I Visited The Most Drama-Filled Love Is Blind Locations In Minneapolis

The messy chaos of Love Is Blind can never be fully contained in the pods. That was never more true than when the dating experiment headed north for its Minneapolis-set eighth season. As the (mostly) mismatched Minnesotans weathered TikTok controversy, mysterious exes, and sibling conflict, they infected the city with their drama. And after spending some time in the most tension-filled places where Season 8 was filmed, I can confirm that there’s now a haunting vibe to the theater where Dave dumped Lauren, the oft-mentioned bar where all the unseen cheating allegations took place, and various other spots.

I first got the idea to investigate these Minneapolis locations when the ominous “Basement Bar” was brought up for a second time at the Season 8 reunion as the setting for yet another unshown flare of dramatics. What was it about this place that Dave risked his relationship with Lauren on one drunken night, and Joey may or may not have hit on Madison? It was apparently the epicenter for so many scandals, but for some reason, the Love Is Blind cameras never filmed there.

So, in between stops on my weekend trip to Minneapolis in late April, I decided to make a Love Is Blind tour my personal side quest. I didn’t initially plan for all the places I visited to be sites of particularly awkward moments, but it somehow worked out that way in the end.

Bryant-Lake Bowl

Dave and Lauren’s breakup scene stood out as especially jarring to me. Not because I was surprised they were calling off their engagement (honestly, thank God they did!), but because it looked like they were having this serious chat in some strange abandoned-looking theater. Um, weren’t they just in a bowling alley like two seconds ago?

Well, yes! Upon visiting Bryant-Lake Bowl, I discovered the Uptown destination is a bowling alley, a 90-seat theater, and a restaurant, all wrapped into one spot. Since I went pretty early in the day for breakfast, the theater was just as empty as it was on Love Is Blind, so I took the opportunity to sit in the very same red velvet seats that Dave and Lauren sat in during their last moments as an engaged couple.

It was just as spooky as you might imagine.

Eagle Brook Church

Next up, I hunted down the (possibly problematic?) church where Ben brought his fiancée, Sarah. She made it pretty clear in the season finale that Ben’s devotion to this place played a big part in her decision not to marry him.

Since I visited on a Saturday, the church was not open, which I was totally fine with. I’m not committed enough to this little project to sit through a service, sorry.

Pepsi Orange Streak Roller Coaster

OK, the Mall of America wasn’t really tainted by any Love Is Blind drama like the other places I visited, but the bachelorette party that the Season 8 women threw in the mall’s theme park does have a bit of a sad tinge now looking back, knowing that almost all of these ladies were about to experience a breakup at the altar.

Thankfully for me, I didn’t have a doomed wedding to worry about cursing, so I could enjoy the indoor roller coaster they rode freely.

The Basement Bar

Finally, it was time to go after my white whale. Throughout Season 8, Basement Bar was mentioned as a spot where all the behind-the-scenes drama was going down. It’s where Dave spent a night out with the boys that Lauren later chastised him for. It’s where Madison claimed that Joey came on to her while he was still with Monica. It’s basically where the whole cast was always hanging out, it seemed.

For all this buildup, the subterranean club was... fine. It was pretty empty when I went for a drink at about 9 p.m. on a Saturday — it likely doesn’t get going until much later, considering it’s open until 2 a.m. on weekends.

The vibe is what you’d expect given its name; it’s very spacious with lots of hangout areas, and decorated with bikes and posters like you might find in someone’s basement.

Although I got the impression that much of the Love Is Blind cast frequents the bar, I didn’t have any sightings in my maybe half-hour of exploring the space. I had a Charli XCX concert to get to nearby, so I split pretty quickly. Ironically enough, that next location was really where the LIB cast was hanging out that night.