, potentially invalidating widespread confidentiality clauses in reality TV contracts.
