SEATTLE — Do you believe in love before first sight? That's the premise of the hit Netflix show "Love is Blind" which features couples dating by voice-only from isolated pods.
"For me, it was really getting to know the person I was talking to on the other side of the wall, who they were at their core," explained Tiffany, a participant on the show and client recruiter for a local firm.
"You will get the energy back that you give," echoed Irina, a small business owner.
This season brings 30 Seattle-area men and women together to try their luck at love.
"I'm the memorable one," said Zach, a criminal defense attorney looking for love.
"I am the sensitive one," marketing manager Marshall added.
"I'm the one," their romantic rival Brett joked.
Seattle is famous for many things. Opening up to strangers isn't one of them.
"It's gonna take a while for me to warm up to anybody, period," said dental assistant Jackelina.
So is the "Seattle Freeze" for real? Micah, a local marketing manager, thinks so.
"I think a little bit," she said. "I mean, hey, I'm still single. Had to go on this frickin' show to try to find someone."
"People are flakey and I just don't understand why," Tiffany agreed.
On "Love Is Blind," the stages of getting-to-know-you move at warp speed.
"It's so much faster," Micah said. "I mean, we're talking about our family and our values in, like, two days instead of, I don't know, months?"
The process can be exhausting. Tiffany actually fell asleep during a pivotal on-camera moment.
"A girl needs to nap, you know?" she laughed. "I'm in my mid-30s. I need a rest."
Between dates, participants hang out in men's and women's-only lounges, where they share their feelings with each other, and romantic battlelines are drawn. Friendships are made and betrayed.
"Especially as accomplished, successful, intelligent men get into the same room, it does, by natural selection, become an ego contest," Kwame, a sales development manager, said.
"I love that the boys are out here fighting over me," Jackelina said. "I love it!"
To actually see each other in-person, couples are required to first get engaged. That's when reality-show reality really sets in. After a luxury retreat and speedy courtship, couples meet at the altar for one last chance to commit or bail out.
The first three seasons of the show have spawned four enduring marriages and countless train wrecks. Check out Season Four to see how love in Seattle stacks up.