Summer's Here and so is Love Island
what are you even doing if you don't wake up every morning and watch the newest episode of both the US and UK version of this reality show?
The way I know summer has arrived is because Love Island becomes part of my everyday routine. My summer mornings usually look something like this:
8 am - alarm goes off, I grumble, hit snooze, roll back into my sheets
8:07 - my cat, Orpheus, starts getting in my ear and meowing as loud as possible because he is super routine oriented and hates when I stay in bed
8:10 - I’m up and Orpheus leads me to the kitchen where I start the coffee pot, which my beautiful and wonderful husband prepares the night prior so we can be little moody gremlins in the morning
8:11 - bathroom time: I pee, brush my teeth, examine my face for new breakouts, etc.
8:20 - drink my first cup of water. I have found that the secret to staying hydrated is to guzzle down as much H2O before you sip that sweet, wonderful coffee
8:23 - turn on the newest episode of Love Island UNLESS the only thing they released is those stupid Unseen Bits or whatever. Who cares! Just update me on the good stuff!
For those of you curious, yes, I have a job. I am blessed with a full time position that is completely remote. Putting reality television on in the background is how I, as an extrovert, cope with the lack of co-worker presence. Snooki and Jwoww, the whole crew from Vanderpump Rules: I like to think of these personalities as my co-workers. The background noise also helps my undiagnosed ADHD.
“I got a text!”
I first discovered Love Island during the lockdown of 2020. The fact that the show is filmed, edited, and aired while the participants looking for love are still in the villa fascinated me. It was like a real life sociological experiment!
For those of you who have yet to discover this show, or who are not into that sort of entertainment: let me break down how it works. Single guys and gals who are looking for love leave for the entire summer to live in a huge ass mansion off a random coast of the world. They explore connections, participate in challenges, and have to be coupled up in order to stay in The Villa. Oh, I should mention that this started as a UK-based phenomena so the first season I watched was with subtitles in order to understand the accents.
Similar to other dating competition shows, the Islanders have no contact to the outside world. What’s happening in The Villa is all they’re allowed to focus on. That means that their days are spent lounging by the pool, sunbathing, and getting to know other sexy singles. Not too shabby, huh?
But some past participants have opened up about the rules and how they’re restricting and oppressive. No books or magazines are allowed and they are forced to wear these tacky microphones that include a belt around their waist at all times. Islanders are required to look a 10/10 all the time, which means full face of makeup for sitting by the pool in the and smallest swimsuits every known to mankind by day and some smokin’ hot little fits by night. Supposedly, they are required to maintain their hair, nails, and laundry on their days off so they are camera ready for the other six days of the week.
Each Islander has a phone that is only for taking pictures (who could keep reality tv personalities from selfieing?) and for communication with each other and The Powers That Be aka the producers. The chime that is notorious to anyone that’s watched even one single episode is usually met with a loud “I got a text!” from whoever’s phone the message is sent to. The many twists and turns of this summertime fave is strategically masterminded by whoever is behind the scenes to create as much drama as possible.
The Love Island lore
Like I said, my first experience with Love Island was when I was stuck in my Brooklyn apartment. I had so much time that I went back to Season 1 from 2015. As Reddit user First_West_4227 stated on a thread I found from 3 years ago, the first two years of Love Island is “practically soft porn”. On top of that, the Islanders are allowed to smoke ciggies by the pool which really ups the trash factor I personally look for in reality television. Now, there is a designated smoke area and no sort of vape or cigarette is allowed on camera. There has also been reports from past Islanders that alcohol is portioned out, meaning that the drama that makes it to the viewer is pure, non-drunkenly fueled madness.
While the show’s popularity has only led to further success, with multiple countries including the US now hosting their own versions, there is a side of this romantic competition that has me wondering: is Love Island, or really any reality dating show, ethical?
Sure, the Islanders are made up of consenting adults but this entire process is a bit like The Truman Show. They know they’re being filmed and that millions of people are watching them fall in and out of love but there is unknown factors that they can’t account for until they are already there. One of the instances I DESPISE is when they reveal body counts, usually through some sort of game or challenge. The boys get so mean about the number of partners a girl has slept with for it to be revealed just moments later he’s been with triple the amount. It is unfortunate such a double standard still exists. BUT ALSO! WHY ARE THEY REVEALING BODY COUNTS? That is such an odd practice. There’s also a lack of diversity in the Islanders along with racist microagressions that make it to the episodes, meaning that the behind the scenes culture can only be assumed to be much more racist.
There’s no surprise that a bunch of influencer-types who were stuck in the villa make Youtube confessionals and participate in social media Q&As where they expose the nitty gritty. Honestly, I support this especially when it comes to the lack of preliminary mental health resources the Islanders receive. The experience of being locked away and intensely controlled is something I know a bit about, due to my 22 months inside a troubled teen industry program as a teenager. I know these can’t be completely compared however, Love Island has led to suicides of three people, meaning the producers are not innocent creatives just creating light, summer fare. They are responsible for those deaths.
So, why do I keep watching?
I ask myself this every time I look into the dark side of reality television in general. If I’m being honest, I don’t have an answer. I think there is a bit of a catharsis I feel when I watch a group of attractive people choose to be locked up, similarly to how I was. Obviously my experience did not include getting dolled up to sit around a pool in my sexiest bikini but the only other television representation I have are traumatic documentaries like The Program or Orange is the New Black (which I know is about women in prison but it is very relatable to what I went through).
Plus, why does anyone keep watching tv? If you want to get real, no show is produced in a completely ethical bubble. Talk to any production assistant from your favorite show and I’m sure they have a couple complaints about pay, hierarchy, and lack of appreciation.
Ironically, the major interest in reality television came from workers within the entertainment industry demanding more ethical workplaces. COPS, which is currently in its 36th season, was developed during the Writers Guild Strike of 1988. And the major boom in the early 2000s was a direct symptom of the writers strike of 2007. Ultimately, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism and this may be the last season I tune into.
Good morning, and in case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!
Not everything that appears sunny and bright while wearing a teeny little swimsuit is as innocent as it seems but Love Island is going away. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 20 or so years we cringe thinking about how we used to support a toxic show like this. For now, I appreciate the company as I write emails from my couch and I pray to God that the current Islanders aren’t faced with the same bullshit that ones of the past have been dealt.
