‘Love Island’ and the future of the reality TV-to-influencer pipeline

This story was originally published on Passionfruit.

I recently finished the latest series of Love Island U.K.—which was a flop to say the least, but we’ll get back to that later.

A frequent criticism of “disingenuous” (as if the entire premise isn’t disingenuous) contestants is that they’re game players—only in it for the £50,000 prize. In reality, no one has ever taken the cash prize for themselves, but many of the show’s “islanders” have successfully turned their 15 minutes of fame into lucrative social media presences. 

Over the past few years, the “game player” critique has slowly morphed into “they’re only in it for the PrettyLittleThing deal” or something of the sort.

Sign up for our Passionfruit newsletter for creator coverage like this:

• Twitch Stats Prove the Platform Still Reigns Supreme
  by Charlotte Colombo
• New Start-Up Outlandish Combines Retail With Live Shopping
  by Charlotte Colombo
• The Lume Cube RBG Tube Light XL Review: Powerful Pro Creative Lighting For Video and Photography Creators
  by John-Michael Bond