FBoy Island’s entire conceit is flawed

Jezebel

"For a dating show to work successfully, there must be a gimmick that is strong enough to sustain an entire season," says Megan Reynolds of HBO Max's new reality dating series. "But FBoy Island’s entire conceit is flawed from the jump: the 'emotional douchebaggery' derided by host Nikki Glaser in the cutesy intro is endemic to dating shows across the board. Though all dating shows operate on the same basic premise—that love is easy enough to find if you are in the correct location and mindspace to do so—the situations that these contestants in are never anything close to real life. The better lens for this show is not love, but taking bets on the longevity of these people’s careers after this blip. Arguably, the success of a dating show contestant is not measured by the relationships they make on the show, but how they can spin their brief time in the spotlight into a lucrative career as bottom-tier influencer. Retooling dating shows to push this hidden agenda to the forefront would eliminate a lot of the frustrations that come from watching these programs in the first place."