The Love Is Blind NLRB complaint alleges that the contestants are employees

National labor The Office of the Communications Council argues in a complaint against Love is blind The producers claim that the contestants of the show have been misclassified and are actually employees.

The Minnesota regional office filed a complaint Wednesday night against Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, LLC, alleging the producers of the dating show violated the National Labor Relations Act. The producers “intentionally unlawfully” misclassified their contestants as “participants” rather than workers, barring contestants from organizing to improve wages and working conditions, the NLRB said in an announcement of the case Thursday.

The complaint also alleges that the contracts the contestants signed to participate in the show included “unlawful non-compete clauses, confidentiality and stay-or-pay provisions,” and threatened lawsuits if the workers participated in the organization. The contestants were barred from discussing any details of their employment, and the producers sought arbitration to “enforce the unlawful provisions” and seek $4 million in damages, as well as a permanent injunction against any violations of the provisions.

The Hollywood Reporter turned to the lawyer who represents the manufacturing companies. The Love is blind distributor, Netflixdeclined to comment.

The NLRB case is the result of several lawsuits filed over the past few years Love is blind cast members alleging misbehavior on set. In one class-action lawsuit, second-season cast member Jeremy Hartwell claimed that the show’s contestants were deprived of sleep and adequate food and water while being plied with alcohol because they were paid less than minimum wage; he eventually reached a deal with Kinetic Content, Delirium TV and Netflix for nearly $1.4 million. Season five contestants Tran Dang and Renee Poch made additional allegations; Poshe’s claim has been referred to arbitration.

In the format of a social experiment Love is blindcontestants looking for love speed-date each other as they occupy separate rooms, unable to see each other unless engaged to be married. Fifteen women and fifteen men compete in each season, and the dating period lasts only 10 days.

Through its complaint, the NLRB seeks to obtain from the producers the authority to reclassify its contestants as employees and to reimburse the contestants for any loss of income or benefits resulting from the alleged misclassification and/or any legal fees incurred in connection with claims by the producers, among other purposes. An additional goal, as stated in the NLRB notice, was to compel manufacturers to “repeal unlawful provisions that were imposed, enforced, or in effect at any time after January 19, 2023.”

The first hearing is scheduled for April 22, 2025 in Milwaukee.