Love Is Blind: Netherlands viewers have condemned a contestant after he told a Black woman that he could not see himself falling for someone who was “fully Black”.
The controversial exchange took place between 32-year-old sous chef Jurriaan and 26-year-old banking functional specialist Mika, who developed a close connection while dating without seeing each other.
Jurriaan initially told Mika that he wanted to meet someone based on personality rather than physical appearance, describing the Netflix programme as a “beautiful experiment”.
His position appeared to change when their conversation turned to race and ethnicity.
Jurriaan reveals racial dating preference
Mika, who has Eritrean heritage, deliberately avoided describing her appearance because she wanted the men she dated to judge her personality without making assumptions based on her skin colour.
During a later conversation, Jurriaan became curious about what she looked like.
When Mika asked if there was any physical type he could never find attractive, he hesitated before saying: “I wouldn’t fall for a fully Black woman.”
Mika challenged the apparent contradiction between that statement and his earlier claim that he cared primarily about someone’s personality.
She told him it should not matter whether she was white, Black, green or purple.
The conversation grew more uncomfortable when Jurriaan told Mika that she “sounded Dutch”, a remark that attracted further criticism from viewers who questioned why he appeared to connect nationality or language with skin colour.
Mika says comment brought back painful memories
Speaking separately to the camera, Mika said Jurriaan’s comments affected her deeply because she had previously experienced romantic rejection and prejudice connected to her skin colour.
She explained that people sometimes formed inaccurate assumptions about her because of her African heritage.
“That doesn’t work for me,” she said while reflecting on whether she could continue pursuing the relationship.
Jurriaan admitted that he felt uncomfortable about how the conversation had unfolded but said he hoped Mika would not immediately end their connection.
Viewers question his place on the show
The exchange generated widespread criticism on social media, with viewers questioning why someone with firm racial restrictions would participate in a programme called Love Is Blind.
Some called on Netflix to conduct more extensive screening of contestants, while others described Jurriaan’s statement as discriminatory or racist.
Dutch celebrities and media personalities also reacted to the footage.
Radio presenter Fernando Halman said he would have ended the conversation if he had been in Mika’s position.
Presenter Défano Holwijn questioned whether excluding an entire group of women based on skin colour could reasonably be described as a dating preference.
Couple become engaged despite controversy
Despite the tense conversation, Mika and Jurriaan continued dating in the pods.
Jurriaan later said he had discussed the matter with his friends and reconsidered his position. He told Mika that his feelings about her had not changed and praised her personality and “warm heart”.
He also referred to his own partial Indonesian heritage while insisting that Mika’s background was not ultimately a problem for him.
Mika decided to continue exploring their connection, and the couple became engaged before meeting face-to-face.
Their first in-person meeting appeared positive, and they remained engaged through the first five episodes of the series.
However, neither contestant has confirmed whether they are still together following filming.
Love Is Blind: Netherlands premiered on Netflix on 30 September. Episodes six to eight will be released on 7 October, followed by episode nine on 14 October. A date for the reunion episode has not yet been announced.
Love Is Blind Netherlands is available to stream on Netflix
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