Here's Why The Internet Isn't A Fan Of Love Is Blind's Shake
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably still reeling from Season 2 of "Love is Blind" on Netflix. After its debut in 2020, several "Love is Blind" couples are still together, making it one of the most successful reality dating shows around. Then, Netflix's addictive series returned this spring to once again hook in viewers. The unique experiment, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, allows couples to date without seeing each other, and only meet once they're engaged, as explained by Variety. For several weeks, six couples were followed by cameras, and the season ultimately ended in marriage for a few of them (via Netflix).
Although nobody was portrayed in an entirely perfect light — and everyone went through a series of ups and downs — one cast member in particular stood out from the rest. There was no denying that Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee left a lasting impression on fans. For anyone that's watched the show for even just a few minutes, it's not hard to see why. Let's take a trip down memory lane and see how Chatterjee left everyone talking in more ways than one.
The disrespectful comments about Vempati's body
From day one of dating in the pods, it's evident that Shake's crude comments knew no bounds. One interaction that stands out is when he asks Deepti Vempati if he would be able to lift her over his shoulders at a music festival, which was most likely a way to determine her weight (via Cosmopolitan).
When he intended to propose to Vempati and meet outside of the pods, viewers were hesitant about his intentions, and rightfully so. During the first face-to-face reveal, Shake appears awestruck and smitten with her. However, once they reach the island for their pre-honeymoon, everything changes.
During a get-together between the cast mates, Shake whispers to Jarette Jones that dating Vempati is like being with his aunt, and says that he lacked romantic and physical feelings. The comment is reiterated just before the wedding when he tells Shayne Jansen he feels like he's with a family member.
Comments about the shallow behavior observed by Chatterjee started rolling in, with one fan tweeting, "Shake is literally a sociopath. This is him first seeing Deepti before he kept telling anyone who would listen that she reminded him of his AUNT and he wasn't sexually attracted to her. #loveisblind never disliked a man as much as this clown." It may seem harsh, but it's just one of many tweets echoed by viewers.
Shake hit on Vanessa Lachey multiple times
Following a heated exchange between Deepti Vempati and Shake at Season 2's reunion, the latter continued by taking a dig at the Lacheys. As recalled by E! News, who could forget the jaw-dropping moment when Shake said that Vanessa Lachey was the only woman to which he was attracted?
The inappropriate comment was met with eye rolls by cast members, and it left viewers stunned. Unsurprisingly, Vanessa expressed her disappointment with Chatterjee at the beginning of the reunion in thinking he would show personal growth. She replied to his unsolicited remark by saying, "I've done nothing but berate you this entire time."
As if that wasn't bad enough, Vempati spilled some tea on the "We Have the Receipts" podcast hosted by Lauren Speed-Hamilton from Season 1 of "Love is Blind" (via Apple Podcasts). After sharing that Chatterjee made women cry during the experiment, she also said he made a pass at Vanessa during filming, per Page Six. While she didn't divulge all the details of precisely what was said, Vempati said it happened the night of the couples reveal.
Shake has been dubbed as a clout chaser
The "Love is Blind" reunion special is notorious for cringeworthy moments, but Shake took the cake when he revealed his real intentions on the show. In one clip posted on YouTube by Netflix, he infamously says he didn't care for the blind dating aspect, wishing for the show to be called "Love is Blurry" in order to see the person on the other side of the pods. At one point, while reflecting on the experience during "Love Is Blind," Chatterjee says the show isn't really about finding a wife, and that he was motivated to continue on the show to snag more screen time.
This sentiment is explored further in a letter written by Deepti Vempati's brother, Sunny, who called out Chatterjee for the comments made about his sister. In the letter, Sunny writes that Chatterjee used key moments on the show, like being invited to Vempati's family home, to gain popularity (via Instagram). The letter also confirmed that Chatterjee made remarks about Vempati's body when the cameras were off, so we can only imagine the kind of footage that didn't make it on screen.
Shifting blame to his costars
During the "Love is Blind" reunion, there were several points where Shake critiqued the relationships of his fellow cast mates, which caused several arguments during the special. At one point, Jones calls Chatterjee out for attempting to belittle the cast and his questionable intentions on the show. In a defensive attempt, Chatterjee insults the cast members by interrupting while others are speaking, calling them phony, and claiming he was the only authentic person on the show.
The attacking comments didn't stop there, and he went as far as to state with minimal evidence that Kyle Abrams is a cheater. Chatterjee even took to his Instagram Stories and posted a conversation from his direct messages with a woman who says they dated Abrams (via Screen Rant).
So far, it doesn't appear that there has been any reconciliation, since Chatterjee isn't following any fellow cast members except Shaina Hurley on Instagram, at least at the time of writing. During the reunion, Nick Thompson shares that he stopped following Chatterjee because of his problematic behavior. According to Insider, Danielle Ruhl revealed on the "We Have the Receipts" podcast that Chatterjee was banned from the "Love is Blind" cast members' group chat.
Chatterjee's lack of genuine apologies
To make matters worse, in an interview with the The Los Angeles Times, Deepti Vempati revealed that Shake did not attempt to contact her to make amends when the new season aired. Instead, he opted for a public apology video which he posted to his Instagram, leaving fans in an uproar.
While the reality star turned off his comments in the post, he later uploaded a photo revealing he has a podcast called "Love is Blurry" coming out. He captioned it, "The truth only offends those who live outside of it" (via Instagram). One user in the comments called out Chatterjee's post for the cryptic messaging and wrote, "You apologized to Vempati yesterday, but that's the quote that you choose to put under this new podcast? You don't see how that comes off?"
Since the negative fallout surrounding Chatterjee during Season 2, he and Vempati seemed to have moved on. Viewers were left wondering, are "Love is Blind's" Deepti and Kyle together now? From the looks of it, the two are rumored to be dating and were spotted going for a stroll in one TikTok video posted by a fan. Recent posts on Instagram show Chatterjee spotted with a woman who he writes is his girlfriend Emily in captions. Ultimately, Chatterjee hasn't given up on the idea of dating, even if fans now consider him the villain of Season 2.