‘Love Island’ USA’s Arielle Vandenberg on Why Narrator Matthew Hoffman Is Every Viewer’s ‘Best Friend’ (Exclusive)

Returning for another summer of romance starring 12 sexy, single Islanders hoping to find love while living it up on the island of Hawaii, Love Island is officially back for Season 3 with a 90-minute premiere following Big Brother on CBS tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET. With Arielle Vandenberg leading the charge and guiding contestants throughout the competition, she will be joined once again by the “big brother” of Love Island, series narrator Matthew Hoffman who has become a fan-favorite since the show’s premiere in 2019. While chatting with PopCulture.com about what fans can expect in its third year, Vandenberg reveals what it’s like working with voiceover extraordinaire Hoffman — also known as every viewer’s “best friend” as she likes to put it.

“I love so much that if you’re watching the show by yourself, you never really have to feel alone because of his narration,” she told PopCulture. “You’re always watching with your best friend because he’s there for you. He is your best friend if no one can come over to watch. Never feel alone with Love Island.”

While the two haven’t been able to “work close together” since the first year, Vandenberg can agree on one thing amid the pandemic kind of tearing them apart: “He is definitely my work husband,” she laughed. “He’s in his own world of the VO side where he’s stuck in a booth doing his thing.”

Despite the two being on “different schedules” due to their roles on Love Island, they are in “constant communication” with one another. “It’s so fun. Right after he sees something that I do on the show, I’ll immediately get a text like, ‘Ooh girl, that dress!’ Or, ‘Oh my God, that eyeliner?’ ‘Oh my God, your hair!’ He’s such a positive energy, and such a joy to work with. I feel so lucky to have him because he gives me such a confidence boost every time he sees the episode — because he gets to see it, obviously, before everybody.“

Vandenberg reveals during the show’s first season, the two were the best of buds. “In Fiji, we got to work a lot together. We watched every episode together and that was really fun, for the first season. But ever since pandemic vibes, you can’t really hang,” she said with a pout, revealing how she is in her quarantine “bubble” amid COVID-19 health and safety protocols much like last year. “We still have our protocols. Last year in Vegas, obviously, we were in the height of the pandemic. It was very strict and very lockdown vibes. This, it’s a little bit different. It’s a little bit easier.”

Different is right as Love Island continues its healthy dose of drama in the form of new challenges and wildcard contestants, testing Islanders and threatening their newly formed relationships all in the name of love. Though Vandenberg has not met the new cast just yet, she knows it’s going to be a wild ride for audiences. “Think about it. Every season, they watch. They’re going to bring their best, whatever that is for them,” she said. “They’re going to bring their personalities, they’re going to bring the drama and what’s so fun is, this is really them. They’re not playing characters. They’re so themselves, and it’s so fun to just see an unfiltered version of someone living 24 hours a day — it’s so fun. I know there will just be just as much drama, if not more and the sexiness continues.”

Love Island Season 3 premieres Wednesday, July 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Following the premiere and during its first week, the show will air Thursday, July 8 and Friday, July 9 at 9 p.m. ET, and Sunday, July 11 at 9 p.m. ET. The show will regularly air Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. ET, Sundays at 9 p.m. ET as of July 13. For more show coverage, head to Paramount+ and stick to PopCulture.com for the latest in all the news you need to know!