Love is in the air this summer. Or is it drama? Or friendship? Love Island USA captures it all in its most recent season. 

Love Island is a reality TV contest where single “islanders” couple up to find love and compete for a prize of $100,000. The islanders live in a remote villa where they stay for the duration of their time on the show. This year, the US contestants stayed in Fiji. From the premier to the finale, islanders can stay in the villa for up to six weeks. Their time on the show is determined by the public as viewers at home can impact the show by voting off contestants. As the weeks progress and more people are removed, new islanders enter the villa. These people are called “bombshells.” They enter as a surprise to all of the islanders and are used to start drama by testing relationships between other couples. Challenges are additional ways the producers cause drama on the show. Some challenges can make the truth come out about the islanders while others may test loyalty.

The show first aired in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2015. Since then, new seasons have been released every summer with new contestants. Due to its popularity, the show expanded to Australia and the United States. Up until this summer, the United Kingdom version of the show was the most popular. However this year, Love Island USA season six rapidly gained popularity. According to USA Network, it is now the number one reality series in the US across all platforms. 

This specific season gained attention from the very beginning of its release because of its cast members. Many islanders became fan favorites due to their humor, relatability, and connections with other castmates. From the first episode, the islanders had to choose someone to “couple up” with, even though they just met. Due to the drama, challenges, and new bombshells, these couples change up a lot throughout a given season. They have “coupling up” ceremonies frequently where they can choose to stay with the person they were previously with or switch them out with a different islander. This contributes to the drama as they still have to live in the villa with an islander they are no longer with, adding to the tension. However, if there is an islander who is left single, they have a chance of getting eliminated. 

Although many couples did not last until the finale, the friendships were another big part of this season. Many friendships lasted even after the show ended. The most popular trio started because of the show is between islanders, JaNa, Leah, and Serena. These girls were part of the original 10 castmates that made it to the finale together. Their bond was evident from the beginning and they stuck by one another through challenging times. Even after the show finished, the three continued hanging out and were seen posting together on social media. 

Love Island USA season six has made an impression on many viewers. From the drama to the friendships, this season of Love Island will be remembered as one of the most dramatic and entertaining seasons yet. Though this season has unfortunately come to an end, fans will anxiously await until next summer for season seven!