Hosts Nick Lachey & Jesse Palmer Di.sagree Over Which Dating Show Is The Most "Authentic" Of All Time (But They Both Binged The Same One)

Love Is Blind host Nick Lachey and The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer may disagree on whose show is the most authentic in reality TV dating, but their shows have very different track records when it comes to finding authentic love. Throughout the run of The Bachelor, which began in 2002 and has spun off into several different series throughout the last two decades, there's been a lot of buzz around how real the show is. While some agree that The Bachelor has too much fairy tale romance involved to create couples, others understand the series has paired many successful couples.

Love Is Blind, which began in 2019 to success on Netflix, takes a different approach to how the participants on the show find love. While The Bachelor is aimed at an audience who wants to see fairy tale romance blossom between one couple, Love Is Blind aims to create as many successful matches in one city as possible, moving around each season. With Love Is Blind season 9 on the horizon for late 2025, the series will once again try to create chemistry through a wall for a batch of new singles, taking lessons from Bachelor seasons of the past.

Bachelor Host Jesse Argued His Franchise Is The Most Authentic

The Bachelor Started A Reality TV Dating Revolution

Although Jesse isn't the original host of The Bachelor, he took over the role in a seamless way in 2021 after original host Chris Harrison faced accusations of racial insensitivity that pushed him out of the franchise. While The Bachelor has a somewhat quaint ideology behind it, the show itself is still one of the most dramatic reality dating shows on the air, which brings it a massive level of viewership. In an interview a few years into his role as host, Jesse explained that he felt The Bachelor was the most authentic show in the reality TV dating landscape.

"It's finding love, it's the romance, it's the journey, it's the love story, and finding out how that develops," Jesse shared in an interview with People. He explained that though the show has taken some risks over the years, like having two Bachelorette leads in one season, it's often come back to its roots in order to truly show how relationships form. "The Bachelor was first," Jesse shared, making it clear that he understands over reality TV dating shows have flooded the market in the streaming era, but the original still has its own sense of charm.

Jesse's also opening up about Love Is Blind, as per a chat with Issuu. Like Nick, he's an avid LIB fan. Jesse said:

Great memories of the show, easily one of the wildest and fun experiences of my life. I don’t watch the show too often today...but I did binge watch Netflix’s Love Is Blind.

Love Is Blind's Nick Lachey Shared He Felt His Show Had The Right Touch

LIB Changed The Reality TV Dating Game

According to an interview with Nick (via People), he feels that Love Is Blind is the more authentic reality TV dating series, especially because of its focus on the emotional connection prior to any physicality. "I don't think it gets more authentic than Love is Blind," Nick explained. "The whole premise of the show is authenticity." While Nick shared that he understands other shows have their take on love, he feels that Love Is Blind starts from the roots of a relationship, which emulates real life far more equitably than other dating shows that have contestants jump in head first.

Does Authenticity Matter When It Comes To Reality TV Dating?

Both Shows Have Their Downsides

While both reality hosts have watched Love Is Blind in the binge-era, authenticity in reality TV dating in the way they've discussed is hard to come by. Though Jesse and Nick both make good points about their shows having veins of authenticity, Love Is Blind allows relationships to begin from a place of authenticity whether the contestants are being their true selves or not, while The Bachelor affords its contestants unique experiences that create authentic reactions. With both shows having their pros and cons, The Bachelor and Love Is Blind may have to net out evenly on the authenticity scale.