For anyone who doesn’t know what Love Island is, it’s basically an X-rated, British version of America’s Bachelor in Paradise. And. It. Is. Incredible. It’s absolutely one of the trashiest reality TV shows known to mankind, but I was addicted to watching it.
Now, I say this as a DIEHARD Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise fan. I’ve watched every season since I was in 8th grade. That’s a lot of seasons. People always ask me “Which is the better show? Love Island or BIP? Which should I watch?” Well, wonder no more. Here’s the ultimate rundown on each show.
Bachelor in Paradise is filmed on a lovely beach in Mexico and the cast is comprised of fan-favorites (and some random contestants) from past seasons of the Bachelor/ette, usually around 20 people. The first episode typically starts with general mingling and people getting to know each other.
As each week goes on, people are supposed to be “forming connections” with one another and getting to know each other and, at the end of each week, there’s a rose ceremony. One week the men will give out roses to the women, the next week it’s the women’s turn to hand them away. You receive a rose from the person with whom you’re “connecting” with. Maybe you’re exclusively hanging out with each other, maybe you’re in a relationship, maybe you’re helping out a friend. If you don’t receive a rose at the ceremony, you are sent home.
The drama on BIP comes mainly from new people who are sent into Paradise with a date card. They can ask whomever they like on the date. Oftentimes, one half of a Paradise couple will assume that they’re in a secure relationship, but then their significant other will agree to go on a date with the new arrival. Sometimes there is drama with couples who simply aren’t communicating enough, or they’re at different stages in their relationship.
At the end of Paradise, the couples who feel they have a strong enough connection to make it in the real world will accept a “fantasy suite” date, which is an entire night in a hotel without any of the camera crew. The next day, there could be a promise to date outside of paradise, a break-up, or, surprisingly, most commonly, a proposal.
The thing about BIP is that the show will air for around 6 weeks, but in reality, they will have filmed Paradise about 3 months before it airs, and they’re together for around 3 weeks (if you stay the whole time). The final episode is a BIP tell-all, which is pre-filmed about a month before the final episode actually airs, in which the host of BIP, Chris Harrison, talks about the drama that’s unfolded, and, most importantly, checks in with the couples who got engaged, are dating, or have broken up, just to see where things are at. The final episode is usually the most exciting, drama-filled episode of the season.
Love Island starts off COMPLETELY differently than BIP. First of all, the contestants are chosen randomly from all across the UK. They’re typically younger, with accents so thick you’ll have to use subtitles on your viewing device. The entire show is filmed in a ginormous mansion with a huge pool on some remote-ish island (or so it seems). It starts off with about 6 men and 6 women. On the first day, the men will line up in the house pool, and a woman will walk in. If a guy has an immediate “crush” on the girl, he steps forward. If more than one guy steps forward, the girl has her choice of the guy she wants to couple up with.
The awkward part happens when not one guy steps forward, and so the girl just stands to the side. If another girl comes in who a guy likes, but he’s already been chosen by a different girl, he can still step forward and ditch the first girl.
After everyone has been coupled up, their first night is spent sleeping in the same bed as their partner in a giant room with 12 beds, so everyone sleeps in the same room. Throughout the show, couples on Love Island form connections in the same way they do on BIP: spend every second of every day together for weeks on end and see what happens.
Here are the biggest differences between Love Island and BIP. First of all, BIP has around 11 episodes every season. Love Island has around 35. And they’re LONG episodes, so it’s the perfect show to binge-watch. Second, while BIP is pre-filmed, Love Island airs in real time. Viewers in the UK literally tune in every night for two or three hours to watch the previous day’s events on the island, which leads to the next difference: on BIP, people leave when they don’t get a rose. On Love Island, people leave when they’re voted off by the public—it can be a couple or just one person. The public can also decide who they want to send to the Island next.
To me, the biggest difference between Love Island and BIP (and what makes it the most entertaining) is that Love Island is completely and totally uncensored. No body parts are blurred out, no swears are bleeped out, nothing. I think part of that comes from the fact that even though there are cameras everywhere around the house and the pool, there are no cameramen like on BIP. The Islanders are literally just alone in the house.
SO, which of these magnificent TV shows should you watch? Well, if you don’t have a lot of time, and you want a lot of drama in a short time span, I’d watch BIP. But if you have lots of time on your hands and want a more comical, in-depth TV show, I’d go for Love Island. Happy watching!
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