Dan Nides had no idea what was coming.
It all began when a woman he had previously dated, Lauren O’Brien, appeared on Season 8 of the Netflix series Love Is Blind, where she met and became engaged to fellow cast member Dave Bettenburg.
During filming, Bettenburg learned that O’Brien had been dating Nides, a 14-year CrossFit enthusiast, before joining the show, which did not sit well with him.
After filming wrapped up, O’Brien told Nides that he might be mentioned in her season of Love Is Blind, but until it aired, no one could predict how the producers would edit the show or the extent to which O’Brien and Nides’ former relationship would be highlighted.
When the trailer was released, it was clear that Nides would indeed be a factor in the show. A big factor.
- “It was clear once the trailer had dropped that the only drama in the entire season was going to be about me. They discussed me in that one-minute trailer two or three times, so I had a couple of weeks to figure out how to react to that,” Nides, a competitive CrossFit athlete and attorney for a major financial institution, told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
Sure enough, when Netflix began releasing episodes in February and March of this year, Nides quickly found himself at the heart of the biggest Love Is Blind, Season 8 scandal.
What Happened Next
Although Nides’ real name was never directly mentioned on the show, Reddit quickly figured out who he was, along with “all these gossip columns” and entertainment podcasts, Nides said.
- “They lined me up as the guy,” he stated, and suddenly, his first and last names were out there in the public space to be scrutinized.
Nides had a decision to make. He could take down his social media accounts and hide, or he could have a little fun with it.
- “I chose that direction…I made some funny little Instagram reels, and as soon as the season came out, it was surreal,” Nides said.
Tens of thousands of people started checking him out on Instagram, and he began receiving thousands of messages from Love Is Blind viewers. Many were positive, but several were critical and harsh, accusing him of seeking attention, among other things.
- “There were a lot of mean, low blows, just people grasping at negative things to say,” he said.
One of the main focuses online was on Nides’ body, which he took as a compliment.
- “What people saw was the result of showing up day after day, building strength not just physically, but mentally. You can’t fake that. That’s the power of real work,” he said.
It could have been a challenging time for Nides, but he chose to embrace the positive and discard the negative – something he believes he wouldn’t have been able to do without the resilience CrossFit has given him over the last 14 years.
- “Playing sports, competing in CrossFit, and choosing a career in law have all taught me how to choose hard things, on purpose. That mindset doesn’t just apply to workouts; it carries into everyday life. So when something difficult hits you out of nowhere, you’re already built to handle it.”
He continued: “Some people might fall into a depression [if they’re being bullied online], and not leave their apartment after thousands of people drag them on the Internet. However, I fell into my routines and the strong communities I have built through CrossFit… I never played into correcting the narrative. The only thing I put out into the public was my sense of humor and just me living my actual life like I normally do, of just fitness stuff.”
Ultimately, Nides turned the tables on the critics and embraced the attention, even participating in a tell-all interview with Playgirl magazine.
- “It was funny and gave me the power to say, ‘Here I am. This is the guy you decided to focus on…I’ll just play into whatever the world wants to label me as and make lemonade out of lemons. I’m not a victim,” he said.
Where Is Nides Today?
In recent months, Nides left Minneapolis and moved to Chicago, where he continues to attract significant attention on social media, including intrigued women sliding into his DMs. He faced off with Murph on Memorial Day in Minneapolis and is preparing for the Italian Showdown in Italy and the Leadville “heavy” half-marathon in Colorado.
Moreover, he has taken it a step further.
Many fans of Love Is Blind who reached out inquired about his fitness routine, prompting Nides, who holds an undergraduate degree in exercise science, to start training some one-on-one remote fitness clients on the side.
Additionally, he has begun offering an introductory fitness program – “Fitness With Benefits” (a play on how Love Is Blind labeled him as the friends with benefits guy) – which is gaining momentum.
popularity among Love Is Blind fans, many of whom have been introduced to functional fitness for the first time through Nides.
- “I was built for this. I can’t control how the world talks about me, but I can control how I respond. I’ll keep training, living well, and showing people what this community and this lifestyle are really about,” he said.
More CrossFit Stories
- Brooke Wells Earns 10th Games Berth — One of Just 6 Women to Do It
- Dave Castro Gives Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr a Deadline to Accept Her CrossFit Games Invite
- 2025 Northern California Classic: How to Watch, Leaderboard, and 5 Things to Know
Featured Image: @gymtanlaw / Instagram
