South Africans have made their displeasure known in no uncertain fashion after Love Island SA premiered on Sunday.
The premise of the show sees 10 hopefuls coupling up multiple times and living together – all in the name of love and the chance to win R1 million.
The single “islanders”, basking in a heavenly setting, embark on a summer of love, friendships and, ultimately, relationships. But the road to love doesn’t always run smoothly.
Every few days, they must couple up – those who fail to find a partner risk being dumped from the island. Challenges abound, with new arrivals and dramatic twists, as friendships and relationships form and disintegrate.
An additional challenge to choosing their partners wisely (or deciding to stick with them), islanders must also win the hearts of viewers, who have the opportunity to shape on-screen events and ultimately crown one lucky couple the winners.
Since the announcement of the popular UK reality TV show, South African fans have been waiting patiently to see how the local version stacks up against the original.
The online banter quickly shifted from excitement to confusion, with disappointment paramount.
A lack of diversity among the contestants was a major criticism, with the initial 10 cast members only having two coloured and two black contestants.
I knew #LoveIslandSA was gonna be whitewashed, i just didn’t want to believe it pic.twitter.com/UjHqaPAP45
— KE STAR (@teawithkakes) February 28, 2021
Wow so much diversity. This is a true representation of what I thought SA looks like. https://t.co/0y10V68BQP
— S (@blaquereign_) March 1, 2021
how you gonna whitewash AFRICA?? 😭 https://t.co/RJvIAfmBtU
— Linden (@Lxndxnx_) March 1, 2021
This cast. One black gent, one black hun. The Mobicel camera quality. The iMovie editing. The random sound cuts. Just pain. #LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/Nv0YqW23VY
— Rihanna’s Man.🤍 (@stylin_sirr) February 28, 2021
White people with White people
— Harper (@WayneH__) February 28, 2021
Coloureds with Coloureds
Black people with Black people
YAY RAINBOW NATION! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽#LoveIslandSA
Fans also took a jab at the men in the show with the lack of height seeming to be a hot topic both in the show and online.
"Tall..."
— Mitch Matyana (@MitchMatyana) February 28, 2021
SA gents: #LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/BwXKV5pEeG
Rochelle : "Maybe when the next one comes, he can bring the height"#LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/jGclzmL9vn
— Rushé (@Rushe_C) February 28, 2021
“The Bachelorette SA” Qiniso Van Damme also threw in a joke about South African men being short and said: “What an intriguing start to #LoveIslandSA... eish, height is a challenge in our country, hey...”
What an intriguing start to #LoveIslandSA... eish, height is a challenge in our country, hey... 😬
— Qiniso Van Damme (@qinisovandamme) February 28, 2021
The episode itself also faced several production issues such as the music not being queued up properly, with one cast member walking out in silence.
Audio from the on-set production team was heard, scenes ended abruptly with the end-credits being rolled in silence.
And the overall video and sound quality being subpar were some of the issues that fans called out.
Dear #LoveIslandSA
— Yaaseen Barnes (@Ya_a_seen_Him) February 28, 2021
Do you want to be loud or soft?
Do you like music or not?
Please decide
The cast is sauceless. The sound is terrible. And the narrator is MIA. It’s going to be a long 6 weeks. #LoveIslandSA
— Sibongile Mafu (@sboshmafu) February 28, 2021
I’m choosing to believe there are two files: one with a properly edited episode and one with that mess. They must have played the wrong one. Because no ways 💀 #LoveIslandSA
— Ann Marie Lastrassi stan (@naledimashishi) February 28, 2021
guys... did we just hear production talking? #LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/w4C9HafgwI
— Helen Of Troy (@kendrahunsley) February 28, 2021
how it felt watching #LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/GHf3JoyQit
— Delena (@tumelomagomola) February 28, 2021
Can we have an official arrest of these individuals. What we experiences today should be illegal man.😭#LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/MZMkt8o8Fn
— Rihanna’s Man.🤍 (@stylin_sirr) February 28, 2021
Not the credits playing in absolute silence 😭😭#LoveIslandSA pic.twitter.com/r5ChKUgEB7
— Kayla Arends (@kayla_arends) February 28, 2021