“Love Island U.K.” has long been the standout for the franchise in which single people navigate romances, friendships and betrayals in a luxe villa. But after six seasons, Peacock’s “Love Island USA” finally got on equal footing with
the flagship series: The spin-off became last summer’s must-watch reality show in the U.S. It held the No. 1 spot across all streaming platforms in its first month and was a ubiquitous trending topic on social media.
“I remember being in my hotel room and scrolling TikTok, and it was just like, every video, every influencer, everyone was making something related to ‘Love Island,’” EP Simon Thomas told TheWrap. Like “Love Island U.K.,” the U.S. iteration gathers a coed group of contestants the show calls Islanders who are single and ready to mingle in a lavish setting full of nooks for stolen kisses and heated confrontations.
Hosted by “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix, “Love Island USA” sorts the Islanders into couples, which shift across the course of the summer as relationships grow and new arrivals (a.k.a. Bombshells) enter the villa and prompt new connections. The Islanders go through cheeky challenges (which typically involve getting dressed in elaborate costumes and kissing another Islander), with the goal of scoring $100,000 with their partner in the finale. (The U.S. series aired on CBS for its first three seasons before moving over to Peacock, whose freedom from broadcast standards and practices pairs much better with the often salacious show.)
So what pushed “Love Island USA” to the front of the line last summer? A combination of new viewers brought in by Madix, a fresh cast of charismatic Islanders (who now have their own spin-off) and an appointment-viewing strategy that fueled buzz across social media. The show has a quick turnaround time for the production team — 24 hours from taping to air — which they’ve now mastered, according to Thomas.
“[The team is] just getting better and better at making this show, and never resting on their laurels and always pushing to do the new thing,” he said.
Casting is among the show’s strengths, Thomas also noted. For one, producers can sniff out clout-chasers and fame-seekers. “People smell bulls–t; we’ve all seen it before 100 times now,” he said. “[We are looking for] funny and personable and charismatic [people]. We’re looking for people that you want to spend your summer with, that you want to be friends with. That’s always been the North Star. We’re just better at recognizing it.”
Chemistry is another essential ingredient of “Love Island USA” — and not just the romantic kind. The team also seeks out contestants who might align as friends, like the Season 6 trio of Leah Kateb, Serena Page and JaNa Craig, dubbed the “PPG” (Powerpuff Girls) by fans. “I think so much of what those girls were doing were independent trials and tribulations in those early episodes, so as their journey took them in different ways they came together — that was an earned friendship.” They were each other’s first line of support throughout their respective boy dramas, especially after Kateb’s and Page’s partners ditched them for Bombshells.
While weathering the twists and turns, Islanders also lean on Madix, who replaced previous host Sarah Hyland as an “aspirational big sister,” as Thomas put it.
After Season 6 hit an all-time viewership high for the show (434 million minutes during June 24-30, 2024), Thomas said that for Season 7, now underway, the team pushed further in order to attract more fans: “We want to do something
new with it so that everyone’s always coming back feeling like they’re getting something fresh, and that the mountains of hours that they invest in the show pay off.”
This story first ran in the Limited Series/TV Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the Race Begins issue here.
