Leo From ‘Love Is Blind’ Is A Textbook Example Of A Gaslighter, Here’s Why

I remember a point when I really enjoyed watching Love Is Blind — I think it was back when Lauren and Cameron were getting together. But since then, the show has gone in an *interesting* direction and it seems that each new season brings worse and worse people. And being that this season is set in Washington, D.C. — home to some of the most horrible men in the country — it’s no surprise that the pick of men on LIB season 7 are a special kind of awful. And possibly more awful than the rest? Leo Braudy.

Ah, Leo, you are a special kind of man. And by “special,” I mean a super pretentious, gaslighting nepo baby who doesn’t know how to have a personality outside of being wealthy. Now, there are a lot of things that irked me about Leo. I didn’t like that he kept saying he didn’t want someone to want him for his money… and then proceeded to constantly talk about how loaded he was. I also didn’t like that despite being super rich, he wasn’t into the idea of handling all the bills. SMH, useless. But above all, I hated that he gaslit the fuck out of both Hannah and Brittany and still ended up with a beautiful woman saying yes to his proposal (though, I won’t lie I was happy to hear the engagement was broken off a few weeks later).

Image Credit: Netflix

Now Leo, like a typical manipulator, may not seem like a “bad guy” on the surface. I mean, he was totally transparent with Hannah and Brittany that he was talking to someone else, right? Well, let’s get into that. Under the guise of being “open and h0nest,” Leo humiliated Brittany by constantly bringing up his “other connection.” Listen man, we all know everyone’s talking to other people — that’s the point of the show. But to go to someone you claim you’re considering marrying and ask her for her ring size and preference only to say you’re going to ask the same of the other girl too?? Insane behavior. Even worse? Pretending you weren’t aggressively stuck between two girls to try and manipulate them into giving you what you want.

If you recall, Leo tells both Hannah and Brittany that he’s torn right down the middle between them. Then, Hannah (after initially rejecting Nick) exchanges “I love you” with Nick. Hannah then goes to Leo to break things off and Leo goes into a panic. He starts begging her to give him a chance. He says that he loves her and even asks, “If I propose to you today, would you leave with me?” Basically, he proves that he’s not as torn as he thought he was. He pleads with Hannah to think on it before rejecting him, which overwhelms her and pushes her to tears. The next day though? He says he loves Brittany, can only see a future with her, and that Nick and Hannah are perfect for each other. And if that isn’t confusing (and dickish) enough, he then asks Hannah to talk to Brittany on his behalf and convince her she wasn’t a second option. JAIL.

Leo is a rich, entitled man who’s never been told “no.” So, when Hannah is starting to reject him, he starts manipulating her. Then he does a 180 and says Brittany is the one for him. He then proposes to Brittany, speaking as if he was just afraid to “follow his heart.” This is exactly what gaslighters do. Despite already showing you who they really are, they try to erase history and convince you of some truth that’s convenient for them. He was clearly ready to propose to Hannah, but the next second suddenly he only wants Brittany? Yeah… okay. And to lay it on extra thick, before ever seeing her, he makes the weirdest comment ever saying, “Even if a Victoria’s Secret model walked in, I would only want Brittany.” Odd, unprovoked comment. No one asked, Leo.

Am I surprised that Leo’s engagement didn’t pan out? No. Am I still upset that he got the satisfaction of someone accepting his proposal despite him being a horrible human? A little. Even Brittany herself knew that she was settling when she realized Leo was treating her like a second option. But in the end, he’s just another LIB villain we were glad to finally get off our screens. Oh yeah, and his poem sucked.