There’s a new take on Love Island coming, and it’s chock-full of some fan-favorite faces from around the world.
Love Island Games is a new series that’s bringing together some of the most contentious, beloved and chaotic cast members from previous seasons of Love Island that have aired internationally. From Australia and the U.S. to Europe, the singles joining the brand new villa in Fiji are all experienced Love Island stars — but they’re in for a totally different challenge this time around.
While the franchise started with the U.K. version in 2015 before expanding to Germany in 2017, Australia and Sweden in 2018, the U.S. in 2019 and France in 2020, this new series is the first of its kind.
Some previous seasons have introduced the idea of cast crossovers — Love Island USA season 5 saw UK’s Scott Van-der-Sluis cross borders, and U.K. season 9 saw Australia’s Jessie Wynter find love with British farmer Will — but there’s never been this much of a mix-up — until now!
Here’s everything to know about Love Island Games.
What is ‘Love Island Games’?
The spinoff series brings together fan-favorite Islanders from across the globe to try their hand at a second shot at love. It will feature the set-up viewers have come to love — weekly recouplings, partners sharing beds and plenty of drama-filled screaming matches — but introduces a new twist.
Per a press release, the new iteration of the beloved dating show brings romance and competition together as Islanders are “faced with both team and couples’ challenges, all while navigating dating, eliminations, recoupling, dramatic arrivals, and new competition twists and turns that help control the game like never before.”
The sexy singles are all competing to be “crowned champions of Love Island Games.”
Who’s in the cast?
The cast of the spinoff series is made up of 13 female Islanders and 13 male Islanders, all of whom have appeared on a version of the show before. Of the 26 contestants, four hail from Australia, 10 from the U.S., 9 from the U.K. and one from France, Germany and Sweden respectively. Just one of the Islanders has appeared on both U.K. and U.S. seasons: Scott Van-der-Sluis.
Among the returning U.K. Islanders is season 4’s Georgia Steel and Jack Fowler, who shared a drama-incurring kiss on their first time in the villa, as well as former flames Eyal Booker and Megan Barton-Hanson, whose romance didn’t last but was fiery and physical from the get-go. Barton-Hanson came in fourth place on her season — but not with Booker.
Curtis Pritchard (season 5), who was boxer Tommy Fury’s closest confidante during their time in the villa in 2019, will also make his return, along with Mike Boateng from season 6, the first installment of Winter Love Island, and season 10’s Scott Van-der Sluis, who, much to audience’s chagrin, appeared on Love Island USA season 5 just weeks after wrapping up his time in the U.K. villa this summer.
Two Islanders from season 7 are returning, too: Liberty Poole and Toby Aromolaran. While Poole spent her entire time in the villa with her day one beau, Jake Cornish, before the two decided to leave together and ultimately ended their highly-criticized relationship, Aromolaran came in second place and dated Chloe Burrows for more than a year before their October 2022 breakup.
The Australian Islanders are also bringing the drama. Among the cast is Mitch Hibberd and Tina Provis, who won season 3 and dated for several months afterward before they split. They both then made Love Island history as they returned as bombshells the following season.
Australia season 4’s Jessica Losurdo and Callum Hole are also returning.
As for the American Islanders, two winners are making their return to the villa: Justine Ndiba (season 2) and Zeta Morrison (season 4). Ndiba split from Caleb Corprew less than four months after winning, while Morrison and her beau, Timmy Pandolfi, also broke things off shortly after coming in first place.
Former couple Cely Vazquez and Johnny Middlebrooks are also set to return to the villa, as they look for a second shot at love following their split shortly after season 2. In a statement at the time, Vazquez said it was “simply time for each of us to focus on our own personal journey” as she announced the breakup.
Deb Chubb will also look for love again less than a year after her breakup with Jesse Bray following their third place run on season 4.
Kyra Green and Ray Gantt from season 1, Carrington Rodriguez from season 2, Courtney Boerner from season 4 and Imani Wheeler from season 5 are also returning.
Aurelia Lamprecht is the German contestant. She competed on season 4 of Love Island DE in 2020. She left the villa single after less than a month.
Model Steph Blackos is representing France in the spinoff. He competed on season 2 of Love Island France and spent just about a month in the villa before he was dumped.
All the way from Love Island Sweden, Lisa Celander returns to the villa after spending less than a month on the show earlier this year.
Who’s the host?
Love Island U.K. host Maya Jama will be the host of the spinoff series. Jama, 29, replaced Laura Whitmore as host for the 2023 winter installment, season 9, and helmed the summer season as well.
Iain Stirling, who has narrated all ten seasons of the U.K. version as well as the USA series since its inception in 2019, also returns to narrate the spinoff, bringing his beloved wittiness to Fiji as he revisits some of his old subjects.
Love Island U.K. veteran Maura Higgins is also joining the party in Fiji as she resumes her role as the show’s social ambassador, which she began this summer for season 5 of the US series.
Several other “surprise guests” are due to “drop in throughout the season” as well, per a press release.
When Will It Premiere — and How Can I Watch?
The show premieres Wednesday, Nov. 1 on Peacock. There will be six episodes per week, with one day off — a schedule comparable to other Love Island seasons.
In contrast to other seasons, though, Love Island Games will be exclusively streaming online rather than airing live.
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