Love Island USA premieres Season 8

Peacock opened Season 8 of Love Island USA on Tuesday, June 2, bringing the dating series back to Fiji with Ariana Madix returning as host. The streamer said the new season follows 12 singles competing for love and a $100,000 prize, with episodes filmed close to real time. (peacocktv.com) The premiere set up the first round of pairings and introduced a format twist that left two contestants unattached by the end of the episode. Episodes stream exclusively on Peacock. (peacocktv.com) ### Who walked into the villa first? Peacock said 12 islanders were announced for Season 8 before the premiere, with contestants drawn from across the United States and one from the United Kingdom. (peacocktv.com) The cast list published by Peacock included Aniya Harvey, Beatriz Hatz, Bryce Dettloff, Gabriel Vasconcelos, Kenzie Annis, Melanie Moreno, Sean Reifel, Sincere Rhea, Trinity Tatum and Zach Georgiou, among others. Ariana Madix told Peacock before the launch that she is “always surprised by who ends up coupling up,” adding that chemistry can look different in person than it does on camera. Peacock said Madix is back for her third season as host. (peacocktv.com) ### What changed in the premiere format? The June 2 premiere introduced a new twist that disrupted the usual first-day matching process, according to coverage of the episode published after it aired. PrimeTimer reported that the twist left couples separated and changed the early relationship setup inside the villa. The same coverage said bombshells Kayda and Gabriel arrived before the end of the episode. (peacocktv.com) Variety’s recap, mirrored in Yahoo’s syndication, said the premiere revealed the first five couples before late arrivals shook the lineup. That recap described the opening episode as ending with the villa unsettled rather than locked into stable pairings. (peacocktv.com) ### Which couples were formed, and who was left single? The premiere established five initial couples from the opening group of islanders, according to post-episode coverage. People and Variety reported that the hour ended on a cliffhanger with two islanders still single after the first round of pairings. (primetimer.com) Yahoo’s syndicated Variety recap identified the early mix of contestants entering the villa, including Aniya Harvey, Kenzie Annis, Melanie Moreno, Beatriz Hatz and Trinity Tatum on the women’s side, with Bryce Dettloff, Sincere Rhea, Zach Georgiou and Sean Reifel among the men introduced in the episode. (yahoo.com) ### What happened with the cast change before the premiere? Vasana Montgomery was removed from the Season 8 cast before the premiere after videos surfaced showing her using a racial slur, according to reports from Deadline, USA Today and E! News. E! said the June 2 episode proceeded without her and introduced another contestant in her place. (primetimer.com) Deadline reported on May 30 that Peacock had dismissed Montgomery days before the season debut. USA Today identified Montgomery as a 25-year-old business owner from Beaverton, Oregon. (yahoo.com) ### When do new episodes drop, and who else is part of the on-air team? Peacock said new Love Island USA episodes stream at 6 p.m. PT and 9 p.m. ET. The company said episodes run daily during the first full week, then continue six days a week with Wednesdays off after premiere week. Love Island Aftersun airs on Saturdays. (deadline.com) The next milestone is the show’s first Saturday Aftersun episode, while the main series continues on Peacock through its six-week run. Peacock said viewers will also be able to influence the season through fan voting as relationships shift inside the Fiji villa. (peacocktv.com) (deadline.com)