Love Is Blind season four star Kwame Appiah has come under fire after revealing he was considering changing his name for the show.
Fans have just about recovered from the, Cole and Zanab in season three of the hit dating series.
However, Netflix came with the goods and , this time following a batch of hopeful singletons in Seattle.
Episode one hit the ground running and featured former footballer Kwame on his quest to find his soulmate in the pods.
In one scene, the 33-year-old was seen introducing himself to marketing manager Micah, 27, through the wall.
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.’
Viewers were stunned by the revelation, with many feeling it was Kwame’s attempt to downplay his African heritage.
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.’
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 address the backlash over his comment about his name directly but did condemn the trolling he’s received from his overall behaviour 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.
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