By: Hannah Yang

A former “Love is Blind” Netflix show contestant, Jeremy Hartwell, sued the company, alleging the producers had plied the cast with alcohol, deprived them of food and water, and paid them far below minimum wage.

Hartwell appeared in the second season of “Love is Blind.” He filed a report in Los Angeles complaining the company encouraged “inhumane working conditions, by piling the cast with alcohol, but not providing proper food or drinks, and even low pay.”

Marco Margaritoff of BBC news reported, “contestants routinely worked 20 hours per day for seven days a week for $1,000 per week. A quick look at the math reveals that this total of $7.14 an hour is less than half of Los Angeles County’s $15 minimum wage.”

Hartwell also said staff members confiscated wallets, IDs, passports, and cellphones upon arrival. They were locked in their room for a whole day without food or water, although alcohol was always available.

Hartwell argued that the horrifying combination of sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food, and an abundance of alcohol is evidence that the Netflix cast was treated poorly and endured inhumane working conditions.

According to the lawsuit, the show should have treated the contestants as employees rather than independent contractors under California state law. The law would have required producers to allow the cast to choose their work hours. Now that the former contestant has filed a lawsuit, audiences will have to wait for Netflix’s official response to the issue.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62138224