Love Is Blind UK panned by critics as Matt and Emma Willis slammed for ‘hosting through gritted teeth’ and Netflix premiere branded ‘awful’

Love Is Blind UK premiered on Netflix on Wednesday, but was met with a wave of negative reviews from TV critics.

After its success in the United States – where six seasons have aired – the show is now also airing in the United Kingdom. There, thirty beautiful contestants hope to find a partner and get married during the final episode of the show.

Couple Emma and Matt Willis will follow in the footsteps of Nick and Vanessa Lachey in the US and present the entire series.

However, critics have slammed the couple for “showing it off” and called the Netflix premiere “terrible.”

The guards Elle Hunt gave the show a disappointing two-star review, saying the show’s concept was “un-British.”

She wrote: ‘Emma and Matt Willis are a good match for Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s star power, even if they don’t share the American couple’s enormous ease with the enterprise. After all, it is essentially un-British to talk about your feelings, as all the contestants on Love Is Blind are constantly obliged to do.’

news gave it a four-star review and while Emily Baker said the first four episodes were “addictive,” she wasn’t exactly impressed with Matt’s presenting skills.

She wrote: ‘The difference in their experience is stark: while Emma is relaxed and chatty with the bachelorettes, Matt is stiff and looks visibly uncomfortable.

“That doesn’t matter much, because in the four episodes streaming today, the two only appear twice.”

The independent Ellie Muir gave a two-star review, saying: ‘It started off promisingly when it was announced that former Busted singer Matt Willis and his wife Emma would be taking over the presenting duties…

That hope, however, quickly fades in the first episode, when an uninterested Matt asks through gritted teeth, “Is love really blind?”

He added: ‘Everything is copied and pasted from the American edition, minus the accents. Rinse and repeat.

‘The Willises are essentially reading the same script as the Lacheys, delivering the same unimaginative one-liners with the same singsong intonation. At one point, Emma gives Matt a cringe-inducing slap on the ass for the camera; Matt looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.’

The Irish Examiner wrote in their review: ‘If you want some muzak TV playing in the background while you look at your phone, this is fine. If you want some real-life drama, marry.

‘The whole show is designed to make you scream “this is a terrible idea” at the TV. But after that it’s pretty boring.’

However, The standard gave the film a four-star review, explaining, “Yes, it’s made for an American audience, but this cast is surprisingly likable.”

The first four episodes of Love Is Blind: UK were released on August 7, followed by three more on August 14.

The final episode will air on August 21.

The Netflix dating series aims to help a group of singles connect without ever meeting each other.

They communicate only through their voices in special Pods and date each other for several weeks before choosing someone to marry.

After talking to each other in the Pods, they can interact with each other and the other couples for the first time as they live together and plan their wedding.

Next, the couples discover if their physical connection matches the strong emotional bond they developed in the Pods.

The social experiment, which has already proven popular in the US and seven other countries, investigates whether appearance, race and age matter.

Following the success of six US series presented by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, presenters and husband and wife team Emma and Matt Willis are taking over the reins on British soil.

More than a decade after their last TV presenting appearance together, Emma and Matt are teaming up again, following in the footsteps of other TV couples.

And like Richard and Judy, Eammon and Ruth and Rochelle and Marvin, the Willis’ could make their careers more lucrative.

The couple, who married in 2008 and have three children: Isabelle (14), Ace (12) and Trixie (7), will guide viewers through the popular reality series.

Emma started her career as a model but quickly moved to television. She has remained loyal to her work as a presenter and has appeared in some of the biggest TV shows including The Voice and Big Brother.

Matt, who is eight years younger than his wife, is best known for his pop star rebellions as part of pop-punk trio Busted. He still tours with the band, with dates in Margate and Newmarket this summer.

Matt, who graduated from Sylvia Young Theatre School along with Billie Piper, Amy Winehouse and Tom Fletcher, member of rival band McFly, played Busted – originally called The Termites – in his Southend bedroom with James Bourne.

The pop-punk trio enjoyed great success before splitting up in 2005. They scored four number one hits in the UK and won two Brit Awards for Best Pop Act and Best British Breakthrough Act.

In 2023, Busted announced a comeback in honor of their 20th anniversary, while also releasing a greatest hits album and launching a new arena tour.

Now, after years of focusing on their separate careers, the couple are joining forces professionally. Communications guru Hayley Knight, who runs Be Yellow, thinks it could be a genius move for the couple, with big financial rewards.