Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, Love Is Blind is a Netflix reality dating show that challenges contestants to find their future spouse — before ever seeing them in person. 

Rather than going on face-to-face dates, the Love Is Blind singles are placed into "pods," in which they talk with their prospective partners but can't see what they look like. But even as relationships start to form and "I love you's" are exchanged, the contestants are only allowed to meet up with their new lover after they're engaged — which, amazingly, has happened as soon as the first episode. By the end of the season, there are multiple proposals and break-ups, followed by the weddings. But only a select few happy couples end up saying, "I do."

Since its debut in 2020, Love Is Blind regularly lands within Netflix's top 10 most-watched TV shows whenever a new season is released. The success of the series has also spawned international versions in Brazil and Japan. Earlier this year, the show's creator, Chris Coelen, teamed up with the Lacheys again for The Ultimatum, another social experiment-style dating show on Netflix (which received far less favorable reviews than Love Is Blind).

The third season of Love Is Blind just streamed its conclusion, which featured both weddings and the special reunion episode, so now is a great time to explore other programs within the reality dating series realm.

While the list includes 10 shows that are similar to Love Is Blind in some way, there are many more titles within this genre that could have made the cut.

Here, Metacritic lists 10 shows like Love Is Blind to watch next, ranked by Metascore.

Love on the Spectrum 

Metascore: 83
Best for: Fans of inclusive, character-driven dating shows
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 2 

Equal parts docuseries and dating show, Love on the Spectrum is an Australian series that follows several people on the autism spectrum as they look for a romantic connection. While some participants have dated in the past, others are completely new to the dating scene. With the help of family, friends, and experts, the singles spend time learning about relationships, going on dates, and meeting other people on the spectrum. An American version (Love on the Spectrum U.S.) was released earlier this year, with a second season in the works.

"This is a fun, romantic look at life on the spectrum that will hopefully shatter some stereotypes." — Brett White, Decider

Queer Eye 

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of uplifting and emotional makeover stories
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 6 (so far)

In 2018, Netflix debuted Queer Eye, its reboot of Bravo's popular mid-2000s reality series. It tags along with the "Fab Five," who specialize in such areas as fashion, culture, and grooming, as they help a "hero" in need of their expertise. At the end of each episode, audiences get to watch the hero reveal their new look, as well as the other new skills that they learned from the hosts. While romance isn't always a goal for the participants, Queer Eye is similar to Love Is Blind in that it focuses on more than just a person's aesthetics.

"It's a formula, but damned if it doesn't do the job and generate the tears, most of them happy." — James Poniewozik, The New York Times

FBoy Island 

Metascore: 67
Best for: Fans of tropical-set dating shows with a compelling twist
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 2 (so far)

Comedian Nikki Glaser hosts HBO Max's FBoy Island, a reality dating show where female contestants have to figure out which of their male counterparts are looking for love ("Nice Guys") or money ("FBoys"). With a cash prize on the line, the women go on dates with three men before deciding which ones to eliminate at the end of each episode. Then, after they're eliminated, the men reveal whether they were a Nice Guy or an FBoy. Like Love Is Blind, FBoy Island isn't the most high-brow series on TV, but it has prompted some interesting conversations about modern dating and is one of the rare dating competition programs to poke fun at itself.

"A fascinating anthropological document of what dating in the 2020s is like for a very specific demographic tranche." — Tara Ariano, Vanity Fair

The Bachelorette and The Bachelor

Metascore: 67 and 40, respectively
Best for: Fans of old-school dating shows that revolve around one person
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 19 and 26, respectively (so far)

For more than 20 years, reality TV lovers have tuned into this quintessential dating show franchise. Both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette follow a simple premise: a single person looking for love meets several dozen suitors and must choose the one that they want to marry. Week by week, they eliminate the people who aren't right for them before finally proposing to (or accepting a proposal from) their winner. Since 2002, the franchise has grown from a single show (The Bachelor) into multiple domestic and international spin-offs, including The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad, and Bachelor in Paradise.

