Islanders
6 Major Changes ‘Love Island USA’ Should Make in Season 8
Love Island USA‘s latest season has been a bit polarizing, to say the least.
There’s no doubt that Season 7 made for stellar discourse, but does that mean that the season was actually good? Speaking for ourselves, we’d say that while it made for great reality TV, Season 7 wasn’t exactly peak Love Island USA. (Maybe we were spoiled by Season 6, but that’s neither here nor there.)
That being said, we think Love Island USA can make a few tweaks next year. The dating show has yet to be renewed for Season 8, but we have a really good feeling about it. Since Season 8 is pretty much a sure thing, we’ve already been manifesting that they make these six key changes moving forward.
After you scroll through, let us know what you think of our takes in the comments. Are there any more changes you’d like to see in the villa?
Love Island USA, Season 7, All Episodes, Streaming Now, Peacock
1. Movie Night needs to happen
It was a real tragedy that Movie Night didn’t take place this season. The twist, which involves showing clips of what contestants have said and done behind each other’s backs, tests the bonds of the Islanders going into the final episodes. It’s messy, dramatic, and all around a great time for viewers (not the Islanders).
Honestly, we kind of understand why it didn’t happen, though. There weren’t many strong connections to test this time around, which leads us to our next proposal.
2. More dates and Hideaway moments
Why were there so few outings and nights in the Hideaway? Maybe if the Islanders had more opportunities for one-on-one time, they would’ve formed stronger relationships with each other earlier on.
However, even the stronger couples barely got the chance to leave the villa. Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe had been together since Episode 14, and they weren’t sent to the Hideaway until Episode 33. Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were the only others to go. Both couples didn’t go on dates either. Make it make sense!
3. Revamp the challenges
We love the classic “Hearts on Fire” challenge as much as the next person, but some of the others were played too much for shock value. Many were designed to provoke drama or steamy makeout sessions, and while that’s all well and good, the season could’ve done with more lighthearted challenges. Why can’t they simply be bonding opportunities?
One example of a challenge we loved, however, was Megan Thee Stallion’s twerk-off competition. It was a breath of fresh air that Season 7 desperately needed. It was all laughs and fun, sans mean comments and backstabbing. Just sprinkle in a few more challenges like that, and Season 8 will be miles better.
4. Get rid of the cash prize
This issue isn’t particular to Season 7: We’ve always thought it was pointless to have a cash prize at the end of the show.
In theory, we get why it exists. One half of the couple is given the entire $100,000 prize, while the other gets $0. The lucky Islander decides whether to keep it for themselves or split it, “proving” if they really love their partner or not.
Honestly, it proves nothing. No one has ever kept the money, and no one likely ever will, lest they look like awful human beings on TV. It’s silly and pointless, and most Islanders will likely end up making way more cash through brand deals post-show.
At the very least, Love Island USA should copy Love Island UK and remove the “split or steal” part of it.
5. Overhaul the casting process
It’s no secret that Love Island USA had a bit of a casting problem this year. Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar were sent home early for saying racial slurs in past social media posts. Reportedly, the show may be already making some updates to their casting process. “We are going to hire more people to dig into people’s past and things they did in public and really brush out their social media and old posts to see if anything controversial came out of there,” an insider told The Sun.
We’d also like the show to have less influencers and models on the show, primarily because several Season 7 contestants run in the same circles and knew each other beforehand. Not only did Ace and Chelley meet pre-villa, but the couple said several other Islanders were in the same boat. In an interview with Blavity, Chelley said she already knew Amaya and Andreina Santos, and Ace chimed in that he knew Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez. The couple also claimed Nic Vansteenberghe and Jeremiah Brown had worked together in the past.
We think the Islanders need to know absolutely nothing of each other to keep the process pure. While they’re at it, maybe they can hire more people with regular jobs, too! We don’t want to watch Influencer Island.
6. Give the fans more say
We don’t think we’re the only ones that disagreed with how the Islanders handled some of their own dumpings. Perhaps most controversially, the girls voted to send Hannah home in in Episode 18. She had a strong connection with Pepe, while the other two girls in the bottom three had yet to find anyone in the villa.
That was just one instance of the Islanders making decisions that seemed more strategic, like they were on Survivor rather than Love Island. That’s why we think more votes should be put into the public’s hands. There’s a good chance it would keep stronger couples in the villa longer, since fans have no skin in the game.
