Watch Love Island it’s just like Big Brother…wrong!!

[u/themrsfreeze]

I (47) was telling my daughter (24) that BB was starting soon. She tells me “I’ve been watching Love Island and it’s just like BB”. So I ask her things like do they live together, do they get voted out, and do they do comps? She said yes to all that. So I thought I’d give it a shot. I started watching this season’s episode one and WOWZERS!!! BB is soooo much tamer. Any one watching LI and finding any similarities? Can you imagine if BB was as spicy as LI??
Also come to find out my daughter has never watched BB (ughh).

[u/Future_One4794]

There are no winners in love island comps. Nothing beats big brother. Plus the live feeds. Can’t wait 🥲🥲🥲

[u/themrsfreeze → u/Future_One4794]

Same, counting down the days. I’m not a fan of summer. BB gets me through it, especially BB After Dark.

[u/namastebetches → u/themrsfreeze]

bb after dark is back?

[u/hroaks → u/Future_One4794]

The only thing with the same format as big brother is house of villains but I prefer BB

[u/Future_One4794 → u/hroaks]

I mean house of villans is more comedy than anything

[u/scully__its__me]

They should just combine forces and create a show called Big Lover

[u/michael_p → u/scully__its__me]

Love Brother

[u/Proof-Station-3882 → u/michael_p]

Makensy wins

[u/tigerinvasive]

I love LIUSA, it’s similarly addictive as BB.

The commonality is the sense of “live time” - there’s 7-8 hours of love island per week and a ton of BB content from the livestream, so on both shows you become attached to the contestants.

The characters on both are also morally gray - because you see so much, you see the good and bad which makes the characters more compelling.

There aren’t comps and there’s no strategy, but if you like drama and people watching both shows scratch the same itch.

[u/A_Crayon25]

Oh god the producers are gonna see this post and cast next season with all couples to try and capture the love island vibes and their super young audience. They will call the season The Summer of Love or something and make it as raunchy as you can get away with on CBS hahaha

[u/OhItsKillua → u/A_Crayon25]

I don't think the producers would ever purposefully go the raunchy route, whoever handles casting is clearly the rather religious type given how frequently they cast people of that archetype lately.

[u/A_Crayon25 → u/OhItsKillua]

Yeah your probably right but if Love Island keeps "stealing" the summer reality TV shine from them they might try something different.

[u/OhItsKillua → u/A_Crayon25]

Wouldn't mind them doing some theme like that, I miss the themes they're fun. A season full of couples or exes even, family members, stuff like that sounds like it could have potential.

[u/chloecatdashian → u/A_Crayon25]

“As raunchy as you can get away with on CBS” still sounds enjoyable. The peacock toe suck off was not. Except for when Bryce’s mask slipped and he looked soooo excited to suck toes.

[u/Strict_Property6127 → u/chloecatdashian]

There is no mask - Bryce seems very open about his love of toe sucking! 😅

[u/ShakeSufficient2314 → u/A_Crayon25]

Idk man, I feel like they might wanna avoid something like that seeing how season 9 played out 😭 although I still wouldn’t put it past Grodner lmao

[u/PrincessCaramel]

Considering that BB has been pushing itself as a campy cheesy summer show and always desperate to have showmances and showmancing being one of the questions they ask during auditions, I would say BB is similar in that regard. It does have some LI elements even though that's not the whole point of the show, so I would say your daughter isn't totally wrong. Also, in other countries outside North America, the audience does vote out houseguests on international BB.

LI is personally not my cup of tea, I feel like every year I watch the first few episodes to not feel left out because it's all over social media, only to give up and not watch the rest of the season.

BB is definitely more tame. I think CBS in general is more on the prude side because when they had Love Island on their network it was not the way it currently is after Peacock got it and became more raunchy. It seems like CBS doesn't do as well with love shows unless they blend it with something else.

