Love Island UK Season 8 Premiere Date Announced

The premiere date has been announced for Love Island UK season 8. The ITV reality show, which follows swimsuit-clad singles as they live together in a villa and try to find love, has been a massive global hit since it premiered in 2015. It’s produced a number of spin-offs in other countries, including Love Island USA.

The show’s premise is simple. After “coupling up” with someone based on a first impression, contestants can switch their partners in weekly re-coupling ceremonies. Whoever isn’t chosen gets sent home. Viewers also vote to eliminate certain individuals and couples. Meanwhile, contestants known as bombshells are brought in periodically to stir things up. There’s also the Casa Amor challenge, where couples are separated, and have to choose whether to stay loyal, or couple up with one of the Casa Amor bombshells. This formula has created iconic moments, new celebrities like Eyal Booker, and even happy marriages. In addition to revealing the premiere date, some notable changes to the series were also announced.

On Friday, The Sun UK revealed that Love Island will return on Monday, June 6. Sources claimed that the casting department was already meeting with potential contestants. Filming for the advertisements will reportedly start over the next few weeks. The insiders also claimed fans can look forward to those ads airing in May. In a shocking twist, this will be the longest season ever, spanning 10 weeks. The seasons have typically lasted eight weeks. Season 6, which aired in the beginning of 2020, was only six weeks. Regarding the schedule, a spokesperson for ITV only said that it was too early to confirm anything. The show’s famous villa will also be in a new location, although exactly where that will be was not included in the announcement. Laura Whitmore, who took over for the late Caroline Flack in season 6, will return as the host. And Laura’s husband, comedian Ian Stirling, will once again provide the voiceover. Ian’s voiceover is one of the many elements that set Love Island apart from other popular dating shows. It’s one of the elements spin-offs have made sure to replicate, with comedian Matthew Hoffman providing the narration for the USA-set version.

While the show is still a massive hit, seasons 6 and 7 were both received lukewarmly. Many viewers claimed the show was starting to get stale. Others were tired of the series’ lack of racial and body diversity. Executives were also criticized for shutting down the possibility of a queer season, although ITV is now reportedly open non-binary contestants. And the show has repeatedly come under fire for not protecting contestants’ mental health.

Another popular complaint about the show is that more and more contestants are only there to chase Instagram influencer careers. After season 5 finalists Molly-Mae Hague and Maura Higgins found astronomical success, season 6 and 7 Islanders seemed more interested in brand deals and followers than love. Another one of the show’s twists is that a member of the winning couple can choose between splitting the prize money, or taking it all for themselves. Considering contestants can end up making millions, so much fuss over ten thousand pounds is unnecessary.

However, the sources appeared to emphasize that season 8 would bring a number of changes to switch things up. Likewise, season 7 contestants did not find the same success as previous years. Many struggled to reach a million Instagram followers, which even the least popular Islander could gain in earlier seasons. As with The Bachelor, it no longer guarantees influencer careers. Perhaps this will bring more contestants who are genuinely there for the right reasons.

Previous seasons of Love Island UK are currently available to watch on Hulu.

Source: The Sun UK