Two of a kind? Cole Barnett has started his search for true love on Love Is Blind season 3 — and fans already see an uncanny connection to a former star.
“Cole has joined the league of frat boys,” a social media user tweeted on Wednesday, October 19, sharing a photo of Cole, 27, next to snaps of alums Matt Barnett and Shayne Jansen.
Another noted: “How is cole a mix of Barnett and Shayne like he even has the surname Barnett? Himbos are being mass produced for this show s2g.”
Netflix then got in on the joke, sharing side-by-side snaps of Matt, 31, and Cole with the caption, “Every season needs a Barnett.” The two pics featured both Barnetts wearing blue shirts during confessional interviews on the dating series.
While the streaming platform — which dropped its first batch of new Love Is Blind episodes on Wednesday — confirmed there was no relationship between the two reality TV personalities, Cole weighed in on the theories.
“I guess he’s the brother I never knew I had 🤷♂️,” the realtor quipped via Instagram Story on Thursday, October 20, resharing Netflix’s meme.
Matt, who married Amber Pike during the season 1 finale of Love Is Blind, also reacted to the pair’s resemblance. “I did live right outside of Dallas for a few years in my early 20s. … Just sayin,” he replied via Instagram comment.
Love Is Blind season 3 takes place in Dallas, and Cole is one of the suitors hoping to find his future spouse. He immediately forms connections with Colleen Reed and Zanab Jaffrey, which had fans drawing comparisons to Matt’s own love triangle with Amber, 30, and Jessica Batten. (While the construction company manager ultimately proposed to the Georgia native, Jessica, 36, got engaged to Mark Cuevas before calling off their wedding. She has since married Dr. Benjamin McGrath.)
Colleen, 25, is smitten with Cole after a few early conversations, but he realized the former ballet dancer wasn’t The One because she hesitated to discuss deep subject matters. “I don’t want to say I’m shallow or anything but I like to keep things surface-level and fun because that’s who I am,” Colleen replied.
Cole eventually dumped the PR strategist, noting in a confessional that they would have “amazing sex and hot babies” but be “poor.” He later proposed to the 31-year-old flight attendant. Colleen, for her part, got engaged to Matt Bolton after connecting in the pods.
Love Is Blind is currently streaming on Netflix and new episodes are released on Wednesdays.