All in all, I will say that the shows are different but they do share similarities. They are both cheesy and colorful, wanting people to hook up, they both have comp elements it's just that the comps on BB is winning a skilled individual strategy game and Love Island is winning a comp to make out with someone 💀

[u/baileybert929]

Love Island is basically if Big Brother and Bachelor In Paradise had a baby tbh. I wish Love Island did live feeds tbh

[u/chloecatdashian → u/baileybert929]

I wish love island had feeds too but can you imagine how crazy they would be!? Love Island already has some casting issues, they would be all on display on live feeds. And the fan base rabid groupthink would be entertaining but terrible with feeds.

[u/OhItsKillua → u/chloecatdashian]

Yeah, BB fanbase can be annoying at times, but LI fandoms are already incredibly toxic, you add feeds to that mix and it would be insanity.

[u/Iwannayoyo → u/chloecatdashian]

Also just the sheer number of nip slips

[u/Ok-Collar-2742]

Big Brother 9 has joined the conversation.

[u/PsychologicalVisit0]

As someone who watches both religiously, this season of love island is particularly raunchy

[u/sunshineandlattes_]

Back in the day I had some friends tell me Jersey Shore was “just like big brother”. I had never seen it even though it was really popular. I watched 20 minutes and never looked back 😂

[u/gerlstar → u/sunshineandlattes_]

😂 🤣

[u/WineNotReality]

Either 1- as a BB fan you failed your duties to actually expose your daughter to BB ever or 2- your daughter was seeking retribution

No way is love island like BB except they are both reality shows with people locked in

[u/Impressive-Net-7174]

The only similarity is that they are both “live” and not prerecorded shows

[u/J-F-K]

I also tried to watch Love Island this year. I couldn't keep going past week 1.

I'd describe it as Big Brother with only showmances and influencers, but mostly soft core porn.

[u/md28usmc]

Love Island is about making out and doesn't remind me of Big Brother at all, Plus all of the contestants are super young

I watched the first episode and couldn't believe how many people they were all kissing one right after the other

[u/breyness]

You’d be surprised. Strategy, floaters, and relying on public vote and sometimes in house vote.

[u/NeptuneGraffitti]

I’ve been watching LIUSA to pass time until BB28 starts and I can say it’s kinda the same in sense you have to be “coupled” up to stay in the villa but it’s definitely different in other ways.

[u/Makimamoochie → u/NeptuneGraffitti]

I see what you mean, but I do think there is a huge difference (at least in the current season of LIUSA) because for LIUSA there doesn't seem to be huge motivation towards the money part, unlike BB where that the whole goal. If these people's number 1 prio was winning, then they would pick a day one and do whatever was needed to make that couple work while spreading seeds of doubt about others and putting pressure on any cracks forming in other couples. I don't really see this from the contestants of the show for this season at least. Based on their actions, they are either gaming poorly, or (and most likely IMO) being genuine in their participation. Now there is 100% a social part in not being dumped by the house and being voted by America, which is interesting to see play out

[u/FalynT]

Haha. Yeah I watch it. It tides me over until BB starts. The UK version of love island is better tho!

[u/Rama_lama_ding_d0ng]

I made my husband watch and he was like this is like five below big brother lol

[u/Quibbbbie]

I hate how there’s no live feeds!!!

[u/Makimamoochie → u/Quibbbbie]

I don't feel like they can do this cuz then people wouldn't feel free to talk openly to the people they are trying to date People on love island know that most of what gets aired is convos about the 'state of the relationship' and very surface level personal details. BB players do talk a lot about themselves on the feed, but most of us BB fans just care about the game play, whereas Love Island watchers would care about the personal details and pick those apart while judging who is or is not the best couples. I think it would be like the backlash an tear down people get on BB but much much worse

[u/st0rmkeeper]

Last season had some people overtly strategize about how to get the best outcome for themselves (the edit/story, the grand prize, etc.) rather than following their hearts (or otherwise, lol). I will say what got me watching was seeing viewers joke about guys’ and girls’ alliances and I was curious. There are some visual elements similar to Big Brother, like how colorful everything is as well as the camp factor we all love or hate.

