I was on the first season of 'Love Is Blind.' Here are 10 things that surprised me about being on the show.

I learned I'm not as picky as I thought.

Before I was on "Love Is Blind," I always seemed to be too picky when I was dating so I thought it was wild that I actually made connections on day one of being in the pods.

I was even excited and giddy knowing I had a chance to talk with certain gentlemen again.

Prior to filming, I honestly didn't think I would connect with anyone in the pods. I remember telling my mom, "See you in a few days," because I thought there was no way I'd be able to connect with anyone that quickly.

 

There was more support and girl power than I assumed there'd be.

I assumed that there'd be some amount of conflict as the girls started making connections with the same guys in the pods but I was surprised that it seemed like we all had each other's backs.

Don't get me wrong, there were definitely many conversations between girls crushing over the same guys and sharing stories to see if the men were saying the same things to different contestants. For example, when Jessica Batten, Lauren "LC" Chamblin, and Amber Pike were all interested in Matt Barnett.

But for the most part, it seemed the girls would talk things through and be supportive of each other. Cheers to girl power in the pods.

I thought we'd be forced to drink but I was never pressured.

Although wine and hard liquor were available to us, I wasn't forced or even "highly encouraged" to drink. It was up to me whether I wanted to partake and, if I did, to decide how much I consumed.

I chose to not indulge and generally limited my alcohol intake. Knowing how silly I become when I'm under the influence, plus the lack of sleep and the elevated emotions, I knew it was in my best interest to hold back on drinking alcohol as much as possible.

I intended to make connections and remember what was said so I didn't want to jeopardize any of that. I think drinking can sometimes be a coping mechanism and I wanted to feel my emotions instead of numbing them out.

I didn't have scripts at any point during filming.

Though it might sound unbelievable (trust me, it was hard to believe myself) the show wasn't scripted for the cast.

We were encouraged to talk about particular topics, such as if we wanted children, our financial situations, and if we would have sex immediately or wait, but we as a cast didn't have scripts to lead us.

I really loved the no-scripts approach as it truly made the filming process feel very real  — because it was. We had real, honest, raw, vulnerable conversations. It was up to each individual and couple to keep the conversations surface level or take them really deep.

 

I was surprised by how vulnerable many of the men were.

I was amazed by how vulnerable the guys seemed with each other and the women. I think, in a society in which vulnerability for men might be dismissed or shunned, it was neat to see how open everyone was.

I experienced very deep, vulnerable conversations with a few of the guys where we shared emotions and multiple tears. Those moments drove deeper connections and helped me narrow down my top three guys.

I think the deeper conversations and incredible connections explain why two couples from season one — Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton and Pike and Barnett — are still married four years later. It goes to show that vulnerability really is key to a successful relationship.

We were offered a variety of food on set, including some healthier options.

Going into the experience, I was a bit nervous about the food options because I have a variety of dietary needs. I thought we would've been served sandwiches, pizza, and other heavily processed foods and snacks.

That wasn't the case so I commend our production team.

During the first 10 days of filming, we could choose from catered food that included options like grilled fish, chicken, steak, vegetables, and fruit, and even vegetarian choices like pasta and rice.

 

Interviews with the production team felt like the therapy I never had.

Having never been on reality TV, everything about filming and production was new to me but I was shocked by how intense the solo interviews were. I felt like I was at a therapy session sharing my trauma and deepest secrets with production.

I cried more in eight days than I probably had in eight years. Each session cracked me wide open, exposing wounds from past relationships and trauma from a sexual assault I experienced in my early 20s.

I'm pretty sure my castmates felt similarly in their interviews. Either way, I think I needed some form of therapy and my interviews with production foreshadowed my experience working with coaches and therapists after filming the show.

I was a bit surprised there were no mental-health professionals available to me.

On a similar note, I was surprised no mental-health professionals were available to me during or after filming or once the show aired, especially since the experience was emotionally charged.

During filming, emotions were high because of intense interviews and the pressure to get married. After we wrapped, I had mixed emotions about my relationship with Kenny and the connections I made with other cast members and production getting taken away in a matter of moments. And when the show aired, emotions were high because of fan reactions.

I can't speak for the rest of the cast and I'm not sure if this has changed since I filmed the show in 2018, but I had expected to have professionals on-site to help us through any big or little traumas that surfaced or new anxieties and fears triggered by filming or the experiment.

Regardless, I'd encourage any production set to have on-site mental-health professionals.

Representatives for Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

I couldn't believe "Love Is Blind" drew in so many viewers.

I had no idea that "Love Is Blind" would turn into a phenomenon that reached tens of millions of viewers across the globe within weeks of airing. I don't think any of us saw this coming. 

Becoming an overnight reality-TV celebrity came with a lot of incredible opportunities but also big responsibilities.

Almost a year after the show aired, I experienced my first set of anxiety attacks because my energy was spread way too thin. I was working a nine-to-five, running a coaching business, creating content for brands, being interviewed for podcasts and live streams, and starting to launch my own podcast.

I eventually resigned from the corporate world and pursued opportunities as an entrepreneur, which has been a beautiful journey of choosing what serves me and letting go of what doesn't. 

Keyboard warriors were in full force once the show aired.

I was astounded by the amount of hate, harassment, bullying, and death threats all cast members received. It truly goes to show how every single person formulates an opinion based on what they saw and heard, especially on TV.

Because of the hateful comments and messages, I tried to reach out to as many members of seasons two and three as I could and offer my support.

No one really understands unless you've been through it yourself. I hope more people choose kindness no matter what their opinions are.

Though I didn't get married, I had a great experience and made plenty of connections on the first season of "Love Is Blind."

Overall, I absolutely loved being on "Love Is Blind" and have no regrets. Appearing on the show opened up so many doors for me professionally and personally and I'm grateful I got a chance to participate in the experiment.

I do think production cut and condensed many of the true storylines to create a more dramatic narrative for the viewers. With that being said, producers never pushed me to do or say anything I didn't want to.

I also personally would've benefited from having the support of mental-health professionals after the show and I hope "Love Is Blind" makes such services available if they don't already.