Love Is Blind Teases Massive Trouble Between Dave & Lauren (But It’s Not the Controversy Fans Expect)

Love Is Blind always has drama mixed in with the actual stories of true love. In season eight, the stories seemed to move at a snail’s pace. So many episodes were dedicated to the pods conversations as couples got to know one another better, fall in love, and propose. In the end, five couples got engaged and met in person.

One of the couples that fans had reservations about was Dave and Lauren. Dave seemed superficial, despite his insistence that he came on the show to change his usual ways. Nonetheless, it didn’t strike viewers that he was ready for a relationship. Indeed, back in Minnesota, there’s already trouble in paradise. But in a shocking twist, it actually has to do with Lauren and her status prior to the show, and not Dave.

Dave’s Phone Was Blowing Up About Lauren’s Dating History Once They Landed Back Home

Everything was seemingly sunshine and roses for all the best couples on Love Is Blind season 8 as they enjoyed spending time together in person in Honduras. During that time, they did not have access to their cell phones nor contact with family and friends. They got their devices back once they arrived home.

While details were scarce at first, Lauren alluded to Dave having gotten upsetting messages once he turned on his phone, relating to her. His family members, namely his sister, and his friends, knew of Lauren and the man she mentioned having casually dated prior to coming on the show.

But they didn’t just know this man existed; they actually knew him! As it turns out, two of the guys Lauren has had past relationships with have mutual friends with Dave, and he actually knows them himself. While he admits he doesn’t “know them” know them, more like acquaintances he has crossed paths with, it still makes things awkward. He already knew this while they were in Honduras. But hearing opinions and stories from his friends and family back home added further pressure and concern. As if this wasn’t awkward enough, the guy lives in the same building that all the couples move into.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to imagine that the new fiancés have never dated before and that they wouldn’t run into exes in the same city at some point in time. But with Dave’s family and friends knowing about Lauren and hearing things about her prior to the show, Dave has his reservations.

Lauren Has a Complicated Predicament

Throughout their time together in the new apartment, Dave continued to bring the issue up, seemingly because he was getting contacted by many people in his life trying to tell him that Lauren was seeing someone just before going on the show and lying about it.

For her part, Lauren tried desperately to explain the situation to Dave. She noted that she and the other guy had been talking, but it was completely casual, like a friends-with-benefits situation. She realized that he wasn’t the person for her, but she kept the physical relationship going, right up to a few weeks prior to going on the show, but not literally days. However, others claim she was with the guy the weekend prior to departing for Love Is Blind.

Her friends and co-workers back up Lauren’s story, suggesting this guy is just looking for fame and attention. He could potentially also be bitter because Lauren didn’t officially end things with him, even though she swears there was nothing to end in the first place. In fact, she says at their last meet-up, he talked about the date he had the night prior with someone else. So many controversies were teased in the trailer for Love Is Blind 8, but this wasn’t one of them, and it wasn’t something anyone saw coming.

Despite Lauren’s reassurances, Dave is listening to his friends who paint another story. While preparing snacks to have Dave’s friends over, he mentions to Lauren that he actually has them on standby because he doesn’t know if it will be awkward. Lauren urges him to invite them because she wants to sit down with them and clear the air. She recognizes this is the only way they can move forward.

However, Dave decides that he will not have them over, but just needs some time to really think about things. He seems hung up on what his sister thinks as well, especially now that her impression of Lauren has been soured before even meeting her potential sister-in-law.

This leaves the couple in a precarious position. Lauren tearfully tries to defend herself, indicating that just because she was casually dating prior to the show doesn’t mean she isn’t ready for commitment. She also feels as though the guy is lying, trying to pretend they had a relationship they didn’t and that they met up more recently than she claims. It’s a full-on “he said, she said.”

Is There a Double Standard at Play?

Lauren Might Be Unfairly Judged

Some viewers think there could be a double standard at play here. In many cases, the guys admit to being promiscuous prior to coming on the show, and it’s chalked up to them simply being single and free to do as they please. It’s rare that they’re judged for it, with the exception of Izzy from season five, whose drawer of random items one-night stand women have left in his bedroom understandably turned Stacy off.

The situation has fans wondering: if the tables were turned, would the woman have felt the same way about the man’s casual encounters with another woman months, even weeks, prior to coming on the show? It hasn’t ever really come up in conversation in previous seasons, except in situations where the man had an actual girlfriend, like Trevor, or had recently gotten out of a very serious relationship, like Jeramy.

In one similar instance from a previous season, Lydia had previously dated a man in the pods. But despite warnings from Uche, one of the least likable cast members from Love Is Blind season 5, to Milton about Lydia suggesting she was in contact with him not long before the show, Milton didn’t budge. He defended Lydia, the pair remained together, got married, and are married to this day.

From the sounds of it, Lauren did not have a boyfriend prior to going on the show and even the man in question admits they weren’t in a serious relationship. He claims that they were “talking” and that they had been together just prior to her leaving for the show. But should this matter? There’s no specified time someone needs to be completely single before trying to find “the one.” In fact, meeting people and going out with others is precisely how to find that life partner. Sometimes, it’s as much about exploring what you don’t want as it is about finding what you do.

It comes across as though, since Dave hasn’t had a serious girlfriend for four years and hadn’t really dated anyone in some time, he expects the same of his potential partner. It’s an unfair requirement to place on Lauren.

The real reason he’s so caught up in this, however, could also be that subconsciously, he’s regretting his decision to choose Lauren. Molly, the other woman with whom he connected in the pods, was clear about the fact that she hadn’t dated in some time and had never had a serious boyfriend. They also seemed to be more in tune with one another. But he felt she was too much like all the other women he dated, whereas Lauren seemed more like relationship material.

Is this just a case of Dave looking for excuses? Is he feeling the pressure from his friends and worried about what his sister might think? Conversely, is Lauren lying, and she has dated around quite a bit, suggesting she isn’t really looking for something serious and didn’t go on the show with the right intentions?

It’s understandable that Dave would feel uncomfortable with the whole situation and fear that it would hang over his head throughout the entire relationship. The easy solution is for the pair to continue dating after the show and pursue a relationship instead of a marriage. But as past instances of couples on the show have proven, this usually doesn’t work long-term.

For now, fans aren’t convinced that Dave and Lauren will make it for the long haul. Unless Dave gives Lauren a chance to meet his friends, and importantly, his sister, and they can all talk in the same room, it will never get resolved. He appears unwilling to do so right now, which could be a reflection of his lack of passion to keep the relationship going.

If that’s the case, fans will have to respect his decision. He shouldn’t drag it out into a marriage only to be unable to get over it. Even though season seven couple Ashley and Tyler tried to overcome the initial serious omissions in their relationship and actually got married, they have since become one of the Love Is Blind couples who got divorced.

Dave and Lauren don’t want to go down that road, and this might mean cutting their losses and moving on without one another. Fans will have to wait and see which direction they go, but it isn’t looking good.