Love Is Blind Season 8: The 8 Biggest Villains Of The Show, Ranked (These Cast Members Really Behaved Badly)

Love Is Blind season 8 recently dropped, bringing a fresh batch of drama, a new cast, and, of course, new villains, and it's time to rank them. Season 8 dropped on Valentine's Day, marking the dating show's fifth anniversary and introduced 32 singles from Minnesota. Hosted again by the power couple Vanessa and Nick Lachey, season 8 had a different format. Unlike the previous seasons, where pod sessions ended in episode four,Love Is Blind season 8 plays lasted longer, with the engaged couple going on honeymoon in episode 6.

A lot went into those pod sessions, with many participants showing their red flags during those sessions. Love Is Blind season 8 participants manipulated and twisted certain situations to fit into their stories—especially the male cast members. Many not only gaslight their partners but also exhibit problematic behavior, like presenting homophobic traits, sparking an internet outrage.

One Successful-Yogurt--94 Reddit thread called out the male cast members for their questionable remarks, with David Bettenburg topping the list. During his interactions with Lauren O'Brien, he joked about how she was no longer attractive after she revealed her age. Without further ado, here areLove Is Blind season 8 controversial contestants whose actions suggest they could have joined the show for other agendas.

8 Devin Buckley

He Couldn't Deal With Brittany's Authenticity

Sparks flew when Devin Buckley and basketball player Brittany Dodson connected in the pods. They both loved basketball, and their vulnerability late in the season quickly made their connection deep. As shown in the clip above, Devin was bound to leave the pods engaged. Brittany was understanding and empathetic when this Love Is Blind star shared how his past injury got him addicted to painkillers. Subsequently, Brittany confessed she had dated both genders in the past but always thought she would end up with a man.

However, Devin didn't extend as much grace as Brittany had when he'd shared his addiction to painkillers. Instead, his energy started shifting immediately, and he started getting closer to Virginia Miller. In a recent Screenrant interview, Brittany expressed that she had expected to hear something comforting from Devin and also see some confidence in him and their connection, which was one reason the two broke up. Ultimately, he chose Virginia since he couldn't handle Brittany's authentic self.

7 Sara Carton

She Chose A Man Who Didn't Match Her Values

Love is blind season 8 Sara Carton smiling during promo shoot with a purple background — Love is Blind season 8 Sara Carton smiling during a promo shoot with a purple background.

Sara Carton gave off plenty of green flags from her first interaction with the male contestants in the Love Is Blind pods. She skipped all the small-talk questions and got into serious business, discussing politics, LGBTQ+ community issues, and political stands such as Black Lives Matter, especially with her potential partner, Ben Mezzenga, with whom they shared the strongest connection. At one point, she pulled back when Ben said he didn't pay attention to the social issues.

Still, the two got engaged—an ironic twist considering that she had previously called Ben out for being privileged about political issues. This proved there was no point in having that political talk if this Love is Blind star wouldn't stand on business. While she was mature enough to ask uncomfortable questions other couples didn't discuss, settling with a man who didn't care about social issues, which she genuinely valued, is a red flag and shows that she may not have been as principled as she initially seemed.

6 Alex Brown

He Played Safe In The Pods

Alex Brown might have appeared as one of the best dudes on Love Is Blind, but his red flags were hidden in hindsight. While he was kind and vulnerable about his past with Madison Errichiello, he'd pull back anytime she didn't say things that suited his definition of an ideal partner. Alex had some unrealistic qualities of a partner who would want to marry. The Love Is Blind star told Madison he couldn't deal with any conflict in a relationship.

Someone who can't deal with conflict in a relationship could either have an avoidant personality, lack conflict-resolution skills, or have had negative experiences in the past that push them to dislike any form of disagreement.

Alex displayed a lot of passive aggressiveness towards Madison once she talked about her past. The Love Is Blind star constantly questioned if her past relationships would play a part in their budding relationship. His past trauma affected their connection, as he constantly needed reassurance, thus shifting all the emotional labor to her. Ultimately, the two broke up, with Madison prioritizing her happiness over a forced connection, which she could have regretted, considering that Alex still had a lot of work to do.

5 Lauren O'Brien

She Manipulated Dave Into Picking Her

Love Is Blind season 8 Lauren O'Brien in a brown sleeveless dress.

Lauren O'Brien might have appeared as one of the realistic Love Is Blind season 8 cast members, but she did a few things that showed a different side of her. Initially, Lauren was part of the Love Is Blind triangle with Dave and Molly Rose Mullaney. When it appeared like Dave was leaning more towards his connection with Molly, Lauren threatened to leave the Love is Blind experiment, saying:

"I don't need to be here right now."

