“Love Is Blind” contestant Tran Dang is suing production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, claiming she was sexually abused by her former fiancé Thomas Smith during filming of Season 5, the latest season of the Netflix series. The couple got engaged during the season, but were not seen in the episodes. Dang also alleges false imprisonment and negligence.
Kinetic Content and Delirium TV denied the claims in a joint statement to Variety after People broke news of the lawsuit.
“We support and support victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are without merit. We document the independent decisions of adults who voluntarily participate in a social experiment. There is neither a script for her journey nor is it filmed around the clock. We have no knowledge or control over what happens in private homes when not filming, and participants can end their trip at any time,” the companies said. “We take all of our participants’ concerns seriously and value their well-being. Obviously, we cannot address confidential concerns, and throughout the time that Ms. Dang was involved in the production of Love is Blind, she never informed the producers of any alleged misconduct of any kind. She also did not decide to end her participation in the experiment. Instead, Ms. Dang continued the experiment for weeks after her lawyers now claim an incident occurred. We deny the allegations made against us and will defend them vigorously.”
Chris Coelen, creator and CEO of Kinetic Content, also denied the allegations, emphasizing that production was never informed that it felt unsafe. “If anyone ever came to us and said they felt unsafe in any way, we would immediately remove them from the experiment, talk to them and try to get to the bottom of it,” he said. “Unfortunately, in this case, this type of sentiment was in no way directed at us, nor were we ever made aware of any alleged wrongdoing.”
In her lawsuit, Dang claims she was sexually assaulted by Smith on May 3, 2022, while vacationing in Mexico. When contacted by Variety, Smith’s attorney Kip Patterson said his client disputes these allegations, adding, “We do not comment on ongoing litigation.”
Dang alleges that “Smith forcibly groped her without Ms. Dang’s consent, exposed herself naked, and repeatedly engaged in sexual contact despite her explicit objections.” The lawsuit states: “Because of [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV’s] With 24-hour surveillance of the performers, most if not all of these traumatic acts were likely captured on film.”
Coelen denied that claim to People and previously told Variety in response to previous claims from contestants that they don’t film 24 hours a day. “They live their lives. There are many moments where they are not documented,” he said. “We don’t install cameras in the bedrooms or bathrooms. We don’t have any of those. They know when we’re close. Since I really believe in these real relationships, I want them to know what it’s like to be with their partner.”
Coelen also told Variety that each season there are several couples who get engaged but no one follows them. “Every season there are a lot of stories that we don’t tell, whether couples get engaged or not,” he said. “Some of them we will even follow for a while and not show their story on the show. It’s a bit of a decision.”
In the lawsuit, Dang also alleges that she was harassed by Smith during a phone conversation on May 14, 2022, and that he subsequently called producers to complain that she had reported him. Dang claims she tried to notify producers several times and decided to quit, but was forced to film one final scene.
Coelen denies the claims and reiterates what he previously told Variety – that anyone who wants to leave the show is free to do so, as several cast members have done in the past.
Dang claims she was “prohibited from leaving her hotel room without explicit permission,” which Coelen has said in the past to “protect the integrity of the experiment.” During Variety’s September 27 interview with Coelen, he responded to a similar claim from Nick Thompson, saying that the rules were in place to prevent cast members from seeing others before they should and that staff would be available to help if necessary Everything would be available at any time.
Variety contacted both Dang and Smith’s attorney, who did not immediately respond.