Texas is certainly seeing an uptick in filming as of late. Not only was the 2022 romcom “Look Both Ways” shot on location in the Lone Star State, but the upcoming David E. Kelley crime drama “Love and Death” as well as the most recent season of the popular reality series “Love Is Blind” were also captured there. Deemed a modern-day dating “experiment,” the latter initially hit Netflix in early 2020 and became a surprise smash, thanks largely to the onset of the pandemic, which rendered audiences stuck at home and ripe for the binging! It was promptly renewed for additional seasons, with the third just wrapping up its 12-episode run on the streamer this week.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the show presents an interesting take on the reality dating scene, with contestants meeting and interacting in closed-off pods, completely invisible to each other, before ultimately pairing off and becoming engaged over the course of a ten-day period – all sight unseen! It is only once a proposal is accepted that the newly-formed couples get to see each other face-to-face. Cameras then follow the betrothed over the next 21 days as they embark upon a luxury getaway, are set up in apartments together and eventually make their way down the aisle. TV Insider describes the process as tantamount to “extreme speed dating.” But does it work? The jury is still out on that one. So far, the first two seasons have produced only two duos that remain together today.
One major element in the couples’ favor, though? All participating contestants call the same city home. As “Love Is Blind” creator and executive producer Chris Coelen explained to Variety, “We wanted people to all be living, currently in the same place. It’s too difficult if you’re from Tampa and they’re from Portland, that just throws another wrench in. We wanted to give them a real shot at making their love and their marriage work.” Yet another boon? All post-engagement filming takes place in said city, as well, allowing the couples to settle into their new lives together more seamlessly amongst comfortable surroundings.
While seasons one and two took place in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively, the most recent was lensed in Dallas, with betrothed pairs Alexa and Brennon, Bartise and Nancy, Cole and Zanab, Raven and SK, and Colleen and Matt descending upon the lively north Texas metropolis and frequenting a slew of picturesque area landmarks in the process. Those hoping to emulate the contestants can hit up Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, where Colleen and Matt shared a meal in “Texas’ only 360-degree ocean tunnel,” or pop by Mod + Jo, the Dallas jeweler that supplied Nancy and Bartise with permanently welded bracelets, or perhaps book a Gondola Adventures dinner cruise along Lake Carolyn à la SK and Raven, or even host their own nuptials at Lone Star Mansion, the Burleson estate where participants said their “I dos” and “I don’ts” in the season finale.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Landing For a thoroughly immersive experience, fans can also lease a unit at Jewel on Landmark, the luxury apartment building the couples called home following their engagements. Offering “resort-style living in an urban oasis of excitement,” the complex is located at 14650 Landmark Blvd., about 15 miles north of Dallas in the unincorporated town of Addison, aka “the restaurant capital of the U.S.”
The five-story, 324-unit building was designed in 2018 by Humphreys & Partners Architects and won the Dallas-based firm a McSam Award for Best Architectural Design (Multifamily Community) the following year.
Comprised of one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 500 to 1,600 square feet, rates at the pet-friendly complex start at around $1,500. Units include such upscale elements as hardwood-style flooring, 20-foot ceilings, walk-in closets, pendant lighting, in-unit washers and dryers, private patios and balconies and kitchens boasting granite counters, stainless steel appliances and sleek shaker cabinetry.
Residents also have access to a seemingly endless array of hotel-like amenities, such as a lobby with a coffee bar and a convenience store, a gym, a business center, a clubhouse with a lounge, a game area and a movie room, a massive pool with a tanning ledge, an elaborate outdoor kitchen featuring a pizza oven and multiple BBQs, a sprawling patio with a fire pit and space for dining and lounging as well as an additional pool table.
Situated close to many of Addison’s main attractions (including the Mary Kay Museum, Vitruvian Park and the first U.S. location of Fogo de Chão), Jewel on Landmark truly is in the heart of it all.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Landing The “Love Is Blind” couples moved into the luxe complex in the sixth episode of the season, titled “Return to Reality,” following a brief romantic getaway at the Calamigos Guest Ranch and Beach Club in Malibu.
The group’s apartments were provided courtesy of Landing, an innovative flexible living company offering members the unique – and hassle-free – experience of moving between 20,000 fully-furnished, ready-to-live units located in upscale buildings in more than 375 cities nationwide sans long-term leases, security deposits and moving fees! As the official website explains, “While you pack up, we’ll prepare your new home, including setting up the utilities and WiFi for you. Everything you need is included in your new place, from necessary toiletries to pots and pans. On move-in day, all you do is show up and start living.”
Landing leaves nothing to chance when outfitting each of the company’s units, with interiors fashioned by an in-house design crew, “complete with high-quality furnishings, cooking utensils, towels and Tide pods, you name it – everything you need to feel at home, no matter where you are. The team even played Goldilocks for a time, testing out linens and mattresses to ensure a heavenly sleep experience.”
The “Love Is Blind” contestants fully embraced their new digs. Upon entering the apartments for the first time, Zanab declared, “It smells like home!” while Bartise proclaimed, “I’m down with the kitchen for sure already!”
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Landing Though the couples, surprisingly, did not make use of the pool area onscreen (“Bachelor” contestants would never!), Colleen and Matt did host a get-together for Matt’s friends in Jewel on Landmark’s clubhouse in episode eight, “The Perfect Fit.”
Those hoping to take their “Love Is Blind” fandom even further can always apply to be a contestant on upcoming seasons. Casting directors are currently seeking singles in Washington, D.C., Tampa, Detroit and Charlotte “who are brave, open-minded and ready for a committed relationship,” not to mention passionate about proving once and for all that love truly is blind.