Love Is Blind Season 4: Paul Peden's Past Life In New Orleans Explained

Paul Peden, a 29-year-old environmental scientist living in Seattle, is one of the main singles on Love Is Blind season 4; however, his connection to New Orleans has recently become an area of curiosity. Love Is Blind typically casts singles from the same metropolitan area to remove long-distance as a barrier to their potential marriages. Despite his assumption of the outdoorsy Pacific Northwest stereotype, it appears Paul wasn’t always a bona fide resident of the PNW.

Paul’s time on Love Is Blind season 4 has been tumultuous at best and cringey at worst. In the pods, he fell for both 27-year-old marketing manager and resident mean girl Micah Lussier and 34-year-old flight attendant Amber Wilder. Despite his interest in both women, he uncomfortably broke things off with Amber, who tearily sobbed while Micah and Irina Solomonova, the worst duo of all time, made fun of her. Meanwhile, Micah’s breakup with Kwame Appiah was cold and quick, though she proceeded to openly flirt with him in Mexico despite her engagement with Paul.

Although Paul lives in Seattle, he appears to have roots in Louisiana, specifically in Baton Rouge or New Orleans. In the surprising scene where Paul’s mom comes into town, it’s mentioned that she lives in New Orleans and that she looked exactly like Micah. Although Paul’s choice of Micah was questioned at first, it made perfect sense upon meeting his mother. Both she and Micah were blonde, polished, and extroverted. Even their voices and mannerisms are similar, and it seems Paul is truly marrying his mother.

Paul has always been an outdoorsy person, as seen on his Instagram, but it wasn't always in Seattle. Besides growing up in New Orleans, according to Paul's LinkedIn, he went to school at Louisiana State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Coastal and Environmental Studies in 2017. Interestingly, he also lists a year of study at the University of Sydney Business School in Australia from 2015-2016, so it appears he did a year abroad in Australia while obtaining his bachelor’s degree. During his senior year at LSU, Paul also worked as a lab technician and field assistant, likely to gain the necessary experience in his field of study.

The connection to LSU only solidifies his connection to Louisiana, though nothing about New Orleans itself appears on his LinkedIn profile. However, it appears Paul left Louisiana shortly after graduation to work as an assistant biologist at the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation in the Bahamas from August 2018-December 2018 before obtaining a position with Blue Environmental in Seattle in January 2019, where he has worked ever since. His position is described as an Environmental Scientist and Policy Consultant on his LinkedIn. According to their website, Blue Environmental specializes in permit compliance in the state of Washington.

Once Paul’s mom appeared on the show, New Orleans residents took to the Reddit thread u/nycnola to discuss Paul’s supposed hometown. According to one Reddit sleuth, Paul's mom “lives in LaPlace” and “works on Poydras, alternate potential address in Metairie.” However, others were skeptical of Paul’s claims because of the way he said New Orleans and his LinkedIn bio suggested more ties to Baton Rouge, with one commenting, “I’m completely skeptical that he’s from New Orleans, and suspect he’s within 2 hours and just says New Orleans.” However, information on where he attended high school or the neighborhood he grew up in has yet to be confirmed.

Regardless of whether Paul is from New Orleans or merely the surrounding area, it’s clear that he grew up in Louisiana and even attended college there. Like many residents of the PNW, he is a transplant and found a home where he can express his love for the outdoors and environmental science. It’s no wonder he voiced reticence at the idea of splitting time between Seattle and Arizona with Micah– his full-time career and entire life are now in Seattle.

Paul has been shady in the past few episodes of Love Is Blind, and the issue of location may continue to be an issue for him and Micah. His reaction to her suggestion that they get rid of his apartment was not well received, and it will certainly be fascinating to see how their engagement pans out. The Love Is Blind season 4 finale airs on April 14, and perhaps more will be revealed about Paul’s New Orleans upbringing in the last set of episodes.

Love Is Blind airs Fridays on Netflix.

Sources: Paul Peden/LinkedIn, Blue Environmental, Paul Peden/Instagram, u/nycnola/Reddit