Let me start by saying that I still rank The Bachelor franchise as my top reality dating show, even to my dismay, but today I am here to tell you that you should be watching Love Island USA. You may have heard that Love Island UK is better, and I'd have to agree, but despite going into Love Island USA as a convenient way to pass the time, I've come to enjoy this season (last season was pretty good, too). Here are all of the reasons why:
Time
Love Island USA drops a new episode every Tuesday-Sunday. It's streaming exclusively on Peacock, so if you like watching and live tweeting, many fans do that every night; if you want to watch at your own pace, the episodes are waiting for you in your queue. Each episode lasts for about an hour, depending on an elimination, and as of this post, there are twenty-nine episodes. This time has allowed viewers to get to know the contestants in ways that haven't been possible on this double but somehow truncated the season of The Bachelorette. With time comes more investment in the contestants and their journeys. They even have one weekly episode that's just unseen bits or silly goofy stuff that the camera captured throughout the week. In addition to childish antics, the unseen bits episodes sometimes recap the biggest drama of the week, and it offers another way for viewers to invest in learning more about the contestants and seeing their actual personalities. It’s like an entire episode of the thirty second credit clips we get at the end each Bachelor episode. Give us more!
Challenges
Don't get me wrong; Bachelor franchise shows have challenges, but not in the same way as Love Island. These challenges are hot, messy, fun, and designed to put contestants and viewers in uncomfortable yet funny situations. A favorite of mine is the heart rate challenge, where each contestant struts their stuff in sexy costumes to see whose heart rate is highest during their routine. The results are always controversial. There should be more challenges on The Bachelor, particularly Bachelor in Paradise!
Casa Amor
Casa Amor is the best part of Love Island. The show gives the couples enough time to cement their relationship, then separates the men and women for four days while introducing new bombshells. At the end of the experience, couples can decide to partner up with someone completely different or stay with their original mate. This season's Casa Amor had me shook! It was one of the most shocking episodes of the season.
Balance
Love Island has a good balance of fun, sensuality, drama, and romance, often in each episode. As I said, die-hard Bachelor fan here (I mean, look at my name), but Love Island does not take itself too seriously. They also give you clear couples to root for (I'm looking at you, Timmy and Zeta), harmless but calculated villains, and contestants who grow exponentially from experience (my personal favorite this season is Jeff). There are tears, breakups, and betrayals, but reunions, friendships, and genuine affection are also center stage. I genuinely believe the girls are girl's girls and the men occasionally give sage advice (even if it ends in bro).
Fan Interactions
Love Island lets you vote (yes, vote) and influence the game's outcome. Fan voting is perhaps my favorite part of watching the series. Fans can put their least favorite couples and contestants at the bottom, and then the islanders themselves vote for who should be eliminated. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to vote people off on Bachelor in Paradise, and I love that Love Island lets you get revenge on people who committed acts of betrayal against your favorite players. Thanks, Love Island!
Speeches
My favorite part ( I realize I'm saying everything is my favorite) is the recoupling speeches. They're suspenseful (are they really talking about who we think they are or the new arrival), and when you see the couples develop together throughout the season, you are truly blown away by watching their speeches go from generic qualities to declarations of love. In a recent elimination, one Islander learned to speak his partner's native language, which literally made me swoon.
The Grand Prize
At the end of the season, America casts its vote for their favorite couple, and the grand prize is $100,000. Again, this allows you as the viewer to directly impact your favorite couple and their post-show experiences. Love Island is about finding love, but the financial incentive of reality television is embraced instead of shunned. Viewers and contestants know upfront that the money is on the line. You may think that would influence how islanders present themselves, but it's freeing by eliminating the stigma of the "wrong reasons."
Diversity
Finally, Love Island intentionally seeks a diverse audience by casting contestants of color (of all shades) and featuring them equally on the show. I do not have charts, slides, and percentages. Still, the love stories, drama, and friendships of the people of color on the show aren't relegated to the sidelines as we have seen in other reality dating scenarios. Love Island hasn't solved the diversity problem in reality dating shows, but it's off to a better start by featuring both men and women of color in compelling, complex, and nuanced ways.
From the outside looking in, the show may seem vapid and over-sexualized, and that may be part of the draw, but there's also so much love, friendship, kindness, generosity, and just plain fun that it is worth the watch.
Well, guys, I've got to go! I've got a text!!! (If you know, you know).