Love Island UK to film at SUNY Geneseo
Jaw-dropping sunset views, the singing of frat row, and the smell of fresh cow in the early morning—you know what that must mean! Love Island UK is back for the summer! This year, due to gloomy weather and an impressive overselling by the college, the 2024 season that was originally set to be filmed in Franschhoek, South Africa, will now be filmed on our very own SUNY Geneseo campus.
Five gorgeous, fit couples will be flown in by Geneseo crop dusters directly onto the College Green this July in hopes of finding love. A new location isn't the only twist these islanders will face this season as instead of the £50,000 prize, the winning couple will receive a $15 Bar-Eat-O gift card and full student-loan debt forgiveness for themselves and a loved one of their choosing. The couples will stay in the luxury suites located in the Welles basement and will be forced to share a standard blue twin XL with no mattress pad.
Love Island television presenter, Maya Jama, will not be returning this season as she exclusively travels by Uber, and she will be replaced by Geneseo mascot Victor E. Knight. Concerns have arisen from the crew about audio, between the thick UK accents and the muffling of Victor E. Knight’s mascot helmet, it is advised to use closed captions when viewing this season. Season 11 is rumored to consist of 97 episodes that will run between 15 and 180 minutes each.
Throughout the show, the Love Island couples have little to no contact with the outside world or with the showrunners themselves. Couples will, however, receive important messages such as new fit villa members, upcoming challenges, and the occasional gas leak alert. In past seasons, fans awaited the moment their favorite islander would yell out “I’ve got a text!” This year, though, messages will exclusively be received through waiting in line and showing student identification to the mail room attendants.
Tune into all 97 mind-numbing episodes to see if your favorite islanders “crack on” or “mug off” in Geneseo. You’ll see classic Love Island challenges revived, such as “rank bank,” “snog, marry, pie,” and “dunk in love.” Look forward to watching new challenges this season like “try to find a humanities class before you graduate,” “walking up cardiac hill in Love Island UK issued six-inch heels,” and “getting a C- or higher in bioinorganic chemistry.”
Despite the promises made by Geneseo leadership, it has been expressed that some viewers might be hesitant to leave the beautiful South African town of Franschhoek. The cast was originally informed they’d be shooting in a lavish villa built for the 2024 season in the country’s food and wine capital with centuries-old vineyards and Cape Dutch architecture. Why embrace the beautiful views, amazing wine, and delicious food, though, when there is a new place to explore that you may not be familiar with? You can now spend your summer away from Geneseo watching 10 twenty-year-olds swap partners on the campus where you spend 30 percent of your twenties. I hope it will all be worth it at the end of the season when your favorite couple announces their breakup via Instagram just 20 minutes after the finale airs.