UK season eight of “Love Island” will forever be my escape from reality, taking me to the balmy, hot heaven that is Mallorca, Spain. If the “Love Island” executives call me and tell me that I have been chosen to be a contestant, my suitcase packed with perfectly white shoes, hundreds of swimsuits and a fresh spray tan is ready. Even if you’re a reality TV hater, this season’s “Love Island” UK is a must-watch. You’ll thank me when you gain a British vocabulary and a newfound love for what raunchy reality television has to offer.
Over summer vacation, as I succumbed to jetlag, I binge-watched the show, starting from the very first season. The reality dating show, which first premiered in 2015, follows 11 contestants for six weeks at a tropical island villa as they vie for love and a hefty prize of £50,000. If you thought that season eight’s humor and “banter” was vulgar and crude, I suggest you watch seasons one and two to see how the provocativeness really pushed the limits of reality television. Since season three, contestants are limited to one glass of wine a night and are not permitted to smoke in any manner. So, if you are interested in seeing the Islanders get into physical fights almost every night and become too “muggy” to function, the early seasons are most definitely for you.
The UK version of “Love Island” is most definitely “my type on paper.” There are actually 21 different countries that have their own “Love Island.” But, if you’re looking for a blend of accents and cultures all in one season, the UK version is just what you’re looking for. Contestants come from London, Essex, Swansea in Wales and Cork in Ireland, meaning even they have trouble understanding each other sometimes. Even I, a British person who lived in London for six years, need subtitles to watch the show.
Nevertheless, the UK version will most definitely leave you with a plethora of new catch phrases that you think you won’t use in your daily life, but I promise that you will. My favorites to use during conversations: “Mugged off” (meaning to deceive someone, which I would angrily use if I had a history quiz I wasn’t aware of), “It is what it is” (perfect for when I eat frozen yogurt from Café M at 8:30 a.m.) and, lastly, “I got a text,” which really can only be used for one thing, but the British accent makes it timeless.
I hope that every student feels inclined to watch this season’s “Love Island” UK and embrace the embarrassing but real obsession, like I did. Lastly, to all my imagined “Love Island haters,” you’re lying if you say you don’t enjoy watching young Brits fight for love in a Spanish mansion or you’re just too ashamed to admit it … for now.
