Are Cole & Barnett From Love Is Blind Related?

If you’ve seriously considered applying for Love Is Blind, you might be wondering what the producers are looking for in potential contestants — and apparently, having the last name Barnett is a big boost to your odds. So far, the show has seen two Barnetts pass from the pods to the altar: Matt Barnett from Season 1 and Cole Barnett from Season 3, which airs its final weddings and reunion on Nov. 9.

The men share much more than a surname, though. They look alike and fall into similar pod patterns, too. During their respective introductions on the show, Cole and Matt Barnett (or simply Barnett, as his friends call him) both share that they can be a bit surface-level when it comes to dating. “I always go for pretty girls,” Barnett said back in 2020. “It’s shallow to say, but it’s the truth.”

Cole, for his part, voiced a similar reflection: “I did see a hot girl on the toilet paper aisle and started a conversation, but it’s like, how am I gonna do that? How am I gonna lock that up? I’m never gonna see her again.”

It’s also interesting that both Cole and Barnett get into some pretty tricky love triangles during their respective Love Is Blind outings. The first Barnett ultimately chose Amber Pike (they’re still together today!) despite also forging a pod connection with Jessica Batten. And more recently, Cole’s attraction to other women, especially Colleen Reed, has caused problems in his relationship with Zanab Jaffrey.

Netflix itself poked fun at the similarities, writing that “Every season needs a Barnett” in a recent Love Is Blind post — later clarifying, though, that there’s “no relation” between the pair. Both Barnetts responded in the comments. “I did live right outside of Dallas for a few years in my early 20s... just sayin’,” said Barnett the First. (Ironically, when asked by Amber if he had any kids during their Season 1 pod meeting, Barnett said, “Not that I know of.”)

Cole, for his part, thought they might be brothers. “Maybe I have a 3rd sibling I never knew about? Tis’ possible,” he said. He recently told Decider that he hasn’t actually spoken to Barnett but has tagged him online. “You know, we might be long-lost brothers if we could ever link up and talk.”

For now, the men are Instagram mutuals— and until the inevitable Barnett family reunion, Twitter is having fun pointing out all the similarities.

However, for some viewers, there have been some key differences between the Barnetts, too.

Fans will have to wait until the finale next week to see if Cole ultimately follows Barnett’s footsteps and ends up married on Love Is Blind.