WASHINGTON — 'Love is Blind' fans--your prayers have been answered. A new show is coming to your computer screens to spice up self-isolation: DC Is Blind.
When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the DMV, marketing agency owner Beth Cormack quickly lost clients.
"Everything happened so suddenly," Cormack said. "A lot of my clients had to cancel my services."
Cormack said most of her clients are in the hospitality and restaurant industries, which have been hard hit with closures.
“It definitely was a shock to the system," she said. "There’s no income coming in for a lot of people right now… So I threw a pity party for a few days about what I’m going to do.”
After fretting about the loss of income, Cormack thought of a way to capitalize on the Netflix show she--and much of the rest of the country--had been obsessing over: Love is Blind.
“How can I create a sense of community? A sense of entertainment, and also make an income when we’re all stuck inside?” Cormack said.
In the last week, she had created DC Is Blind, putting out applications for both a heterosexual and LGBTQ season.
She said the premise is very similar to Love Is Blind. In the first week-long season, 10 men and 10 women will communicate through conference calls each night.
They'll gradually narrow down who they like--all without seeing each other's faces. Cormack said they are allowed to disclose age, but they will ask participants not to share other demographic information so as to keep their identities secret.
She said everyone's homes will serve as their "quarantine pods".
“At the end of the week, the participants get to pick their quarantine bae, quote on quote," Cormack said, laughing.
For those who want to watch the drama unfold, they can pay $5 to join the private Facebook group, where Cormack said they will post daters' conversations and confessionals.
“It’s given me like whole new energy," Cormack said. "Even when you’re an introvert, you still crave the human connection, and that’s been difficult for a lot of people, myself included. So I think this is a really good way to kind of lift some spirits, hopefully, meet some new people and build a new community with the current situation that we’re in.”
Applications have closed for season one, which premieres Wednesday.
