‘Love Is Blind’ Contestant Nick Thompson Says He Lost 15 Pounds While Filming

"Love Is Blind" contestant Nick Thompson is speaking out about the lawsuit filed against Netflix's parent company after several contestants from the first two seasons spoke to Business Insider to claim that they were mistreated on the set of the Netflix show.

The report alleges that “contestants say producers deprived them of food and sleep, preyed on their anxieties, and refused to let them quit.” Nick is not only throwing his support behind the claims, but he is also working with another contestant to create a foundation to support reality stars during filming.

In an Instagram post, “Love Is Blind” contestant Nick Thompson, who appeared in season 2, explains why he teamed up with Jeremy Hartwell to create the UCAN Foundation, which is aimed at supporting mental health and legal support to the past, current, and future contestant of reality shows, not just “Love Is Blind.”

In his post, Nick claps back at people on the Internet who tell him, "You signed up for it.” In his post, Nick says that he signed up for a ‘psychologically-based’ love experiment sold as ‘different from other reality shows.’” He goes on to say, “Love is Blind S1 made a believer out of me, and I thought the experience could work for me if I went with good intentions and stayed true to myself.

He admits that there was a vetting process in place that included psych tests, evaluations, and background checks, adding, “The psychologist that conducted my evaluation even spoke with my therapist to verify the ethics and conditions of the show out of concern it would diminish progress made on my mental health journey.”

However, Nick goes on to claim that “None of this was true,” adding, “I lost 15 pounds in the three weeks in the Pods and Mexico from limited access to food and water. Aside from the ‘psych evaluation,’ there was no mental health support before, during, or after. Thankfully I had the luxury of a therapist once we were back in Chicago and post-show.”

“In Mexico, producers withheld my partner experienced a panic attack and sent me into the hotel room to film anyway,” he went on, referring to his ex-wife, Danielle Ruhl. Danielle has also opened up about her own mental health on the show and claimed that she was told there was a $50 thousand dollar fine in place if she left the show.

“If there were mental health professionals on set, as Kinetic claims, wouldn't a person suffering from a panic attack be an appropriate time to utilize them?” Nick asked. “You are isolated from everyone and virtually everything for days at a time with no phone, internet, communication with family and friends, or other cast members.”

“Finally, the pay equates to roughly $7.14 per hour and the promise of a social media following. That's it. If you haven't experienced reality TV firsthand, you have no idea what you're signing up for. I did not sign up for this, he added. “This is why I'm a founding board member of the @the_ucan_foundation, a not-for-profit organization that offers cast members access to mental health and contract review services.”

In the comments, Jeremy Hartwell, who filed the lawsuit against Netflix for making similar allegations, wrote, “Thanks for speaking up @nthompson513!” However, many fans were critical of his post. “Love this fun era where no one cares about NDAs,” one netizen wrote. “You can’t NDA abuse,” Nick replied.

“If food was so limited then why did y’all not eat in the pods when you all had a big plate full of food? It looked [like] they always fed y’all very well. Also, I never saw people actually eat their food on their dates. If this was actually true then they would be inhaling their food on their dates and anytime food is in front of them. So I’m not buying it,” another user commented. Nick replied, “You would know cuz you were there. Jeez.”