Even though I’m a first-time watcher when it comes to Love Island USA Season 7, the concept is pretty simple to understand. A bunch of hopefuls end up at a villa in Fiji. From there they couple up, explore connections, and try their best to avoid being eliminated and sent home. And by the end of the season, viewers vote on their favorite couple and they end up winning the grand prize. But from what I’ve seen so far of Love Island USA Season 7, the “love” isn’t in the villa with us.
At the moment of this being written, we’re in episode 25. By this point we should have seen some couples being tested in Casa Amor and some clear frontrunners appearing. Season 7 still has none of that. I would go even further and say that there was no one to cheer for when it came to entering Casa Amor in the first place. Ace was breadcrumbing Chelley and she had every right to go and explore other relationships. Taylor was putting zero effort when it came to Olandria. And Cierra and Nic were just plain old boring.
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We had a little bit of hope with Hannah and Pepe going into Casa Amor. They had a clear connection and seemed to be working towards something sweet and genuine. But Hannah’s time on Love Island USA Season 7 was cut short for reasons and she was booted. And now Pepe is running around with Gracyn, who has also shown zero personality during her time in the villa. But somehow Pepe wants to stick with her and explore their connection.
As we stand now in Season 7 episode 25 everything is surface level when it comes to these couples. Amaya and Zak had some cute moments where they seemed like they connected but Zak is putting zero effort in the experience. Chelley and Ace are at odds over the Heart Rate Challenge in Episode 24. I completely forgot that Austin was still at the villa and that Iris was floating around. And even Cierra and Nic’s date, and subsequent locking down of each other, felt more like them trying to prove a point than actually being happy to take this next step in their relationship.
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There is no romance to root for in Love Island USA Season 7. There is no effort to get to know each other outside of making c-shaped pancakes, making out during challenges, and locking each other down to keep others away. And there are no conversations that have led to a spark that seems like genuine connections that will survive outside the villa. In fact, out of the remaining people at the villa, Nic and Olandria are the only ones that seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company and light up when they see each other even though they are nothing more than friends.
As a reality TV aficionado, having no couples to cheer for in a reality dating show is a major problem. It leads to a dull experience where you’re just sitting around and waiting for the next drama because that’s more entertaining than the couples who are together. And yes I acknowledge that the success of Love Island USA Season 6 could have elevated my expectations of this show. But I’ve been seeing long time Love Island fans complaining as well about the lack of couples to cheer for in Season 7. So it’s not just me.
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So what can Love Island USA Season 7 do to save this season? Honestly, they need to give us more drama. And they know it. That’s why they spent the entirety of Episode 25 teasing the conversation between Chelley and Huda before giving us nothing. They know that we’re bored. And with a season averaging about 38 episodes, we’re heading towards the home stretch. So to keep us locked in, they’re going to do to us what Cierra and Nic did to each other.
Peacock is going to lock us in with the promise of drama so we don’t seek other options because there is no “love” in that villa. And since I’m already 25 episodes deep, sadly it’s going to work on me and the millions of followers who are tuning in every week. Problem for them is that this strategy can’t work forever. It’s called Love Island USA. If you’re not going to give us actual romance or couples to root for this season, then you better bring it in the next one.
New episodes of Love Island air every day besides Wednesday. And Saturdays are dedicated to Love Island Aftersun.
