"Walking red flag" — Love is Blind fans react to Dave shaming Lauren for being in a relationship before the show 

Love is Blind Season 8 aired three new episodes this week on Netflix on February 28, 2025. The social experiment continued as the engaged couples navigated their relationships and took a step forward, and met each other's friends and families.

However, things took a turn for the worse for one couple when Dave and Lauren argued over the latter's relationship before the show. Dave told his then-fiancée that once they got their phones back, he got multiple messages from his friends asking why he was engaged to Lauren because she "basically had a boyfriend" before the experiment.

He said everyone, including his sister, had heard about the guy and asked when the last time was that Lauren was with her former partner. Lauren explained that it wasn't a relationship and noted she was with him a week before the show. That combined with Dave's sister's reluctance to meet Lauren added to the male cast member's decision to end his and Lauren's engagement.

Fans of the reality show commented on the breakup online and criticized Dave for shaming Lauren for being in a relationship before the show and breaking up with her. One person wrote on X:

"Lauren dodged a bullet. Dave was a walking red flag. Shaming Lauren because she had a relationship/hookup/however you define it."

"Dave is such a gaslighter and never wanted to marry Lauren and now wants to pin it all on her but we can see through his manipulation," a fan commented.

"Starting to think Dave (and his sister) are the main ones dragging on these rumors and that’s why he doesn’t want Lauren to clear things up with his family and friends," a tweet read.

Fans of Love is Blind Season 8 felt Dave was an "avoidant":

"dave is 1000000% an avoidant. not introducing lauren to his sister and friends. sabotaging the relationship with illogical reasons. pushing lauren away but then immediately regretting it after. classic avoidant attachment if i’ve ever seen it," a person wrote.

"I do not understand why Dave is ending this with Lauren? Like I am genuinely so confused someone please break it down for me in simple words because I’m lost," a fan commented.

"It doesn’t matter what Lauren did.. Dave would have found an out.. his sister was never happen with him doing the experiment. He was talking about pleasing her even when they were in the pods. Ughhh Dave is exhausting," a tweet read.

Fans of Love is Blind Season 8 further said:

"The guy Lauren hooked up with before the show must be really intimidating for Dave.. he’s acting like an insecure lil b!tch about this whole situation," a person wrote.

"MOTHER F*CKING DAVE!!!! Lauren a better woman than me, because ain't no one, ESPECIALLY a man, is going to try and sl*t shame me on TV. The crew would have had to step in," a fan commented.

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"A couple months prior to this experiment"— Dave confronts Lauren about her relationship before the show in Love is Blind Season 8 Episode 11

In Love is Blind Season 8 Episode 11, titled, Sliding Down Slopes and Into DMs, Dave told Lauren that when they returned home, he got a lot of messages asking why he was with Lauren.

The Love is Blind Season 8 cast member noted that his friends told him that Lauren was "basically" in a relationship with someone else before the show started filming.

"I start getting messages that you had been seeing this guy for not only a few dates, a couple months prior to this experiment. And that my friends know him well," Dave said.

Dave told Lauren that she probably didn't expect him or whoever she ended up with in the pods to have "such a connection" with the person. The Love is Blind Season 8 star wondered if Lauren thought she was going to be able to come back and "not face this."

He asked Lauren if she thought the guy wasn't going to come back into her life and want to meet her. Dave added that Lauren had admitted that she never "ended it" while the female Love is Blind Season 8 participant recalled saying something different. Dave asked what she had said and she said that there wasn't a "lack of closure" in her opinion.

Dave said he had heard something different and Lauren asked him what she said.

"You said, "I should've ended it. I don't know why I didn't," Dave recalled,

Fans of the reality show commented on Dave questioning Lauren about her previous relationship and felt he shamed her for being with someone ahead of the show.

Love is Blind Season 8 can be streamed online, exclusively on Netflix.