This summer was a weird one. Some new things were added to my typical routine, including weekly trips to Hopcat, an unexpected 7 a.m. wake-up time, frequent walks to Burns park and a new temporary apartment. But some things never change, and for me, nothing is more quintessentially summer than “Love Island.” This season, though, is something else entirely.
I’ve been with “Love Island USA” since season one aired in 2019. I spent that summer splitting time between my newest reality TV guilty pleasure and AP chemistry homework (which can maybe help explain why I never thought chem was my thing). I’ve dabbled with “Love Island UK” and “Love Island Australia,” but I’m a USA girl through and through, despite constant internet discourse swearing by the UK version. This year was different, though. I resolved to break the habit and abstain from “Love Island” as long as I could stand. I saw only one TikTok about the overdone lip injections on “Love Island UK” and moved on, but saw so many boasting that USA season six was the one to watch. So, obviously, I caved, got a Peacock subscription and watched. If you haven’t been coerced by extreme boredom or put under some hypnotic trance and forced to sit at your television every day of the week to watch the hot mess of “Love Island” unfold, I implore you to consider it. It’s an amazing waste of time.
The contestant that initially gripped me this season was Rob, whom I can best describe as a frat guy in looks but Jughead in overalls in all other ways. I watched last season (obviously) and immediately recognized him as one of the boys brought into Casa Amor during season five. I liked him last year and found it unlucky that the girl he went after was already in too strong of a couple to be swayed. He was deserving of a second try, and I wasn’t upset to see him get one. Despite the cringey TikToks that have since surfaced of him and the montages of him constantly rolling his eyes this season, there’s something about him that kept me on his team throughout the majority of his time on the show. I don’t know why he had my support. Maybe it’s the “mysterious wounded loser” thing he’s got. I’m not too sure. And honestly, I’m sorry. I’m embarrassed for it, and I probably should be.
What really made me stay, though, was the people’s princess: Leah. She has been launched to main character stardom like no other reality TV show contestant I can remember and has a following of 1.8 million on Instagram to prove it. She is hilarious without trying, and all-too self aware. Her humor is dry, and she knows how messy she can be, but she owns it with confidence. It is so refreshing to see. She verbalizes every intrusive thought she has and I know I’ll be laughing whenever she comes on screen.
So naturally, I became a Leah and Rob fan. Although I’ve never really cared about a couple on a reality show, they were different. They seemed to understand each other instantly and effortlessly, and their chemistry transcended the “Love Island” villa and made its way through the screen. Their relationship ended abruptly and prematurely, leaving fans wishing they would give things another shot. I was absolutely obsessed — and so was the rest of the world. Truly, I have never seen two real people receive edits in quantities that rival some of my favorite fictional couples. They really do feel like they were pulled straight out of a romantic-comedy; the chemistry and yearning is unlike any “Love Island” couple I’ve seen. I was convinced that we would see the strangers-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc complete. That is what kept me coming back night after night more than anything else. Eventually, I became team Leah and Miguel (the guy she was coupled up with for the last couple weeks) and agree that he is probably the better choice for her. Yet the thought of what could’ve been between Leah and Rob still lingers heavily in the back of my mind.
But, it’s impossible to talk about reality TV without acknowledging the power of production. I don’t know if Leah and Rob actually have heart eyes for each other as much as they appeared to on screen. I really do hope the reason why I’ve saved over 50 “Love Island” related edits is because I’m being manipulated by production into doing so, not because my taste has deteriorated so fundamentally that I actually think this is good television. The hand that the producers have in creating the show’s narrative has not gone unnoticed by many fans online: I’ve seen speculation that Rob and Kendall wouldn’t have been dumped like Caine was if they were the single boys. I’ve heard theories that the results of the heart rate challenge were fabricated and that Leah couldn’t have possibly raised Rob’s heart rate the most during a challenge when all she did was say that he’s not over her. There’s a reason they included Aaron mouthing to Rob that he and Leah “were made for each other.” There’s a reason they included the clip of JaNa telling Leah that her and Rob would be the “comeback of the century” and that “everyone sees it but her.” There’s a reason they kept cutting to Leah during Rob’s recoupling speech to Daniela. There’s a reason they lingered on the hug between Rob and Leah after their post-movie night conversation.
It’s obvious that producers can twist and manipulate the actions of whoever they want and show a very specific narrative in order to drive a show’s popularity, and that’s exactly what they did here. So yeah, maybe Peacock is selling me a fake romance novel, but honestly, I’m eating it up and who cares? The producers creating a fictional arc that mirrors one of the most popular fictional tropes in a reality TV setting works so well; it has made the season so much more fun.
Nobody is watching “Love Island” to find their role model or discover what true love looks like, so why not play up a story that people want to see? Especially if there is some truth to that story, there’s no reason not to. The producers didn’t make any of the islanders say those comments. They couldn’t have forced the chemistry between Leah and Rob. Really, you watch “Love Island” to get away from your own life and have fun getting temporarily lost in someone else’s. We’re here for a fun time, and “Love Island” is delivering. I don’t really care if they’re pushing the Rob and Leah narrative so hard. On the contrary, I’m here for it.
Beyond the romantic trope-ification of this season of “Love Island,” the real “love” part of “Love Island” was present in the female friendships shown on screen. Every reality show preys on conflict and drama between cast members in order to make more engaging, clickable content, which typically plays out as catty fights and fake frenemies between the women on the show. It was a breath of fresh air for “Love Island” to go in a completely different direction this season. Rather than pitting the women against each other or pushing a narrative of pettiness, “Love Island” chose to portray supportive, healthy, female friendships, highlighting the platonic love that existed between many of the female cast members. In particular, the friendship between Leah, Serena and JaNa (self-dubbed the “Powerpuff Girls” or “PPG” and referred to by fans as “the big three”) was one of the most beloved of this season. They were the definition of girl’s girls; they showed what it means to support your friends no matter what, helped each other through all of their emotional moments and always came back to the love they had for each other throughout any disagreements or potential arguments. During Serena’s phone call home, her actual sister even extended her sisterhood role to Leah and JaNa and was appreciative that they were able to give Serena the love she wished she could give herself. This trio surpassed friendship and reached a level of sisterhood unprecedented in the reality TV space. I’m hopeful that producers and networks everywhere will take it as a cue that female friendships do just as well — if not better — than the drama.
I sincerely believe “Love Island” season six has the potential to change the reality TV formula. This season has far exceeded the viewership of previous seasons and was the most watched show for several weeks of the summer, accumulating 1.1 billion minutes watched solely in the week leading up to the finale. Focusing on positive female friendship rather than drama and harmlessly applying tropes to a reality TV context made this season soar. I would genuinely recommend this season to anyone looking for a fun time. I have since felt at a bit of a loss of what to do with my newfound free time, which sounds like a cry for help, but I guarantee it’s not! It’s rather a testament to just how captivating this season was. There is something to be learned with “Love Island” season six. Producers, I beg of you: take note.
Daily Arts Writer Jenna Jaehnig can be reached at jjaehnig@umich.edu.
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