‘Love Island’ Renewed for Season 3 at CBS

CBS has officially renewed Love Island for Season 3. The network confirmed the hit series’ renewal during the winter Television Critics Association press tour Wednesday. After a group of young singles attempted to spark romance in Sin City in Season 2, the CBS dating competition is headed to Hawaii for its third outing. Although the series started out slow for CBS, it has since become a hit. By the time Season 2 came to an end, Love Island was attracting an audience of 2 million viewers, making its renewal of little surprise.

According to Variety, casting for the upcoming season is currently underway and will consist of an all-new ensemble of islanders looking for love. Although a premiere date is yet to be announced, Love Island will kick off production on its third outing this summer. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has halted numerous productions over the past year and forced the series to adjust to a locale in Las Vegas, the series will have to continue to follow strict COVID procedures. The outlet notes that Hawaii has not only become a major production locale for CBS over the last decade, but the state is also one of the locations where the pandemic has been slightly more under control.

A U.S. remake of the hit British format of the same name, Love Island follows a group of singles, dubbed “islanders,” in search of a $100,000 grand prize, forcing them to be part of a couple or lose their chance at the money. Through physical challenges and arrivals of new singles looking to shake things up, the drama is shaped by fans, who have the chance to weigh in on what goes on island-side from home. In the end, the winning couple must test their trust to see if they’ll split the prize money or betray one another for the full prize. Season 1 was shot in a villa in Fiji before the series headed to Vegas. Both of those seasons were hosted by Arielle Vandenberg, with Matthew Hoffman serving as commentator and narrator.

Fans of the series will recall that Justine Nbida and Caleb Corprew were crowned winners of the second season. News of the season 3 renewal comes just a week after the couple confirmed they separated. Nbida shared the news on Instagram, writing, “This is extremely difficult for me to express but out of respect for those of you who supported me, and rode for me, I want you to know that Caleb and I are no longer together.” She went on to “ask for time as I continue to go through the process of heartbreak and healing.” In his own statement, Corprew said they had been wrestling with making the announcement “for some time now.”