“Love Island USA” season seven might have brought the most dramatic reality TV has seen in a while, but it isn’t because of what aired on screen.
This season was nothing short of chaotic, with everyone’s favorite Hurricane Huda crashing out on screen, or the Villa’s “ringleader,” Ace, we might’ve gone over the line of how intense we wanted.
“Love Island USA” went viral last season, becoming the most-watched original streaming series in July 2024. Due to its popularity, it seemed production was convinced the people wanted more than what even season six offered, with more spots to sit in the villa, juicier challenges, and an unlimited number of crashouts. With a higher budget, the “Love Island” production team even brought in Megan Thee Stallion, which had my watch party shocked from the couch.
Yet, was all the extravagance necessary? It was fun watching the new challenges with bigger and brighter sets, but it somehow felt forced. Even my favorite part of every season, Casa Amore, didn’t live up to my usual standards.
If anything good did come out of Casa, it was Nicolandria. Being a day one shipper is not for the faint of heart, but having Nic’s parents even shipping him with the Bama Barbie, it was almost easier to believe the ship might someday come true. That was the ultimate reason this season had so much drama: the internet was all over it.
Half the original Islanders were either influencers or models. While I learned to love them, it is always questionable if people really are just using the show for fame rather than its intended purpose: love.
I think this season was more focused on drama because the Islanders truly were not what I wanted, even if they were what production decided would be more beneficial for the viewers. There was drama from insane challenges, America voting to split couples up left and right, and even Islanders being dumped from the show due to things they’d done before entering.
This is why Love Island fans watch Reality TV. The dramatic bits are the best parts, but the show almost lost its spark due to production draining every bit of happiness from the Islanders.
