Reality Dating Show ‘Love Island’ Makes A Soggy Debut In The U.S.
After much hype and anticipation, the Love Island contestants have finally stepped foot into the oceanfront Fijian villa. Viewers who tuned in expecting to see a sizzling reality show in the summer sun were surprised by the torrential downpour that fizzled the tantalizing drama.
The show, which is a spinoff of the British version, flies in 10 single competitors to a secluded house on an island, and they are tasked to couple up. The show throws some curveballs by swapping out pairs continuously to offer twists and turns, along with new contestants who are brought in to wreak havoc on any friendly couples. Fans also get to vote in real time, giving the audience the power to turn the Fiji resort into a tropical nightmare. The last couple standing wins $100,000.
According to The Mirror, the show had a budget of $30 million, but the one thing that money couldn’t buy was nice weather.
Twitter was abuzz with criticism as fans pointed out that Fiji’s weather can be very wet and unpredictable.
The Mirror wrote that one viewer tweeted, “Why would they pick Fiji? I know survivor has been using Fiji these past few seasons and the rain is no joke. # LoveIslandUSA”
#LoveIslandUSA viewers call out producers as islanders are subjected to downpour in season debut https://t.co/Dpbb3iH7wm pic.twitter.com/J59jcsmJeM
— Mirror Celeb (@MirrorCeleb) July 10, 2019
Another was equally unimpressed, writing, “It’s going to rain the entire season, isn’t it? Whose idea was it to put them on a wet rainforest tropical island? We need a dry climate desert island! #LoveIslandUSA”
It wasn’t the visuals of the rain that seemed to bother readers. After all, bikinis and board shorts are mandatory at all times for contestants. It was the sound of the driving rain that drown out the voices of the islanders.
The premiere episode opened with five single women — Mallory, Caro, Alana, Elizabeth, and Alexandra — lined up along the pool as each of the five guys — Cashel, Yamen, Zac, Weston, and Michael — to start the season’s first “coupling.”
And there ya have it… #MichaelAndAlexandra#LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/QHKLmdrwFe
— Love Island USA (@loveislandusa) July 10, 2019
The show has been described as The Bachelor, or The Bachelorette, crossed with Big Brother. The women put themselves out there and showed their interest by stepping forward, but, in the first coupling, it was up to the boys to choose who they wanted to couple with.
The rain might have been loud but it didn’t stop the action in the villa, with Caro and Cashel sharing the first kiss of the season.
The show had been courting controversy in the U.K. before the American premiere reported The Inquisitr. Questions surrounding the mental health of the contestants had producers scrambling to offer more help to those who have left the show.
Love Island airs every weekday at 8 p.m. on CBS.
