Take a trip to ‘Love Island USA' with Ariana Madix this weekend

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who was pretending they didn't care about the 'Love Island USA' delay on Peacock so it would load faster.
This week's Season 7 premiere of the reality TV dating show arrived over 40 minutes past its scheduled launch time, causing eager fans who planned their dinners accordingly to crash out on social media about the delay — but, hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? (Speaking of absences, Yulissa Escobar is already gone.) 'Vanderpump Rules' alum Ariana Madix, who returns as host, stopped by Guest Spot to talk about the series that brings together a group of single people (known as islanders) into one villa for a messy and drama-filled chance at love (and money).
Also in this week's Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations include a PBS documentary about a Harvard dropout who, over half a century ago, revolutionized the way people instantly chronicle their lives with his invention of the Polaroid camera, and a British competition series that's become a bit of a phenomenon by having comedians competing against each other in bizarre challenges.
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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
'Mr. Polaroid' (pbs.org)
The story of inventor Edwin Land — scrap metal dealer's son, Harvard dropout — and the transformative social power of his famous instant camera is told in this 'American Experience' documentary. You may remember the Swinger, a '60s mass market youth accessory, or even the older models that needed a fixative rub, but certainly you have experienced the full-color perfection of the classic SX-70. 'Mr. Polaroid' captures the magic of the analog image developing in your hand as opposed to the mundanity of digital pictures in thousands on your cell phone — a thing to gather around, put in an album, stick on a refrigerator — and the vision (and myopia) of an obsessive leader whose invention he hoped 'you would use as often as your pencil or your eyeglasses,' and would somehow draw humanity closer together. ('Polaroid is on its way to lead the world,' he declared in a letter to his troops, 'perhaps even to save it.') Land hired women in important research positions when that was rarely done and, after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., resolved to bring more Black employees into Polaroid, but he would also work with the CIA and license (then retract) technology to apartheid South Africa — so, a complicated person. But using his cameras was simplicity itself. — Robert Lloyd
'Taskmaster' (YouTube, Pluto TV)
Imagine 'The Great British Bake Off' with fangs. That's the appeal of 'Taskmaster,' a truly singular British comedy competition series in which pompous tyrant Greg Davies and his fastidious minion Alex Horne (who is also the show's creator) sit in gilded thrones and order five comedians to do the impossible, the ingenious and the hilariously annoying. The first episode of Season 1 kicked off with the challenges: paint a horse while riding a horse, empty a bathtub without pulling the plug or tipping it over, and eat as much watermelon as possible. Expect giggling and protestations as the frustrated comics have the best worst time of their lives. Now in Season 19, for the first time an American performer — Jason Mantzoukas — has flown across the Atlantic to be publicly roasted. Challenged to bring in his snootiest item, Mantzoukas admitted that 'in America, snootiness is not really a thing.' So he hired a fake butler. He's making us Yanks proud. — Amy Nicholson
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching
'Love Island USA' kicked off its seventh season this week on Peacock, which can only mean one thing: A summer of diabolical choices sure to take over timelines six nights a week has officially begun. A spinoff of the U.K. reality dating series, the U.S. iteration is set on the island of Fiji and brings together 10 singles in a villa under constant video surveillance with a goal of coupling up. Over the course of the series, in between competing in kooky challenges and going on dates, new islanders are brought in and contestants may re-couple at their discretion — those not paired up are in danger of elimination. The last-standing couple leaves with a $100,000 cash prize. It's not exactly the storybook backdrop for forming long-lasting relationships, but the realities of modern dating are hardly any better. After making her hosting debut last season, Ariana Madix, the 'Vanderpump Rules' alum and Scandoval survivor who has spun her reality TV stardom into a booming career beyond the Bravo universe, is back to oversee the shenanigans. Madix stopped by Guest Spot to tell us which contestant she's watching out for this season and which workplace comedies she finds comfort in. —Yvonne Villarreal
As someone who has had the highs and lows of a relationship documented on a reality show, what's your best advice for someone looking for love on TV today?
I've never been on a television program to find love, [or] make a romantic connection, so I'm not sure I'm the best to give advice … but my advice for anyone entering the world of reality television regardless of the reason is to enter with authenticity and vulnerability. Let yourself be open to the opportunities that the circumstances bring.
Is hosting the level of involvement you want to have with reality TV at this point in your life and career or could you see yourself letting cameras document your life again?
I think for me to be on reality television in the sort of role where I am putting myself out there, I would want to be in charge. I would want to be executive producer and I would probably fight for that in any capacity to be back in that space.
Which islanders do you think will do well this year?
I have a great feeling about Olandria [Carthen]. She's stunning, sexy, full of personality and knows exactly what she wants.
What have you watched recently that you're recommending to everyone you know?
For a while I was telling everyone I knew about 'Sweet Home' [Netflix]. It had me on the edge of my seat and I became so connected to the characters. I cried so hard at the end and I never would have expected to be crying over a show about monsters.
What's your go-to comfort watch, the film or TV show you return to again and again?
'The Office' or 'Parks and Rec' [both on Peacock]. I can put them on to fall asleep and whenever I wake up, I can jump back in and have a laugh with my favorite TV characters. There are no bad seasons.