Bare butts, fake teeth and strange accents? Somehow the U.S. spinoff of the U.K.'s iconic reality dating show, Love Island, stayed true to the original's bread and butter (have you heard a Pittsburg accent before?!), but never surpassed its popularity. But there was one MAJOR change coming for Love Island USA that made headlines long before the sixth season aired: Ariana Madix. Fresh off of “Scandoval” and a successful Broadway run as Roxie Hart in Chicago, the beloved Vanderpump Rules cast member brought with her lots of new eyes as the new host of the Peacock series—along with some now-legendary looks. But even with a host makeover, I, a long-time Love Island viewer was skeptical. With all this hype, could the USA spinoff really go toe-to-toe with the U.K. version? In my humble little opinion, season 6 of Love Island USA not only lives up to all the hype, but it surpasses it. It was a legendary season that might make the U.K. version think twice about some of their production decisions. Below, a spoiler-free summary of the four tweaks that the American version made that made it so much better.
4 Subtle Series Tweaks That Made ‘Love Island USA’ Better Than the U.K. Version (& Worth Streaming Before the August 19 Reunion)
Don't worry, Iain Stirling still narrates
1. Fewer Episodes and a Shorter Season
Part of the whole Love Island thing is that we're basically watching everything unfold in real-time. For recent U.K. seasons, that's 58 days in the villa and 49 episodes. In the U.S. version, they shot for 32 days and released 37 episodes. This boils down to less filler and more action. Part of the charm of Love Island is that we see the contestants doing banal things—idling around on bean bag chairs while chomping down on their water bottle straws—but the U.S. nailed a balance, which addressed some of the (sure, purposeful) tedium of the original show.
2. No One-On-One Dates & Fewer Hideaways
This may seem counterintuitive to the point of the show, but the most boring scenes are when couples get time away from the rest of the cast, usually in the form of a date or a trip to the Hideaway (aka the honeymoon suite where couples can spend the night together). Yes, Love Island is about coupling up and finding love and blah blah blah, but the entertainment really comes from how the individuals interact with the group when the stakes involve their feelings. So cutting down couples' alone time outside of the Villa was clutch.
3. Heightened Gameplay
Somebody on the U.S. production must've team read up on game theory, because slight changes raised the stakes, upped the interpersonal drama and still kept the show true to its heart. For instance (and I'll keep it vague so it's not a spoiler), producers peppered in new layers of decision-making for islanders in charge of the fates of their peers.
4. No Babies
Does anybody else hate the baby challenge that plagues the U.K. series? Couples are assigned crying robotic baby dolls that they must take care of the entire day. The idea is to test them as partners, but really it just tests my ears. The crying is endless and I can do nothing but fast forward through the sonic pain.
The Love Island USA Season 6 reunion special will air on August 19, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock. All episodes Love Island USA Season 6 are streaming on Peacock
