Netflix tried to stream second-ever live event, and it was a disaster
Netflix viewers tuned in live to watch the "Love Is Blind" reunion Sunday night, but nothing played.
LEARN MOREPosted: 2:28 p.m. EDT Apr 24, 2023
Love may be blind, but thousands of fans of Netflix's hit reality show don't have that much love for hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey.
After Netflix's problem-filled attempt at a "live" season 4 reunion for "Love Is Blind," more than 40,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to remove the Cincinnati native and his wife as the show's hosts. The petition is hoping to garner 50,000 signatures.
The petition's starter, Libby Cross, wrote on Change.org that the Lacheys "felt pretty useless and out of place" since season 1, which kicked off on the streaming giant in 2020.
"They seem to be much more concerned with directing as much attention at themselves and their personal lives rather than focusing on the contestants that are actually participating in the experiment," Cross writes in the petition's description.
Cross also claims the show is being "held back from its full potential" due to Nick and his wife Vanessa.
While thousands agree that the married hosts aren't the best fit for the job, it's also clear after the season 4 reunion that Netflix isn't very fit to run a high-traffic live event.
The live event on April 16 was Netflix's second-ever live event, and ... it was a total disaster.
The live reunion was set to begin at 8 p.m., but when the clock turned from 7:59 p.m., viewers were either given an error message or stuck in a virtual waiting room. Netflix was aware of the delays, promising via Twitter that the show would be streaming 15 minutes late.
Some waited for hours and the reality special never played, while others somehow were able to watch it late Sunday evening. Eventually, Netflix announced the special was being recorded and would be available "as soon as humanly possible" — which turned out to be Monday, April 17.
To everyone who stayed up late, woke up early, gave up their Sunday afternoon… we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as we had planned. We're filming it now and we'll have it on Netflix as soon as humanly possible. Again, thank you and…
— Netflix (@netflix) April 17, 2023
Netflix apologized for the streaming hiccups, but that wasn't before social media completely annihilated the streaming service — even Blockbuster put in its two cents.
As Netflix said in its "Love Is Blind" reunion promos, "anything could happen."
And since anything can happen, Nick and Vanessa, maybe polish up those resumes just in case.
This story was written by Molly Schramm for Scripps News Cincinnati.
