American University School of Communication Master of Arts alumna Nina Zafar, a social media editor at The Washington Post, is one of the 30 contestants featured on season seven of “Love Is Blind,” taking place in D.C. this year.
“Love Is Blind” was created by Chris Coelen in 2020 and follows 15 men and 15 women as they speak to each other through pods for 10 days. The pods are built so the couples can hear each other, but not see one another physically.
The initial dates are in a speed-dating format, but couples can eventually choose to have longer dates.
The contestants are allowed to propose marriage when they feel ready, but do not see each other until after the engagement. Following this is weeks of wedding preparation, and the choice of saying “I do” at the altar.
In an interview with The Eagle, Zafar says joining the “Love is Blind” cast was a “why not” and allowed her to step outside her comfort zone and fulfill the curiosity she had about the show’s concept as a journalist.
Zafar said she believes a large component of modern-day dating is “very physical-based,” and dating apps, in her experience, cater to this as well.
On the topic of dating apps, Zafar said she found herself making judgments about people over, “one little thing in their profile or one bad photo.”
The show fosters an unconventional dating environment, which most people wouldn’t be accustomed to.
“When you take the physical out of it, what can you learn about yourself, what can you learn about other people?” Zafar said.
A large part of why Zafar enjoys reality TV is the ability it gives her to observe the personalities of others.
“Journalists are curious about people, and different perspectives and social experiments. It feels very anthropological in a way for me,” Zafar said. It’s also a way for her to take a break from work and “shut [her] brain off.”
Zafar is not the only family member to test out the dating experiment. Her sister, Tara Zafar, also participated, making them the first sibling duo on the show. Zafar said she hopes this experience only positively affects her career, if it affects it all.
“There’s a lot of people on the D.C. season that kind of have jobs that you wouldn’t expect people that go on reality TV to have,” Zafar said. “I’m a Washington Post journalist, we have energy policy consultants, Accenture consultants, my sister’s on the show as a senior marketing manager, so people with pretty high powered jobs.”
Zafar said she hopes their season, stacked with career-driven contestants, also changes stereotypes of reality TV contestants.
“You can go on a reality TV show and completely have your head on your shoulders and see it as a different perspective,” Zafar said.
Outside of “Love Is Blind,” Zafar describes her job at The Washington Post as “high pressure” and “fast-paced” in a way that keeps her motivated.
“I love that it’s social media and that when you’re working at such a large company the impact is really felt,” Zafar said. “Just knowing that the work that I’m doing is reaching such a wide audience is great motivation for me to do what I do day in and day out.”
After studying international affairs at George Washington University, Zafar attended AU, graduating with a master’s degree in journalism and public affairs. The SOC master’s program made the decision of where to attend simple, she said, and added AU was the only program she applied to.
Zafar said D.C. reminds her of two cities she has always loved: her hometown, Boston, and a city she visits often, New York. The combination is what has kept her here for over a decade, and she does not plan on moving anywhere else soon.
New episodes of “Love is Blind” will be released every Wednesday at three a.m. beginning Oct. 2. You can tune in and watch the story unfold on Netflix.
This article was edited by Jessica Ackerman, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Charlie Mennuti and Emma Brown.