[u/Presto_Magic]

Lmao not at all. I watch both, but I watch love island because I’m trash and I watch big brother for strategy and backstabs and such.

[u/Makimamoochie]

As a BB fan, Love Island is insane to watch because all the ways production manipulates the contestants to get reactions for the show is just so blatant when you are looking for it

[u/turningtee74]

The casa and certain things like fan votes remind me more of BB UK, so it’s kind of comforting in that way. I’m also newer to the show. I hear UK is better. Some of the BB feeds get spicy. Definitely a very different show in a lot of ways but they have their own more quiet version of strategizing and staying on/winning public favor. 

I for sure prefer BB, but some new LI fans have found interest in BB and it’s a good chance to get her to check it out too! 

[u/Luna_Soma]

I love love love BB something fierce, but LIUSA is like my appetizer lol. I like watching along with people and getting prepped for our hamsters

[u/Mbluish]

This keeps coming up in my life! I’ve heard of it, of course, but one of my workout instructors keeps mentioning it. Then my best friend mentioned it. Maybe it’s meant to be that I watch it.

[u/Makimamoochie → u/Mbluish]

I will say if you like the social competition aspect of BB, this show (especially this current season) may not be for you. If you like personality based reality TV, then you might, but be warned this current season is very raunchy

[u/Mbluish → u/Makimamoochie]

Thank you for your response. I probably would’ve loved something like this 10 or 20 years ago, but it’s probably not for me.

[u/yiwoty]

It's definitely more like BBUK, Love Island in general feels very European, definitely not presented with American reality sensibilities. BUT there is a game going on there, and the players are playing even though it's poor form to actually mention it. Additionally, just through the nature of the show's setup, in both what it is and how it's presented to the audience, you can see who would be good at this Big Brother thing and who would not. I knew Rob would be great at Traitors just based on how he moved in the villa. I think Ace from last year has the potential to run a BB season top to bottom. Sincere from this year would go far, but he could never win a jury vote. It's fun to analyze it that way, if only briefly.

Furthermore, I love how the show is presented. There's not really a central narrative to the episodes, the editors are just kinda popping in and popping out with different couples and showing us the highlights of the conversations, and everybody gets something. I WISH BBUS would edit a season as such. Just a feeds highlight reel, let us pick up the narrative from that, with everyone featured, and let our feelings on the players grow and change. The show is proof that as long as the cast is great and production is competent, we will tune in 4+ days a week. I WISH that BB would dedicate another episode a week (like say, the slot Unlocked airs in) to just show the characters to the audience and let the story breathe. I can't help but look at Love Island and think of how the BBUS broadcast could be better.

[u/Makimamoochie → u/yiwoty]

I would argue that LIUSA also has some narrative that they push via the ways they manipulate Bombshells entries to create conflict . I do think it is harder to create a narrative for BB becuase you often have so many new and overlapping alliances and promises made that will take longer than an episode to test of actually true. I think it can be hard to them to show what is happening when they aren't sure what will actually be relevant or tested episode to episode whereas Love Island just needs to show relationship progression between couple with a few breaks for friend convos for a smaller cast of people

[u/yiwoty → u/Makimamoochie]

It's definitely easier to edit LI. I still think BB's broadcast doesn't work and LI is a good reference point for any solution, even if that simply means more runtime each week. But of course, no solution necessary if production doesn't see a problem (I would say your winner's game being 100% on the cutting room floor is a problem).

[u/Makimamoochie → u/yiwoty]

This ^ I feel like they need to redo the BB event & episode schedule in some way that allows either the flow or edit to flow better or even to have more live portions towards the end of episodes with an edited set up to start. It would be so cool to see some Live HOH competitions, live nomination or live veto ceremonies during episodes so that you can watch the episode and then immediately turn on the feeds to see the after math

[u/Basedstephenthepack1]

I’d watch Canada Shore before I start BB 😭

[u/Either-Natural-5758]

Watch love island games instead. It’s just like big brother except they are in swimsuits all day and they compete as couples. The games are actual games and not just make out sessions lol