That statement was a game-changer because it was like she played a mind game on Dave so he'd choose her. To be fair to Lauren, she wasn't the first Love Is Blind contestant to pull this card on Love Is Blind. Season 7's star Leo Braudy did it to Hannah Jiles, and although it didn't work, he tried his best to manipulate her into picking him.

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A potential partner threatening to leave the Love Is Blind stint is a tested and proven strategy, as people are naturally drawn to those who show less devotion. People value what they have to work for, and Dave valued his connection with Lauren more based on that. In a way, they used a subtle manipulative tactic, and Dave was willing to do whatever it took to keep her around. In the end, it worked—they left the pods engaged.

4 Mason Horacek

He Led Meg On

Mason Horacek was involved in a love triangle with Madison and Meg Fink. At one point, he claimed to be fully committed to Madison, but as soon as she admitted to having feelings for Alex, he recanted the statement, saying he had confessed his feelings to the wrong girl. Madison had paid attention to Mason's behavior and called him "elusive." While he was upfront with both about connecting with each of them, he couldn't decide who his main choice was until Madison rejected him.

What made things worse was that when his connection with Madison did fall through, he tried to circle back to Meg, seemingly hoping to make her his fallback plan, which she refused (via Loveisblindnetflix). At that point, he was focused on securing a spot for the Honduras trip with the other engaged Love Is Blind couples. If his feelings for Meg had been real, he'd have made his intentions clear much sooner.

3 Madison Errichiello

She Tried To Get All The Females On Mason's Hate Train

Madison faced a lot of scrutiny from the moment she stepped into the Love Is Blind experiment to the extent of having an entire Reddit thread byfoxyphilosophic thread explaining why most people didn't like her. Some felt like she was calculative, manipulative, and also trauma-dumped on her connections to get sympathy. Madison intentionally sabotaged Meg and Mason's connection and didn't apologize. In fact, she tried to run a smear campaign in the women's quarters against Mason by reporting some critical details they had discussed with the girls and also calling him a clown.

She further claimed their break-up tasted good, which was ironic considering that she later ranted to Alex about how Mason made her feel. Luckily, the Love Is Blind female contestants were reluctant to join the anti-Mason campaign and encouraged Meg to hear him out before making a decision. Sadly, the damage was already done.

Meg decided she wouldn't be Mason's second option. Madison used Mason as her fallback plan anytime Alex acted differently, thus ruining his genuine chances of exploring a connection with Meg. Madison showed no remorse when she dumped him, making her the ultimate villain in Love Is Blind season 8.

2 Ben Mezzenga

He's Part Of TikTok Drama

Love is blind season 8 Ben Mezzenga in a suit smiling during the show's promo shoot.

Ben Mezzenga showed how privileged he was when Sara asked him about his take on different social issues. He had no clue about the BLM movement and remained noncommittal on certain topics. It took him an uncomfortably long time to assure Sara that he was okay with the LGBTQ+ community. However, Ben also kept on referring to the LGBTQ+ as "that community," which came off as homophobic.

Even though Ben has a gay friend, he still seems reserved about the LGBTQ+ community. That could be because of his conservative ways and religious beliefs, and if that's the case, it might be a problem later on in their relationship. While they got engaged before leaving the Love Is Blind pods, a drama followed this contestant.

In episode nine, Sara found a TikTok video of a woman calling a man who matched Ben's description "sh*tty." Ben acknowledged he knew the woman whom he'd met on Tinder. However, they only dated for a few weeks before he ghosted her—another red flag.

1 David Bettenburg

He Had Not So Cool Flirtatious Lines

David "Dave" Bettenburg is arguably the biggest villain in Love Is Blind season 8, especially after making a few remarks in the pods that could have been poorly received. The 33-year-old medical sales executive called his current fiancé old, during their interactions in the pods. He also shared that he was superficial with women, considering that he was "surrounded by Botox, fillers and tummy tucks."

The Love is Blind reality star also admitted to mistreating women in the past, and his way of flirting was quite distasteful. Although humor and sarcasm can sometimes break the ice during conversations, Dave sometimes crosses the lines, making him sound entitled. There was also an incident where he told his other connection, Molly, how he’d cheated in his previous relationship—without an ounce of remorse.

What really solidified this Love Is Blind star's villain status is his interesting relationship with his sister, which he fondly talked about. In the upcoming episodes, she might not support his relationship with Lauren. If Dave sides with his sister over his fiancé, it will raise the question of whether he's ready for a long-term commitment, as he claims. Unfortunately, that would mean he was just wasting Lauren's time.

Love Is Blind season 8, episodes 10-12 drop on Friday, February 28 on Netflix.

Sources: Successful-Yogurt-94/Reddit, foxyphilophobic/Reddit, Loveisblindnetflix/Instagram