love island is infuriating this year. the cast is full of Andrew Tate followers, influencers who only seem to be there to build their brand (in other words, brands pretending to be islanders), and scrappy doo. half of the islanders are on strategy island, the other half are on forced friendship island. people who seem genuine keep getting voted off. people who should've left weeks ago are still here because of weird alliances, terrible advice, and bad voting decisions by the islanders and the public.
i’m used to watching the hottest women ever ™ sabotage their happiness for weird men. i’m used to seeing forced friendships. i’m used to watching couples who wouldnt work on the outside ride it out in hopes of a bombshell. but there’s too much built up tension because everyone is hyper aware they’re on a reality tv series. they are too worried about being disliked. they are hyper aware of the formulas that worked for past seasons, and have mistakenly decided imitation is the way to win 100k— in cash or followers.
they miscalculated: love island is a show that rewards authenticity. the most iconic islanders — Maura, mollie may, Camilla, the ppg, Ekin-su, Rob, even Kem (ew) — are iconic because they chose to be themselves, even when it meant pissing off other islanders, dividing the audience, and sending the producers into a panic.
It’s day 27 (???) and I care for none of the islanders besides Amaya. Amaya, who clearly wants to find love without sacrificing her morals. Amaya, who wants to find love without idealizing her other islanders. Amaya, who wants to find love without forcing the premise to fit her ideals. my winner.
