This summer, one cultural event brought people from all walks of life together. For roughly six weeks, viewers sat on their couches and watched fierce match ups, riveting competitions, and heartbreaking eliminations. War was waged between friends and family who chose different sides of the battlefield, each person hoping to see their team achieve flawless victory in the end.

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…Oh, and the World Cup happened too.

If you’re somehow unaware, “Love Island USA” is an annual summer reality show that allows viewers to watch and vote on contestants who are meeting, mingling, and ideally falling in love in real time - with the winning couple earning $100,000 at the end of the season. This past season ended with breakout star Trinity Tatum, loved by fans for both her relatable personality and unrelatable beauty, winning the prize alongside devoted boyfriend Bryce Alakai. It was the perfect ending that redeemed the series after season 7’s disastrous finale last year.

The show ranked as the No. 1 streaming reality series for five consecutive weeks and generated more than four million video views across social media. Season 8 garnered 824 million viewing minutes in its first three days alone, a strong start to a season that ultimately had a 50% increase in viewership from season 7.

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All of this is to say that this show clearly has some intrigue. Young people are tuned in each and every night for six weeks to dissect and discuss the behavior of the villa’s residents. But as I thought back on my own viewing experience of this show, I couldn’t get one thought out of my head…

I mean, seriously. The very first episode gets all of the contestants to make out with each other to “determine compatibility.” A seminal part of the show is The Hideaway, a private room that couples get voted into when either the public or their fellow contestants want to encourage them to be intimate. Not to mention the challenges, which are essentially just different ways that the producers can get the couples to simulate sex in vats of neon slime. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the show, but it can be…a lot. And I say this as a gay person.

Given that half of the show’s viewership is under 30, it’s safe to say that Gen Z isn’t too bothered by the lustful nature of the show. Some might find this surprising given the general sentiment that Gen Z is “sex negative” and essentially averse to having sex. But the reaction to “Love Island USA” has exposed a few holes in that line of thinking.

They just need to find the participants likable enough. Whether it’s fictionally portrayed in a show like “Heated Rivalry” or featured on “Love Island USA”, there are plenty of examples of Gen Z watching or discussing sex positively. The determining factors to this are that the audience is invested in the couple’s relationship and is charmed by the both of them. 

This is why it’s important to not fall prey to generalizations about audiences and to take a further look at the nuance within. Even if Gen Z is not having sex, perhaps they’re attracted to this idealized version of themselves that they can see on screen.

Sometimes the most relatable thing to an audience is their desire for a different reality.

I’m still hoping for a reality in which I can do a clam slam like Kenzie.