Kumari Shreya
Based on the eponymous British series, Peacock’s ‘Love Island USA’ is a dating reality show that has become a fan favorite since its premiere in 2019. Apart from its captivating premise, which allows the participants to truly see their possible options when it comes to love, one of the most engaging parts of the show is how the show seems to be taking place around the same time as its release dates. But just how close are the production and airing times? Is each episode actually live? If you are someone eager to find the answers to these questions, worry not because we are here to share what we know about the same!
Love Island USA: Not Aired Live
From what we have gathered, it does not seem like ‘Love Island USA’ is completely live. That being said, the production of the show certainly is quite close to the airing dates, with many episodes being aired on the same calendar date that the on-screen dates take place. A part of it is to do with the efficiency of the production and editing team, while others can also be attributed to time-zone differences in some of the cases due to the location of the shootings.
When the show made its debut in 2019 while still being aired on CBS, David Eilenberg, an executive producer, explained to The Hollywood Reporter how it all work when asked if the show airs in real-time. Apparently, the seasons set in Fiji have taken full advantage of the fact that the South Pacific Country is 19 hours ahead of the USA’s Pacific Coast during the general time frame that the show is produced and aired.
“It’s a very ambitious production schedule that moves at a very fast pace. And that is all part of the fun and immediacy of the format, which is what the fans love,” Eilenberg explained.” The nice thing about Love Island is it really is happening 24/7 during the airing window. A big differentiator from other U.S. reality shows is that each episode has not been in the can for six months. People want to feel that sense of urgency and immediacy.”
While the sense of urgency is indeed a captivating concept when it comes to seasons 2 to 4, the beloved reality show was actually shot within the US, likely due to travel regulations implemented after the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While it is not clear how the showrunners worked around this particular issue given the non-existent time difference, it is evident the production of each episode was still being closely followed by its airing, given that the public still got the chance to vote and save their favorites from becoming vulnerable.
In other words, ‘Love Island USA’ is not exactly aired live, but the events taking place in the show are made public as early as possible in order to continue the audience’s input and interference. With season 5, the dating show moved back to filming in Fiji, which certainly has added another sense of excitement for everyone involved as the showrunners gained back the advantage of a time difference that they had relied on during the show’s very first season.
Read More: Where is Love Island USA 2023 Filmed?
