11 Comments

Loved this Poorna. I do not know Demi, I have never met her and probably never will. But when she made that speech at the altar I clutched my heart like she was my own daughter. Sometimes the success of a relationship is in the way it’s taught you how gorgeous, smart and powerful you are and how you deserve to be treated. I felt like she went from thinking she was lucky to have Ollie to realising that actually *he* was the one who was punching above his weight. Can’t wait for the reunion, especially if there’s hidden juice….Becks X

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I know what you mean. In a way whatever happened between them is inconsequential because what you saw was the journey of a woman who wanted to bend herself around another person to someone who was leaving with their head held high - and I have the hugest love and empathy for someone that can get to that point

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Loved this piece, Poorna! I have been watching avidly. It’s been much better than the US ones I thought.

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I agree - a lot of people have pushed back and said ‘ah well but it’s only the first season’ but a critical difference has been an older cast. Mad that there are 24 year olds on the show in the US version IMHO

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Great piece, Poorna.

I binged the first US series during the pandemic and haven’t really watched much of LIB since then. However, I was interested in watching the UK one, and the heavy editing aside, I was pleasantly surprised how warm I felt towards many of the contestants (who made it past the pods).

Totally agree with you about the financial conversation, but I’d also add about kids too. I know that a few of the couples did discuss children (Sabrina and Steven’s conversation while still in the pods stands out), but it often felt secondary to other stuff.

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Ah I know what you mean! I did wonder if the kids thing would be an issue down the line but assumed it would be okay as it didn’t seem to be a clear no. Wonder what the reunion will yield today!

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You should defo watch LIB Japan! It was so thoughtful and they really went in with marriage in mind!

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Thanks for the recommendation - I was check it out. Having only watched the US and UK versions, it's an interesting snapshot of cultural differences (and similarities) in dating, with heavy editing!

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The situation with Tom was awful…I didn’t like him at all and I think Maria got too much flack for being truthful about her wants and needs. It’s ok to want to be a stay at home parent, we see plenty of them in U.K. culture and especially around Hertfordshire where she grew up. Tom seemed immature and not a provider nor willing to provide which I think is a big deal in marriage. The fact he disliked her career path early on so said much about him (being a MUA is tough graft!)

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Great piece, thank you! Not a watcher of this type of shows (or reality tv in general, actually) but you articulated the key learnings beautifully.

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I'm intrigued now, might have to start watching it.

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