The forthcoming US version of Love Island, the unscripted reality dating competition show made famous in the UK, has finally revealed the first 11 cast members, or "Islanders" as they're called, who will travel to the new villa to find love.
CBS is currently working on the remake of Love Island, a British reality show that follows young singles as they couple up on an island off the coast of Spain for two months and live, date, and compete with one another for a cash prize of $50,000. Viewers watch five nights a week, vote on their favorite couples on the show, and decide who gets to continue on to the next episode. Now, the series will come to the states as possibly the most risqué show in CBS history. (The show is famous for its all-too-explicit night-vision scenes between cast members.) There haven't been a lot of details released about the upcoming American remake, other than its Fiji setting, its host, comedian Arielle Vandenberg, and that fans get to meet the first ever American 11 cast members.
According to Cosmopolitan, among the first batch of US islanders consists of five men, including 24-year-old real estate agent Yamen Sanders, 27-year-old model and musician Cashel Barnett, 22-year-old grocery store cashier Zac Mirabelli, 25-year-old photographer Weston Richey, and 29-year-old model Michael Yi. Fans also got to meet six of the women appearing on the show, including 22-year-old musician Kyra Green, 25-year-old analyst for Nike Mallory Santic, 25-year-old publicist Alexandra Stewart, 25-year-old advertising exec Elizabeth Weber, 21-year-old marketing student Caroline “Caro” Viehweg, and 21-year-old college student Alana Morrison.
CBS executives previously said they wanted to make an American version of the show because Love Island encapsulates the dating app culture today. Contestants fall in and out of intense relationships, all hoping they don't get dumped when the next batch of hotties arrives at the house. Maybe commitment will be made easier trapped in a villa together without access to the outside world.
For now, Love Island fans will have to wait for the US premiere to see if it's just as over-the-top as its British counterpart, which is the top-rated reality show in the country. While a former cast member said people don't go on the show to actually find a real relationship, maybe the American version will have a better track record in their Fiji villa.
Love Island premieres July 9 at 9pm EST on CBS.
Source: Cosmopolitan