CBS takes on Love Island, a dating show that follows a group of young singles as they attempt to find love, and it may be the most risqué CBS show yet. Britain's Love Island, a Big Brother-esque competition dating show, has already spread to many countries including Australia, Denmark, Finland, and Norway, and is now taking on America.
The UK's version of Love Island premiered in 2016 and airs six nights a week on ITV2. Contestants, who are called Islanders, couple up, live, date, compete, and even sleep with one another for nearly two months in a villa in Mallorca. Viewers then vote on which couples they'd like to keep in the house and who they'd like to send home. In the end, the audience's favorite couple wins $50,000. It's known for being a particularly brutal dating show, with relationships forming and fizzling quickly and contestants being dropped as soon as the next batch of singles enters the house.
CBS executives decided to take on the show because they believe the show encapsulates dating culture today. ITV executive and Love Island executive producer David Eilenberg told EW about how the format of the show will be relatable to young audiences. He refers to audiences who are going through the same dating problems brought on by dating apps, where young people are contending with the idea that "some hotter better person might be right around the corner," and what makes them decide to commit.
Due to more conservative broadcast standards, the US version will be a little bit more vanilla than the UK show, which probably means no night-vision camera in the bedrooms and no more competitions where the contestants demonstrate sex positions on one another. However, the games will remain risqué for CBS standards. Eilenberg added, “There are games that are meant to bond, games that are meant to spark attraction, and games that are just hilarious." While CBS may not show as much as ITV2, such as airing intimate moments between cast members, it still plans on sticking as much to the original formula as possible. Eilenberg also said, “CBS very much supports the show that’s been a hit elsewhere. We want to make sure the show is the show. It’s an aspirational, sexy, fun summer show."
CBS hopes the new controversial show, which will be hosted by comedian Arielle Vandenberg, will be a success with American audiences, hoping its five-night-a-week format won't be too much. Although it might seem to Love Island UK fans that the US version is much more toned down, the American Love Island will still be edgy - especially for family-friendly CBS.
Love Island premieres July 9 at 9pm EST on CBS.
Source: EW