Former Love Is Blind star Nick Thompson has revealed he’s prone to shedding his house after struggling to discover a job within the wake of his look on the 2021 Netflix actuality present – for which he says he’s simply ‘ $7.14 an hour” while being “treated like a prisoner.”
The TV personality turned mental health advocate, who appeared in the show’s second season, has claimed his life has been ruined by the sequence, whereas lashing out at Netflix for “exploiting” him and his fellow solid members.
Speaking solely to DailyMail.com, 38-year-old Nick stated he was solely paid $10,000 for 10 weeks of filming and that there was no dialogue of residual cost, regardless of the continued success of Love Is Blind, which has been operating for 4 seasons since. the discharge. 2020 and can debut a fifth installment in September this yr.
“If you think about the amount of money that’s being made, and the way this is the path for future seasons, and the fact that anybody can go ahead and watch me… and I’m going to be homeless,” he stated.
“I lost my job last November. I’m having a lot of trouble finding (a new one).
Former Love Is Blind star Nick Thompson, 38, has revealed he is on the brink of homelessness after struggling to find a job in the wake of his 2021 appearance on the Netflix reality show
Romance: The former VP of product marketing found love with Danielle Ruhl on the program, though the pair have since split
“I burned through my savings that cashed out my 401(k). I still have two months in the bank to pay my mortgage. I can’t get a job because people don’t take me seriously.
“I was VP in software for five years, so it’s not that I don’t have experience or success.”
Nick additionally described feeling like he was being held “a prisoner” throughout his time within the social experiment and believes he and others have been manipulated by producers and psychologists.
Nick uncovered the brutal realities of filming Love Is Blind, claiming that producers “had you under control 24 hours a day.”
“You film 18 to 20 hours a day,” he claimed. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be on TV all the time, but you’re micronized from the minute you get there in the morning, and you’re all micronized until you leave.”
“Then when you go home at the end of the day you are locked in your hotel room with no key no wallet no money no identification.
“You are literally held captive as a prisoner and there is absolutely no reason not to consider you an employee if you are technically under the control of your employer 24 hours a day.”
Since showing on Love Is Blind, Nick has co-founded the Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network (YOU CAN), which helps present psychological well being and authorized help to actuality TV stars of the previous, current, and future.
His feedback come simply weeks after Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel known as for a “reality TV reckoning” amid the continued SAG and WGA strikes and argued that stars ought to obtain residuals for the exhibits during which they seem.
Season 2 solid: Nick was one of many contestants who made all of it the best way to the altar
Taking a stand: He’s now combating for actuality present solid members to be handled with dignity and given fundamental human rights
He additionally totally helps Bethenny’s mission to unite actuality stars to allow them to negotiate honest staff’ rights and honest wages.
Nick says he solely made $10,000 from showing on the present, explaining that he obtained $7,000 for seven weeks of filming and one other $3,000 for After The Altar, the episodes that adopted the weddings.
He equates this determine to only $7.14 an hour, which is greater than a greenback lower than the $8.50 minimal wage in Illinois, the place the present was primarily filmed.
To additional emphasize the meager quantity, his revenue was additionally lower than the nationwide minimal wage, which was $7.25 in 2021.
While outsiders may argue that Nick may have dropped out of the trial at any time, he claimed he was contractually obligated to proceed with the experiment or face $50,000 in damages.
Nick believes that he and plenty of different tv personalities who appeared on actuality exhibits have been exploited by the streaming platforms, which have produced low cost content material on the expense of solid members.
“We were manipulated, our triggers were used against us,” he claimed. “Everything we shared with a producer or with a psychological research was armed against us.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Netflix for remark.
While Nick discovered love with Danielle Ruhl within the pods, the couple ended up divorcing in August 2022 after a year-long marriage.
When requested if he would have ever signed on for the present figuring out what he is aware of now, Nick replied, “That’s a tough question. I go back and forth. I never thought I’d be on a reality TV show.
“Even when I took the call, I thought, I’m not here for this; I’m not very dramatic, I’ve got my stuff together and I have a good professional job, I’ve done a lot of therapy. Next thing I know I was there.
“When I think about everything that’s happened and think about my relationship, it’s hard to say I wish I never had.”
Exploited: Nick believes that actuality stars have been taken benefit of and totally helps unions within the business
That stated, Nick, who hosts his personal podcast Eyes Wide Open, stated that occurring with Love Is Blind “completely ruined his life.”
“I wish I could just go back to living the fun life I built for myself instead of wondering if my mortgage is going to be paid,” he admitted. “It’s a ruthless, ruthless, ruthless industry.”
Fellow actuality stars are stated to really feel the identical approach about eager to strike and be a part of a union, however Nick claimed they’re too scared to talk out about their experiences due to contracts.
“We probably talked to 100 150 people from different shows together,” he stated, referring to his work at UCAN.
And most would agree that they’re afraid to talk up due to the contracts and the NDAs. They quietly help, however they’re afraid.’
Turning his consideration to streamers like Netflix, Nick, who fights that actuality present solid members be handled with dignity and given fundamental human rights, stated flatly that they don’t care.
“They’re just making that money because reality TV is extremely cheap to produce, and they can keep doing that because of the strike,” he stated.
Nick begged Netflix to behave and do proper by actuality stars. “They have a great opportunity to lead the industry and get on the right side of the issue now,” he advised us.
“And I don’t hold a grudge. When they come to me, or to our foundation, or to the coalition of people that we’re building, and they say, “Let’s talk,” that door is all the time open to them. But they should get on the fitting facet of issues.
“They’re writing themselves out of business if they don’t start treating writers, actors, and all reality cast members right. I invite them to the right side of the battle.”