"The singles scene must be pretty bleak if women would rather mass for a prime-time cattle call than go out on a blind date." — Mike Lipton, People

Love Island USA

Metascore: 56
Best for: Fans of scantily-clad singles scheming to win love and money
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 4 (so far)

Since 2019, U.S. audiences have had their own version of Love Island, the U.K.'s mega-popular reality dating show. It centers on a group of single men and women (called "Islanders") who live in a tropical villa together. They must remain coupled up until the finale, when the audience votes for a winner. Along the way, Islanders can dump their partners and couple with someone else (which is where the real drama begins). In addition to the American and British shows, several other countries have their own versions of Love Island, including Australia, Canada, and Poland.

"Hot, temporary, and yet cognizant that it embodies every assumption about the genre's dumbness." — Melanie McFarland, Salon

Newlyweds: The First Year 

Metascore: 54
Best for: Fans of drama-heavy reality TV
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 3

Whereas Love Is Blind revolves around couples just beginning their courtship, Bravo's Newlyweds: The First Year tracks recently-wed people in the early stages of their marriage. As you would expect, there are plenty of highs and lows shown over these 365 days as the couples enjoy their post-wedding bliss while also squaring off over finances, religious beliefs, parenthood, and more. The couples featured in Newlyweds: The First Year come from different locations, racial backgrounds, and sexual orientations, offering an interesting look at various slices of marital life across the country. 

"The sincerity of the enterprise is in inverse proportion to its fun." — Tom Gliatto, People

Too Hot to Handle 

Metascore: 43
Best for: Fans of the sexy-singles-on-an-island genre of dating shows
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 3 (so far)

Too Hot to Handle — like Love Is Blind — is another Netflix reality dating show with a fascinating twist. In this case, the attractive young male and female contestants live together in a house where they're vying for a $100,000 grand prize. However, a portion of the prize money is taken away each time someone participates in sexual activity. The assumption abstinence can help the contestants create authentic emotional connections with one another (similar to Love Is Blind). To up the ante, the men and women of Too Hot to Handle have to attend intimacy-focused "workshops," which test their ability to resist temptation.

"Those of you out there who relish the escapism of sleazy junk like this may appreciate it for its too-hot-for-network-TV moments." — John Serba, Decider

Sexy Beasts 

Metascore: 42
Best for: Fans of quirky dating shows that are well-intentioned at heart
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 2 (so far)

If there's a theme among Netflix's dating shows, it would probably be, "It's what's on the inside that counts." We've seen it with Love Is Blind and Too Hot to Handle, but it's also true with Sexy Beasts, the streamer's reality series based on the British dating show of the same name. Every episode centers on a person searching for a romantic connection based on emotions, rather than looks. To find it, they put on an animal-inspired costume meant to disguise their face and body style, meet with potential romantic partners who are also in disguise, and pick the most compatible one.

"Attention to detail doesn't extend past the makeup, as the show is neither subversive nor insightful." — Saloni Gajjar, AV Club

Married at First Sight

Metascore: N/A
Best for: Fans of social experiment-style dating shows
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 15 (so far)

In many ways, Married at First Sight is an accelerated version of Love Is Blind, and the closeness in premise is what earns it a spot on this list, despite not having enough critical reviews (even in more than a dozen seasons!) to get a Metascore. Instead of talking to each other from separate rooms and developing an emotional connection, the couples on this show first meet each other at the altar. The bulk of the series then follows the newlyweds — who are paired together by matchmakers — as they get to know each other, move in together, and integrate their lives. (Love Is Blind follows the couples in this way for only a short time post-proposal but pre-wedding). Originally a Danish TV show, there are now several international remakes of Married at First Sight, including the American one (which has multiple spin-offs of its own), as well as Australian and British versions.

"Despite the fact we like many of the people involved, Marriage [sic] at First Sight mostly feels like a setup for the rest of us to rubberneck." — David Hinckley, New York Daily News

Are You the One? 

Metascore: N/A
Best for: Fans of matchmaking-driven and LGBTQIA+-friendly dating shows 
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 8 (so far)

In MTV's Are You the One?, single men and women are sent to a tropical locale, where it's their job to find their "perfect match," as decided by a group of matchmakers before their arrival. If everyone finds their correct match, the entire house wins a cash prize — but things get complicated when the contestants (sometimes knowingly) pursue people they weren't matched with. Similar to Love Is Blind, the participants on Are You the One? are pushed to look beyond physical appearances and develop connections based on mutual interests, shared values, and life goals.

"It doesn't conform to the same gendered clichés that have always plagued heterosexual dating shows." — Judy Berman, Time