The do bits society
January 13, 2021 6:25 PM Subscribe
Where's your head at? Mine's in Love Island. I've been on a binge recently and it seems like the only thing that's able to keep my outside anxieties at bay is to watch a bunch of (more or less) hot people mug each other off on TV.
i'm convinced that love island is actually a black mirror spinoff where the sense of psycho-technological dread is just stretched out over a longer period of time.
posted by zsh2v1 at 6:45 AM on January 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by zsh2v1 at 6:45 AM on January 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
My teenage daughter is very into reality TV, esp. the relationshippy ones. She really wants me to watch with her. I have utter disdain for reality TV, but I watch with her because it's important to me that I have shared experiences with her, even watching very bad TV. So, I've suffered through a bunch of these, including the utterly repugnant Bachelor and Bachelorette.
But we've also watched (UK) Love Island, and I have the opposite opinion. It's lovely. Sure, the contestants are a bit vapid and brutally self-absorbed, but they're also for the most part very genuine and kind, and the show itself doesn't hide from its own absurdity (e.g., and especially, Ian Sterling). And the miscellaneous UK accents are soooo much fun.
Stay away from the U.S. remake. They don't get it.
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:33 AM on January 14, 2021
But we've also watched (UK) Love Island, and I have the opposite opinion. It's lovely. Sure, the contestants are a bit vapid and brutally self-absorbed, but they're also for the most part very genuine and kind, and the show itself doesn't hide from its own absurdity (e.g., and especially, Ian Sterling). And the miscellaneous UK accents are soooo much fun.
Stay away from the U.S. remake. They don't get it.
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:33 AM on January 14, 2021
Having never heard of the TV show Love Island, a year or two ago (time has no meaning) I was searching around in the app store for anything erotic and the Love Island game popped up. Reader, I love it. It's ridiculous. I played the game's season one probably a half dozen times. I've only played the second season through once but I feel like I'll get back to it soonish. It's nonsense, very good fun, and finding out it was an actual TV show was ... interesting, haha.
posted by Occula at 10:30 AM on January 14, 2021
posted by Occula at 10:30 AM on January 14, 2021
The best part of watching Love Island for the first time is the utter unpredictability of the gameplay. Sometimes it's like musical chairs (all the men choose a woman and the singles are eliminated or vice versa), sometimes audience members vote for their favorites, sometimes Islanders eliminate their least favorite couple, or, brutally, one person from the worst-performing couple. There are challenges/games that appear to be completely meaningless to the overall competition. Competitors are added or removed seemingly at random. Delightfully chaotic!
Love Island epitomizes the addictive blend of banality and extreme emotion that makes reality shows so compelling. Plus: accents!
posted by rabbitbookworm at 11:08 AM on January 14, 2021
Love Island epitomizes the addictive blend of banality and extreme emotion that makes reality shows so compelling. Plus: accents!
posted by rabbitbookworm at 11:08 AM on January 14, 2021
I watched the U.S. one only and while someone says stay away, I found it delightful. It's about the tortured existence of a guy named Billy Ray who is big and brawny and has never failed at anything in his life. He is continually humiliated and put through trials. "I've never lost before," Billy Ray says, his big manful eyes manfully brimming with mears (man tears).
At least in my memory his name is Billy Ray. The season just suddenly was like ok we're done because I guess it got immediately cancelled so that helped. It was truly a delight top to bottom and that end "game" is a banger.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 12:17 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
At least in my memory his name is Billy Ray. The season just suddenly was like ok we're done because I guess it got immediately cancelled so that helped. It was truly a delight top to bottom and that end "game" is a banger.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 12:17 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
My favorite guilty pleasure British reality show is Don't Tell the Bride. They separate an engaged couple for a month before the wedding, and the bridegroom plans the entire affair down to choosing everybody's clothing. And he somehow always has a crazy drunk best mate; it's like they're court-appointed or something. There are some near-disasters, but everyone seems to take it with good humour.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:32 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:32 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was delighted that Love Island was available through Hulu but I admit I stopped watching when they like, doubled the number of people in the house midway. (I guess this was Season 6.)
I'm always astounded at the physical stamina required for these shows. You always have to be "on"; even your loungewear has to look like something (and usually you're in clubwear); and you have to sleep in beds in this room that doesn't even get properly dark with 10 other people including someone in your same bed! I'm sure the producers select for these abilities (extroversion, ability to sleep anywhere), for everyone's sake, but it seems really hard to me.
Now I'm watching The Only Way is Essex.
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:03 PM on January 14, 2021
I'm always astounded at the physical stamina required for these shows. You always have to be "on"; even your loungewear has to look like something (and usually you're in clubwear); and you have to sleep in beds in this room that doesn't even get properly dark with 10 other people including someone in your same bed! I'm sure the producers select for these abilities (extroversion, ability to sleep anywhere), for everyone's sake, but it seems really hard to me.
Now I'm watching The Only Way is Essex.
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:03 PM on January 14, 2021
I love Love Island so much! One of the best things about it is the friendships that form, some of which are just so heart warming and fun to watch (Luke and Luke! Shaughna and Paige! Tommy and Curtis!). And I agree about all the accents! Though I'm always surprised about how much disdain people sometimes have for Scottish accents. And I'm endlessly amused about how the distance from, say, Manchester to London is considered just insurmountably too far for a relationship to work. I've only watched seasons 4-6 so far, I've been saving the earlier seasons for when I really need a serotonin boost in mid-winter.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 4:43 AM on January 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 4:43 AM on January 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Haven't really gotten into Love Island, but I only even gave it a chance after Columbusing* Iain Stirling on series 8 of Taskmaster. (He's a delight.)
* discovering something that millions of people already knew about
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:56 AM on January 15, 2021
* discovering something that millions of people already knew about
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:56 AM on January 15, 2021
I’m now hooked, breaking my rule (post-Terrace House) to avoid reality shows where someone killed themself. (I know, it’s unrelated. Still. I was a few episodes in before I heard her full name and remembered ...)
posted by anshuman at 4:57 PM on January 18, 2021
posted by anshuman at 4:57 PM on January 18, 2021
Can someone explain to me why Americans watch this? Is it an ironic watch? A guilty pleasure? A horror show? Honestly to people in the UK it's quite perplexing that this has caught on albeit it in what seems to be smallish numbers. The first time I realised Americans knew about it was when I saw the great SNL parody.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 2:55 PM on February 11, 2021
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 2:55 PM on February 11, 2021
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posted by lock robster at 6:59 PM on January 13, 2021 [4 favorites]