ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
There are lots of reality dating shows out there, but only one has been on six nights a week this summer...
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SHAPIRO: ..."Love Island USA." Reality TV fans are in a frenzy about it, and two of them are here to tell us why. B.A. Parker hosts NPR's Code Switch podcast, and Aisha Harris hosts NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Good to have you both here.
B A PARKER, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
AISHA HARRIS, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
SHAPIRO: I'm being told I should say, welcome, islanders. Is that right?
HARRIS: Yes.
PARKER: That's more appropriate, yes.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHAPIRO: OK, I confess, I've actually never watched an episode of this show, and I'm not snobby about it. I believe it's good. There's just too much TV out there, and "Love Island USA" never made the cut for me. So tell me what I'm missing. Aisha?
HARRIS: Think of it as sort of "Big Brother" meets "The Sims" but on an island. You've got, like, a bunch of these conventionally sexy 20-somethings who are thrown into a villa. They compete for each other's affections. They play these very highly convoluted games and scenarios. And then they're all kind of there ostensibly to couple up and find love, but there's also a cash prize at the end. Oh, and also the show is sort of happening in real time. There's a one- to two-day delay between filming and the airing of new episodes.
SHAPIRO: I don't envy the editors having to turn around six episodes a week in real time. But this is the seventh season of the show. Why, Parker, do you think this one has caught fire in a way that previous seasons have?
PARKER: Well, this is the seventh season, and it gained a lot of momentum during Season Six, where these three main couples really, like, became a part of the zeitgeist. And now that's kind of, like, bubbling up, and these young people are, like, really just, like, looking at it from, like, an anthropological perspective and looking at it from, like, wanting these random people to, like, fall in love.
SHAPIRO: And as I understand it, one of the big differences with other dating shows is that people actually get to vote on couples they think should be together. How does that impact the show?
PARKER: People are really invested in who they want. It's like rooting for a sports team or something. Like, I want these two people to get the money, or I want these people out of my villa, like, my villa.
SHAPIRO: My villa.
HARRIS: Yeah.
PARKER: Yeah. It's, like, a lot of investment.
HARRIS: Yeah. I mean, also, like, in a way, quote-unquote, "America" becomes a character on this show. You know, one of the couples, Huda and Jeremiah, who were early on in the season - they're very, very close and tight. And when America voted to split them up, all of a sudden, everyone in the cast was like, well, maybe this is America telling you that you don't belong together or giving you a sign that you need to explore other connections.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LOVE ISLAND USA")
HUDA MUSTAFA: (As herself) I don't know if they want him to find better or they want me to find better.
UNIDENTIFIED CONTESTANT #1: (As herself) Obviously, it's you that they want...
UNIDENTIFIED CONTESTANT #2: (As herself) Why don't you think about it as, America was protecting you?
UNIDENTIFIED CONTESTANT #3: (As herself) Like, you're welcome.
HARRIS: So it's kind of like, it's a very interactive way of experiencing reality TV, and I think that's another thing that makes it so unique.
SHAPIRO: Are there other lessons that you think reality shows in general could learn from "Love Island's" massive success this season?
HARRIS: Well, I mean, I think one of the things that we've seen is the fact that this is a show that - it's not explicitly marketed to Black audiences or nonwhite audiences. It's kind of a, quote-unquote, "mainstream" TV show. But this season has been surprisingly very Black in ways that we're not usually seeing on these reality shows.
PARKER: Yes.
HARRIS: And I think that has also contributed to the success because it's broadened the audience. And it's really, really fascinating to watch and see Black women, especially, and dark-skinned Black women, like Olandria and Chelley, be desired and make it as far as they have on this show.
SHAPIRO: The finale airs Sunday, and given that I have no idea who any of the people on it are, can you tell me in a way that means something to me who you're rooting for and why?
PARKER: Oh, well, I will say, there's a certain faction of people that'll be like, say, Nicolandria in five, and that would mean something. There's a couple named Nick and Olandria who are two people who - people want them to be together since the beginning, and they haven't finally gotten together until the very last week of the show and - very excited.
HARRIS: Yeah, I'm going to put in a vote here for Amaya and Bryan. Amaya, especially, has been through a lot this season and being told that she's, quote-unquote, "too much, too emotional," and the fact that she's found someone who is able to sync with her on that level.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LOVE ISLAND")
AMAYA ESPINAL: (As herself) You know, sometimes I'm not the book that someone should be reading, and that's OK.
HARRIS: Bryan and her seem to be really great match, so I'm rooting for them, for sure.
SHAPIRO: OK, last question. With six episodes a week, where on Earth do you find the time?
(LAUGHTER)
PARKER: It's like when, like, generations were watching soap operas every day. Like, it's - you just find the - you fast-forward to the parts you really care about. You find your couple, and you stick with them, essentially.
HARRIS: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: B.A. Parker of Code Switch and Aisha Harris of Pop Culture Happy Hour - the "Love Island USA" finale airs Sunday on Peacock. And hey, maybe I'll even watch it. You've kind of persuaded me. Thank you both.
PARKER: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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