I cast my votes for today’s primary election yesterday afternoon with perhaps a greater sense of resignation than I typically have–that alone is a statement. But at least I did fill out a ballot and got a few hundred more steps out of the process than I typically do, so all wasn’t lost. More than I can say for the panicked and lazy that seem to be determined to make a statement by doing neither–to them, any results that occur that aren’t to your liking are now forbidden for you to bitch about. The fact that there’s a better-than-even chance that our choices in Los Angeles may eventually be limited to a couple of donor-beholden “representative” Democrats and a couple of completely inexperienced TV personalities carrying the MAGA brand into the bluest possible environment with energy and determination seldom seen since Grant took Richmond is yet another shining example of self-inflicted wounds that if you choose to sit this out is squarely your burden–and, therefore, ultimately ours.
So it was with more a typical sense of urgency that I was seeking out something–anything–as a distraction from the reality I normally face–and considering it’s also the second day of the month (typically when my bank account is at its nadir) and also the 35th anniversary of my mom’s passing (it doesn’t get any easier with time, sorry to say), those urges were all the more primal. Which made me especially grateful to see the barrage of ads that peppered NBC’s NBA playoff coverage that touted the season premiere of arguably the biggest reason to continue to subscribe to Peacock as dropping tonight–and not a moment too soon. I’m clearly not in the target demographic for LOVE ISLAND USA, and I’m anything but a huge fan of the predecessor series that it clearly draws its DNA from. It’s an unapolgetic hybrid of THE BACHELOR, TEMPTATION ISLAND and SURVIVOR, with impossibly beautiful and bitchy competitors that THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Carly Thomas explained for the otherwise unfamiliar yesterday:
Love Island USA, based on the original U.K. reality series, follows a group of single Islanders in search of love in a stunning Fijian villa. Throughout their stay, they will couple up, while also facing challenges, temptations and plenty of twists and turns, including new “bombshell” Islanders testing their romantic connections…”The team really focused on making a show for the U.S. and for that audience, and focused on what made sense for the Islanders and keeping it fresh, keeping it new and all those little things that spark results in the success,” executive producer Bernie Schaeffer says of the show finally entering the pop culture zeitgeist. “And it’s being really thoughtful about what creative we are going to bring to every single season that comes along.”
I can be dismissive and snarky about the idea of all of this producing anything close to true love and connection. But I can’t turn my back on the connection the show has forged with an increasingly large and engaged audience that Thomas liberally documented with the kind of evidence I respond to best:
Despite the U.K. franchise becoming a staple in British television after its 2015 launch, the first few seasons of the U.S. version struggled to resonate with American audiences to the same extent. Even once the show moved to NBC’s Peacock after a three-season run on CBS,seasons four and five still didn’t make it in the top 10 on Nielsen’s streaming charts. But everything changed when season six dropped in 2024. It ended up being a perfect recipe with (Ariana) Madix, star of Vanderpump Rules, joining the show as the new host, a relatable cast of Islanders and top-tier drama that had viewers begging for more…Season six reached a whole new level of success for Peacock, spending nine weeks in Nielsen’s top 10 original streaming series chart before peaking about halfway through. The season accounted for 6.58 billion minutes of watch time over its run. But the momentum didn’t stop there, as season seven in 2025 then became Peacock’s most-watched original unscripted series. The season spent 11 weeks in Nielsen’s top 10 and accounted for 11.4 billion viewing minutes in that time.
Considering that there is anything but a legitimate breakout companion original on the platform–and let’s face it, the reach and frequency they got with fans of Spurs and Thunder was largely waste–and in the wake of the crash-and-burn non-season of THE BACHELOR that was aborted in March–the fact that this is resonating as a tentpole event for summer TV is all the more impressive. Ah, but LOVE ISLAND USA is not without its own scandal, as Thomas conceded:
Last year, there were a few, most notably when online sleuths uncovered past racist clips and posts from two of the Islanders (they were both ultimately kicked off the show mid-season following fan backlash). “It’s always crucial we do our research, our backgrounds, our diligence, and that has always been the case,” he tells THR of the casting process. “At the end of the season, we always look at how we can do things better. And if we spot something we need to change, we will do that. That’s really our philosophy across the board, and it’s as thorough as we can make it.” Though an Islander, Vasana Montgomery, has already been removed from season eight after alleged posts of her using the N-word emerged on social media days before the premiere (THR understands that the videos appear to be privately owned and not shared publicly until after the casting announcement, meaning they would not have been accessible for prior vetting), Schaeffer seemed exceptionally confident with the incoming cast during his chat with THR prior to the videos leaking. He predicts that “we’re going to have a wonderful Love Island summer” and “everybody’s going to really, really relate to the cast” this year.
From my own experience spending weeks on overnight shifts monitoring for similar behavior from the somewhat less horny competitors on BIG BROTHER, I’ll offer that Schaeffer is as disingenous with the sentiment as any of the vain and vapid hard bodies whose foibles and forays will unfold in the coming weeks are with theirs about each other. That’s especially true about a series infused into the Bravo-verse where catfights are the order of the day and where its most passionate fans are guilty of strong feelings on both sides of the culture war “debate”. It’s a lot easier to allow reality stars to serve as avatars for one’s own prejudices and misoygnies than it is for one to express them on their own. The BIG BROTHER braintrust all but conceded the reason they employed people like me even in the teeth of a pandemic was to flag, but not prevent, the kind of language that Montgomery was already prematurely ousted for. There’s no such thing as bad publicity in this world, and keeping it in the news cycle gives LOVE ISLAND USA essentially free off-platform promotion that’s way more likely to be reaching new viewers than merely giving the SUMMER HOUSE fanbase a reason not to unsubscribe.
And yeah, I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that I simply can’t take my eyes off the comely, compelling Madix. IMO, she’s Ariana Super Grande. Julie Chen only wishes she were even close to being that photogenic.
So against my otherwise more noble instincts I’ll be tuning in tonight, doing my best to avoid the election returns as they roll in. Besides, it’s entirely possible one of these personalities could wind up as the next reality alum on my ballot.
Until next time…