Watch: Love Is Blind Season 9 Cast Revealed: Meet the Singles Hailing From DenverStephen Richardson is taking legal action. The Love Is Blind season seven contestant alum has filed a lawsuit against Netflix accusing the series' creators of "inhumane working conditions," according to documents reviewed by Entertainment Weekly Sept. 17. In the suit, which also names production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, Richardson alleged that contestants should have been classified as "employees" in their contracts but were instead "willfully misclassified" as "contestant, participant, cast member, and similar job titles (herein referred to as the 'Cast'), as independent contractors," per the outlet. Additionally, the reality TV personality alleged in the docs that the show creators had "complete domination" over the contestants' "time, schedule, and their ability to eat, drink, and sleep, and communicate with the outside world" while shooting Love Is Blind. In particular, Richardson, 35, accused the creators of taking away contestants' IDs, wallets, phones and credit cards so they could not leave the hotel living quarters or set. And when they were provided with food and drinks, Richardson said in the filing that the production companies allegedly only offered "alcohol beverages, soft drinks, energy drinks, and mixers" as a way to deliberately intoxicate them. photosLove Is Blind Season 9 Cast Revealed: Meet the Singles From DenverAccording to the electrician-who got engaged to Monica Davis during his season but ultimately never made it down the aisle-the tactic was a way to "maintain a heightened degree of control and direct the conduct of the Cast into making manipulated decisions for the benefit of the shows' entertainment value." As a result, Richardson's proposed class action lawsuit is seeking compensation for lost wages and unspecified punitive damages for himself and other contestants who were on "including but not limited to seasons 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the series," as well as coverage of legal fees and any other damages the court may find appropriate.
Netflix E! News reached out to Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV for comment but has not heard back. Amid Richardson's lawsuit, season nine of the series-set in Colorado- is set to debut Oct. 1 on Netflix. To check in on more cast members from Love Is Blind, keep reading. NetflixLauren O'Brien and David Bettenburg: Not TogetherTheir romance failed to take off once the pair landed in Honduras, with Dave revealing he and his then-fiancée had mutual friends in common. But it wasn't the similar inner circles that proved to be the problem, but rather, Dave's hesitation in moving forward after they told him about Lauren hooking up with someone they knew before the show. Not to mention, Dave also didn't want to introduce Lauren to his friends and family, noting that his dad didn't know of his engagement and that his sister-who became a big point of contention-disapproved of their relationship altogether.
NetflixMonica Danús and Joey Leveille: Not TogetherOne of the most compatible couples of the season, most viewers assumed Monica and Joey would make it down the aisle and beyond. However, when it came to saying "I do," Monica instead said, "I don't right now." "In this moment, it's 100 percent," she said through tears, "and I just feel like we're both, we're not quite there." As for Joey, he agreed with every word. "That's totally okay," he explained after hugging her. "I think we both have a tremendous amount of love for each other, and that's apparent. But I think there's bigger things and bigger growth. And I agree, I don't think I would be ready. And to be completely honest, I'm also not 100 percent at this time."NetflixBen Mezzenga and Sara Carton: Not TogetherThough Ben and Sara seemed to disagree on major components of their life together-including religion and politics-by wedding day, the pair seemed to have gotten on the same page. But ultimately, they decided to end their shared story. As Sara-who said I don't to a future with Ben-explained, "Ben, I love you so much but I always wanted a partner to be on the same wavelength, and so today, I can't. I'm sorry but I don't want that to be misunderstood." She later added, "I know that the connection we have is so real and my heart is there, but when we talked about a lot of the values I hold so close to my heart, making this decision, my mind is telling me I can't."NetflixDevin Buckley and Virginia Miller: Not TogetherAnother couple who seemed to be focused on the road ahead post-pods, Devin and Virginia, got along perfectly fine-that is, until the topic of having a prenup came up. But it was even bigger issues that proved to be enough for Virginia, leading her to ultimately saying no to spending the rest of her life with Devin. "I think that in a lot of our relationship, I wanted to protect Devin," she said, through tears, after the leaving the altar. "And I don't know if that's a cultural thing, but