Is love blind?
Well, a New Orleans native and LSU alumnus went on a reality TV show to find out.
Paul Peden, 29, along with 29 other single men and women entered "the pods" in the hopes to find love on Netflix's season four of "Love is Blind." After multiple of days of dating, the singles had to decide if they would get engaged to someone they had never seen and only talked to through a wall.
Viewers who are caught up on the show know that Peden and his fiancé Micah Lussier are preparing to possibly get married in the final episode set to drop April 14 on the streaming service.
Ahead of the finale, Peden answered a few questions to share a little more about himself and his experience.
Experience on the show
Going on a show that tests how people fall in love, Peden said he definitely learned about what love means for him.
"I learned that unconditional love really exists outside of logic," he shared. "By definition, unconditional love has no conditions. Conditions are ascertained through the use of logic. Therefore, love does not need logic to exist."
Peden added he couldn't share more about his lessons in love without giving away spoilers for the "billions of viewers."
While he was not able to divulge more on his relationship with Lussier, Peden gave insight about how long he actually spent in "the pods."
"It varied wildly. Some dates were short as 10 minutes and some went on for hours and hours," Peden said. "You could say maybe a max of 12 hours in total? I really couldn't say. You lose track of time pretty quickly."
When not in the pods, the 15 men and women are sequestered in separate living areas while waiting for their dates. Peden said he became close with two of the cast members, Zack Goytowski and Chris Clemmons. Peden and Goytowski shared "some of the craziest conversations." Clemmons, who was not someone viewers saw a lot of, was part of Peden's support system while the two were going through the experience.
One of Peden's passions is food, as displayed on his social media, and he wasn't too impressed with the food during the experience.
"Personally I found the food boring, not enough spice. I'm sure they had to pick things that everyone could eat," he said, adding that the stress of his experience made it so he didn't eat much anyway.
Claiming Louisiana as home
While he currently lives in Seattle, Peden claims Louisiana, specifically the New Orleans area, as home.
"I spent a ton of time outdoors as a kid. Running around barefoot in the woods and catching snakes, alligators and whatever else I could find," Peden said.
Many in Louisiana ask where you went to high school to determine where they are from, but Peden wasn't able to go to high school in Louisiana; his family moved to Mississippi and Alabama after Hurricane Katrina. He did say that he probably would have gone to Archbishop Rummel High School if his family was still in the area.
After high school, Peden made his way to Louisiana State University, where he studied environmental science. Peden said he always felt a draw to the ocean and his time growing up in Louisiana was part of what led him on his career path. Peden enjoyed many of his classes. His favorite school experience was when he worked in Dr. James H. Cowan Jr.'s lab.
"We would take periodic trips on research vessels to fish for red snapper out 200 miles into the gulf for two weeks at a time. It was so much fun," Peden said.
When not at school, Peden spent time at Tin Roof Brewing and the Roux House, where he worked. He enjoyed catching live music at those venues as well.
While he loves living in Seattle, Peden said he has always played with the idea of moving back to the New Orleans area.
"Right now I tell myself that I will move back when I can afford a mansion on St. Charles," he added.
'Abundance of love'
One thing some viewers loved about Peden was meeting his mom, Elizabeth Brownsberger Peden, when he introduced his fiance to her. And Peden is well aware that his mom is the best.
"She just has an abundance of love and is not afraid to share it with people. Anyone that meets her becomes her friend," he said.
Peden said his mom influenced his love for cooking; they cook together any chance that they get. And she is supportive of her son being on the show.
"She is always supportive of my crazy endeavors, whether it's letting Hollywood ship me to a remote beach with no phone or computer or moving to Sydney, Australia, for a year. Nonetheless, I know she would love for me to be back in NOLA," Peden said.