With Netflix dropping three more episodes of its hit reality show Love Is Blind, there is so much drama to discuss. One of the biggest red flags from Season 8 is Dave Bettenburg. Dave speaks down to his dates, gaslights them, and blows them with negative flirting. Despite all that, Dave was evident in his motive to grow out of bad habits, but by choosing Lauren O’Brien for the wrong reasons, Dave did not change his ways.

Dave Bettenburg came to Love Is Blind to overcome his superficial tendencies and make a mature decision by finding an emotional connection in the pods. However, Dave confused a choice based on his attraction with what he thought other people would want him to do, thus falling into the same bad habits as before, just in a different way. Now, Dave’s choice is hurting everyone.

Dave and Molly Clicked on ‘Love Is Blind’

Dave was attracted to bubbly and down-to-earth Molly Mullaney right off the bat. Both Molly and Dave said, in no uncertain terms, that they felt like they were the same person. Dave was excited by Molly, wanting to see more of her. Dave’s enthusiasm to talk rivaled Alex Brown’s while his indecisiveness was more like Madison Errichiello. There was a shared attraction between Dave and Molly, and for many of the first few episodes, it seemed clear that Dave would pick her. However, Dave picked Lauren.

With Lauren, he seemed bored and almost patronizing. Yes, they had things in common, but Lauren was a lot tamer than Molly, and it was evident that Dave was unimpressed by this. During their time in the pods, Molly was just as confident that she and Dave were making huge strides, while Lauren frantically worried about Molly. Yet when Lauren confronted him about his relationship with Molly, Dave made it seem like there was no connection and that he felt closer to Lauren. In the end, Dave chooses Lauren, surprising the audience and Molly.

Lauren Is Confident And Independent

While Lauren seemed shy in the pods, she was bold once back in the outside world. Lauren admits that she had a friends-with-benefits situation before the experiment began, and it immediately throws Dave off. While Dave and Lauren are on the trip and spending time together, he seems intimidated by her. Lauren’s sex life becomes an issue as Dave tries to make her seem like the bad guy. Dave lets his friends convince him that she is lying. Dave is not the only person to be uncomfortable with a woman’s sexual confidence this season, with Devin Buckley thrown off by Brittany Dodson’s sexuality. However, Dave tries to blame the fact that he is not attracted to Lauren on her choices, which makes her feel bad and makes him look misogynistic.

Dave Chose Lauren For Appearances

The truth was that Dave chose Lauren for the wrong reasons. Dave believed his sister would approve of Lauren and saw her as stereotypical wife material. However, Lauren is not the traditional girl Dave had expected. Although Dave seems like he would never be satisfied even with Molly, he feels like choosing Lauren ruined his chances at love in the pods. Because Dave chose Lauren to fit a mold that he didn’t even want, he hurt Molly, Lauren, and himself. Dave worried that he was picking women for cosmetic reasons, basing his attraction off whether others perceived the women as beautiful. So he came to Love Is Blind. However, Dave chose a woman based on what he thought other people would see as the right decision, completely sacrificing his feelings and the feelings of Molly and Lauren. The choice was not for physical appearance, but it was entirely based on the opinions of others. By choosing Lauren, Dave ruined his chances on Love Is Blind, fell into the same pattern of behavior with women, and hurt both Lauren and Molly.

Season 8 of Love Is Blind has been a mess, with happy couples like Ben Mezzenga and Sara Carton becoming toxic and the best matches not making it out of the pods. Dave and Lauren are no exception to this. Dave and Molly were a better pair, but he chose Lauren instead. Now that Lauren has not met Dave’s outdated expectations, he is uninterested in her. Dave should have picked Molly instead of trying to win approval. Choosing Molly would have spared everyone’s feelings and shown that Dave has finally grown out of his bad habits, but alas, Dave picked Lauren for the wrong reasons.