Season four Love Is Blind actor Kwame Appiah has come under criticism after stating he was thinking about changing his identity for the programme.
Fans of the hit dating show have hardly recovered from the dramas of SK, Raven, Cole, and Zanab in season three.
Netflix, on the other hand, delivered and released season four on Friday, this time following a group of optimistic singletons in Seattle.
The first episode got things started quickly, with former footballer Kwame on a journey to locate his partner in the pods.
In one incident, the 33-year-old was seen through the wall introducing himself to marketing manager Micah, 27.
After learning her name, Kwame – who has Ghanaian heritage – said: ‘Wow, Micah, I love that. My name is Kwame.’
He then dropped the bombshell: ‘I actually was going to use the name Alex instead.’
‘Really?’ Micah asked, to which he explained: ‘Yeah, I feel like Kwame just puts me in this very specific area.’
Micah replied: ‘I’m really happy that you used your name.’
The revelation startled viewers, with many believing it was Kwame’s attempt to deny his African origin.
One reacted on Twitter: ‘Kwame saying he wanted to use the name “Alex” & that he couldn’t pick up his girlfriend for prom cuz he was Black told me everything I needed to know.’
Another weighed in: ‘Kwame just said he was about to use the name “Alex” because Kwame puts him in a “very specific area” which I figure he means BLACK, AFRICAN, NEGRO. Well we thank God he didn’t use Alex innit.’
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With big sigh, one exasperated viewer wrote: ‘Not even 5 mins into the new season of love is blind and this ghanaian man is telling us that he was considering using the name “alex” instead of kwame. i’m regretting this already.’
Tolly from The Receipts podcast said: ‘Love is blind is already p*****g me off. Kwame basically said he wanted to use the name Alex so they wouldn’t know he was a NEGRO! Why would you want to date someone who your race is a surprise to. Get him out of here man kmt.’
Another said: ‘Kwame saying he couldnt pick up his date to prom bc hes black is crushing. But his expressing gratitude that race isnt a factor on the show (false) & how he considered changing his name to Alex speaks volume to which race of women hes looking to attract.’
However, one viewer gave Kwame the benefit of the doubt, and wrote in an Instagram comment: ‘The premise of the show that it is “blind” dating. His name automatically identifies him as Black and African, so him wanting to use another name based on what this show is supposed to be about is really not that deep.’
Kwame did not explicitly address the outrage for his name statement, but he did denounce the cyberbullying he has experienced as a result of his general attitude on the show.
‘Waking up to some really nasty messages, so I’ll share 1 with you all,’ he wrote in an Instagram post alongside a video addressing the hate.
The sales development manager continued: ‘You’re all entitled to your opinion, and reflection on the show. But, waking up to multiple messages like this, is NOT okay. Things like this are inhumane, and we’ve gotta do better. You are getting to watch a sliver of my life and judge me.
‘Based off the purely disgusting and hateful words I’m seeing, it could be an issue with me, but it’s also definitely an issue with you. Logging off for a bit. Enjoy your weekends.’
Love Is Blind season 4 is available to watch on Netflix, with new episodes released this Friday.
