[PREVIEW] How 'Love Island USA' Became The Show Of The Summer

“Love Island USA” did its big one this season. (Like so much of “Love Island” lingo… if you know you know. Soul Ties is craaaaaazy!) I was a self-enforced “Love Island” ascetic. I avoided the show at all costs, didn’t want to understand how it worked, and didn’t even want to be tempted to watch it. I mean, there are just SO MANY EPISODES each season! How could I possibly keep up? Turns out… I can. I followed Ariana Madix straight from the bowels of “Vanderpump Rules” over to Peacock and into a new reality cult. And apparently I wasn’t the only one, because this season absolutely blew up. The ratings doubled between seasons 5 and 6, it became one of the most-streamed shows of the summer, and the memes are all over Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. (Rob’s overalls! Kaylor’s “fuuuuuuuckahhh Aaron”! Basically everything that Leah says! PPG!)I was curious what was behind the show becoming such a mainstream phenomenon now, six seasons in. So I brought on “Love Island” aficianado and the author of the superb Nightcap newsletter, Laura Bassett to school me on the show’s history, and analyze Leah and Rob’s star power, Serena and Kordell’s rom-com arc, and what made season 6 so special. Hope you enjoy!Note: We recorded this episode last Wednesday, so some of the post-show updates we discuss may have evolved! If you’ve also joined the Love Island cult, here’s some more media to consume:“Going Deeper With Kaylor Martin,” The Viall Files“Love Island’s Perfect Storm,” Brian Moylan for VultureCall Her Daddy tell-all episodes with Rob Rausch and Leah Kateb“How to Make Two Reality Stars Fall in Love? Cue a Tropical Beach,” Calum Marsh for NYTimesShare Rich TextIf you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription