Vanessa Lachey has been a well-known figure in Hollywood for years after her many hosting gigs, movie appearances, and pageant wins. In 2010, she got engaged to 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey and the two have been a reality TV duo ever since. More recently, Vanessa has been popular among Gen Z as a host, alongside her husband Nick, for reality dating shows Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum. She also expanded her acting career as the leading star of the show NCIS: Hawai’i. Lachey sat down with Her Campus to chat about all things Love Is Blind and her recent projects.
Lachey teased that Love Is Blind Season 3 will have even more drama than last season.
Love Is Blind is big among Netflix users with the first season bringing over 30 million viewers. Despite the show’s success, a recent lawsuit has come forward from a past member of the cast about their working conditions. However, Love Is Blind is already booked for more seasons, and Lachey as co-host fills us in on what’s to come.
Though Love Is Blind Season 3 has no set release date yet, Lachey tells Her Campus, “You can expect different characters because it’s in a different city. Season 3 was filmed in Dallas and I love the diversity that Netflix did in this season. We’ve actually wrapped up a couple more seasons of Love Is Blind and they’re going to roll them out when they feel right. I think the only thing I can kind of say is that it gets good and spicy at the end. Spicier than the past two, so if you can imagine that.” Netflix revealed the show will premiere sometime in 2022, so you’ll be able to see the drama unfold sooner than you think.
Her relationship with Nick shows how the Love Is Blind concept holds truth in real relationships.
Love Is Blind is all about trying to find love based on an emotional connection first rather than a physical one — it’s about finding love sight unseen. The show has led to a handful of successful couples, solidifying what Lachey already knew about a good relationship, more specifically her relationship with Nick.
“…Communication is key,” Lachey shares. “At the end of the day, everything else aesthetic on the outside is going to fade. If you don’t have a good foundation of communicating with your partner or any relationship for that matter, it’s gonna fizzle and you’re going to have some arguments.
“It just reminded us how important it was to talk things through and to be there for each other for better or worse, through thick and thin. It’s been nice to watch people fall in love that way — based on getting to know each other for who they are on the inside.”
She thinks Gen Z dating trends foster a more physical attraction rather than an emotional one, which Love Is Blind challenges.
Love Is Blind challenges common Gen Z dating trends, such as swiping on dating apps based on someone’s appearance. Lachey believes that the show lets people connect in a more authentic and intimate way.
She explains, “Even in a DM, you can get to know somebody, and you can text away and chat. What I think it does, believe it or not, is bring dating back to how it’s supposed to be, which is talking to somebody and getting to know somebody.”
Lachey adds that this was her approach to getting to know Nick. “I was in New York, he was in LA, and we would talk for hours. You just really got to know somebody, the most vulnerable side of them, because you weren’t distracted by all the external factors that do play a factor. I’m not saying those aren’t important, I’m just saying that if you have an emotional foundation, then you are able to tackle those.”
She is still rooting for The show’s successful couples that are still together today.
Two couples from Season 1, Lauren and Cameron and Barnett and Amber, are among the successful couples from the show that are an example of how, in some cases, love might truly be blind. “I remember just seeing them and thinking, ‘Gosh, they’re perfect for each other.’ I loved Lauren immediately when I met her and seeing her and Cameron together, it’s great,” shares Lachey.
Another couple was a prime example of how the show works. “Nick was on the guy’s side a lot, so he kept telling me about this guy Barnett. Then, when he and Amber got together, they just seemed like two kids crazy in love, you know? It’s beautiful to watch. For what it’s worth, we shot that in 2018 and they are still together, both of those couples. I think that speaks volumes — it’s not just a TV show for the wow factor, it really is creating these lasting, loving relationships, and I’m excited for them.”
Lachey has other endeavors outside of Love Is Blind, including teaming up with Dairy Queen.
While being the host of reality dating shows, Lachey is also acting in NCIS: Hawai’i. The latest edition of the NCIS franchise premiered in Fall 2021, and filming for Season 2 is already underway — it will air on CBS September 19. Lachey plays the lead character Jane Tennant, the special agent in charge of the fictional Naval Criminal Investigation Service at the Pearl Harbor Field Office. This role marks the first female lead in the franchise.
On top of filming NCIS: Hawai’i, Love Is Blind, and her other endeavors, Lachey is giving back to the community through an organization that hits home for her as a mother of three — Children’s Miracle Network (CMN).
She explains, “The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals are one of my favorite organizations and Dairy Queen (DQ) has found a really beautiful way to give back to both you and to the children in need at the local hospitals. July 28 is Miracle Treat Day. If you go to a participating DQ, which you can type your zip code in on dq.com to find out which ones are participating Dairy Queens, they will donate a dollar to the CMN hospitals.”
This campaign gives fans a way to treat themselves while supporting a great cause. “I think it’s a beautiful way for you to treat yourself, but also know that by buying a blizzard, you’re helping a child in need for your community. We need to come together as a community in this day and age. And of course, being a mother of three, it was a no-brainer for me. I’m glad I get to be a partner with them [Dairy Queen] on this to spread the love.”