It’s My Favorite Season
I’m the first to admit - I’m not a big Bravo girlie. A man once made a joke about the ‘Countess’ on a date many years ago, and I looked at him bewildered and said “Who?” My reality TV consumption is usually limited to Top Chef but I make one exception: the world of Love Island. June is the beginning of the real Love Island season (full season of episodes, all new contestants, Casa Amor, both US and UK running) and it is my Olympics. I am a dutiful watcher and pretty much keep up with all the new episodes - up to 50 each season, dropping almost every day until mid July.
My long search for love is an interesting parallel to my obsession with Love Island. At first, I watched with morbid curiosity - what could these beautiful idiots teach me about finding love? And were those relationships real? I do believe that the feelings are mostly real. In some cases, long-lasting relationships, marriage, and children have come from Love Island (the UK version at least). But for the most part, when you add up all the hours, the on-camera kisses, and bombshells, the math doesn’t quite math. Typically, a season ends up with 3-5 real couples at the end. Many of those don’t last too long “outside the villa”. And yet, I still watch, relentlessly, every year.
Why? For one, sometimes seeing two people fall in love from scratch is quite inspiring. I have my favorite contestants, couples, and seasons. But the real reason is the peek inside the minds of these gorgeous dummies. It has taught me that hot people have problems too. I am not resentful of the hot Islanders tonguing each other in a tropical paradise. Hot people get rejected. They fall too hard for someone too fast, get into their heads about their past relationships, and end up hurt. They crash out. They communicate poorly and send mixed signals. Hot people get dumped on international television! No matter how gorgeous they are, they have insecurities too.
The realization that being hotter, skinnier, or blonde wouldn’t solve my search for love is probably the most comfort that a reality show has ever brought me. Love is Blind tried to turn this idea of “looks don’t matter” on its head but it makes the same mistake that The Bachelor makes: forcing a fast timeline to engagement or marriage, under the guise that that is the only outcome that anyone wants from a romantic connection. Love Island’s spirit is one of exploration and taking it one day at a time - the goal is to couple up with someone who you can make it to the end of the season with and maybe long enough to win the show’s top honor (a measly $50k). The goal is not to find your soulmate or get married, because there is no promise about what the future or outcome should be in any Love Island relationship, I think the relationships develop more organically there.
So I say to you: Merry Love Island Season and Happy Casa Amor! As I prepare for my Super Bowl and steel my nerves for the full roller coaster of emotions, I take a page out of the Love Island book to keep exploring, meeting new people, being open for connection and never losing sight of the ultimate goal: to give myself the best experience.
