Unlike most US TV equivalents to UK shows, Love Island USA is showing us up massively.
The American edition of the show has broadcast episodes that feature two of the female contestants realizing that they are attracted to one another and sharing a kiss.
The two Islanders, Kassy Castillo and Johnnie Garcia, were both coupled up with male contestant Leo. He was with Kassy but pursued Jonnie after she entered Casa Amor.
This has left fans of other versions to say this twist makes it more interesting than other series.
As someone who doesn’t watch Love Island—because it’s honestly quite dull with its lack of diversity—I think having same-sex couples within the villa could be a good representation, even if it is trashy TV. But then reality shows have never been great with any type of diversity and I wonder if this is where it begins. And I won’t lie, it would definitely make things a bit more fun, and certainly up the stakes, especially if people with a range of sexualities appeared on the show. I would even consider giving it a watch.
However, that may not come to be (at least on the UK version) as back in 2021, ITV boss Amanda Stavri called having same-sex couples in the villa presents a “logistical difficulty,” which to me sounds like a lousy excuse.
She told Radio Times, “In terms of gay Islanders, I think the main challenge is regarding the format of Love Island. There’s a sort of logistical difficulty, because although Islanders don’t have to be 100 per cent straight, the format must sort of give [the] Islanders an equal choice when coupling up.”
She then tried to dish out other shows on their channels which have less “restrictions.”
“With our dating shows, such as The Cabins, there is much more sexual diversity. The formats don’t have as much restrictions as Love Island. So we’re very sort of mindful of that across our programming on ITV and dating series. But that’s the difficulty with Love Island.”
But with the US version airing a same-sex kiss, perhaps the UK bosses at ITV will begin to worry that maybe their previous comments and thought process just isn’t good enough.
(featured image: ITV Entertainment)
