Why British Love Island is *Way* Better Than the U.S. Version
I’ve got a text: the British contestants are all my type on paper
BY ALLY LAIN-HEDDEN ☆ JULY 2, 2021
Credit: Google Images
As someone who is obsessed with Love Island and has watched every version of the show, I have concluded that the British series is the best. Not only are the contestants hotter, but they also make you laugh till you are crying. Filled with sex, smoking, drinking, and drama-filled arguments the, British contestants do the show like no other. With their seventh season starting, one can only expect the series to get better. But here are my reasons why the British version is better than all the others. I also hope you are reading this in a British accent:
Sexy Accents:
Let’s all be honest, accents make someone 10x hotter. So, imagine hot girls and guys who are fit as hell but also have smooth accents. That, my friends, is British Love Island. Hearing Michael Griffiths, a hot firefighter from season five, call someone “childish” in his thick Liverpool accent was by far the funniest and hottest thing I have ever watched. The accents also make the drama 10x better, when Maura, a fiery Irish girl, went off on Tom in her accent I could not turn away from my screen. Poor Tom never stood a chance against her. I will say that subtitles are acceptable when watching because some of the contestants can be hard to understand at times.
Credit: Google Images
Unique Terminology:
Each season, the contestants somehow manage to make up unique terms that I ask my British Dad the meaning of. Poor Wayne has had to define, stick it on me, melt, pied off, and many others. Love Island USA keeps it simple; they stick to the basics, which is boring. You can never get bored when watching a group of hot girls say “babes, I want him to stick it on me” or “he’s just not my type on paper, he's got no bant” when describing the men. But my favorite terms that have ever been on the series are: “Blazin Squad,” “Fanny Flutters,” “Factor 50”, “Do Bits Society” and “Grafting”. I could list many others that are in my notes page on my phone but those are my top ones.
Credit: Google Images
Casting:
I have no clue who is part of the casting team for British Love Island, but they deserve a raise. They cast beautiful people who are perfect for reality tv. Seriously, how did they find Olivia Jade Attwood (no, not *that* Olivia Jade) from Season 3, because she is forever my favorite person to ever enter the villa. She was hilarious, brutally honest, and perfect; dare I say, just like a Kardashian. Even if she got into a fight with Chris every single second of the day, she was still an icon. Casting makes the show and I have no clue how Love Island finds the people they do, but they cast a mix of intelligent, dumb, and random people that we can’t help but fall in love with. Not only do you need hot singles, but you also need people who will cause drama. To be brutally honest, the people on the USA version all seem fake, it may be because production is too involved, but the drama all seemed staged. The British casting team also finds people who work the most random jobs, like Jack Fincham from season four, who worked as a pen salesperson, but they also love casting wrestlers. If anyone from the casting team is reading this, please let me go on the show. I will do whatever you want me to do.
Credit: Google Images
The Villa:
By far the greatest thing about Love Island UK is the villa. Everything about it is perfect. The villa and its cameras are what bring us all the fights, heat, and random conversations. Something about the layout of the UK one is simply better, it may be the size of it and that it is in Spain, but the US villa is lacking. Changing to the new villa in Season 2 was the best decision the Love Island UK team has made. Even the Casa Amor villa is amazing, especially the swinging chair which many of the guys love. The US villa in Fiji from season 1 was beautiful, but it rained too much, and the villa was too big. The US version needs to make its iconic places like the UK version does with its random corner where every couple has its first kiss and where Curtis broke Amy's heart, still hate him for that.
Production Length/Involvement:
One thing I noticed when watching the USA version was that the seasons seemed rushed which made the connections not seem as real. The British version and the production team do not rush the season and the people they cast genuinely seem to form connections with one another. Furthermore, if you look at the couples still together from season 2 of the USA version, none are together. But with season 6 of the UK version mostly all the couples are still together, which means that the connections they formed were genuine. However, not every couple that leaves together on love island stays together and a lot of them have split but couples like Camilla and Jamie from Season 3 (pictured above) have had a child together and are engaged. If the team for the US version were to slow down the season, not rush the people into the villa, and bring more spice in their casting they may have more success.
Bonus: Season 3 of the UK version:
Season 3 of Love Island was what made me fall in love with the show and is why the British version is the best. Season 3 brought us: a bromance between Kem and Chris that we all wished we had, random rap battles, Marcel annoyingly saying “Blazin squad” and Olivia losing her mind over everything Chris did, but yet they still ended up leaving the villa together. The whole cast had no filter and were all themselves which was the best part because it made such good television. The next season of the US version is season 3 and I have high expectations because this was the season that made me love the show. Other seasons have been great, but nothing will ever compare to the fights, cringy make-outs, and the chaos Season 3 gave us. Simply put this season was Chef’s Kiss.
No version will ever be like the OG version of Love Island, and instead of trying to be like the UK version, other countries need to work to make their own identity. Production needs to cast unique people, let connections grow naturally, and listen to their audience. What I love most about the UK version is that the cast has zero filter, they say whatever is on their mind and they are willing to risk it all for love. Nothing will ever beat seeing all the contestants smoke constantly throughout the day, random sex scenes appearing, and the iconic screaming matches between Scott and Kady of Season 2. But the way that the UK version has grown and now has a winter and summer version, shows that people love watching hot strangers fight and try to find love. Without Love Island, my life would not be the same. I cannot wait to watch the new season with my new water bottle, yes, I have one you can ask my roommate, and question why I am not on the show. I leave you with some advice: remember to never be muggy, and have lots of banter and date people who give you fanny flutters, Blazin Squad forever.
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