‘Love Island Games’ Host Maya Jama on What Longtime Fans Will Love About Competition Series (VIDEO)
The romantic stakes are raised in Love Island Games, a red-hot reality spinoff, which sees beautiful all-stars from the U.K., U.S., Australia and other versions of the hit Love Island get a second chance in Fiji to compete for love and a championship title. Fan favorites like ballroom dancer Curtis Pritchard (Love Island UK, Season 5), indecisive soccer player Toby Aromolaran (UK, Season 7) and flirtatious Kyra Green (USA, Season 1) all return to the beachy franchise.
Expect the core beats of Island: recouplings, bombshells and eliminations. But as the cast fights for love, new twists will be introduced by host Maya Jama, who can be seen in an exclusive clip from the series premiere above. Below, Jama explains what longtime Love Island fans will love about this new series. Game on.
What does the Love Island Games version of a bombshell entering the villa look like?
Maya Jama: In Games, a bombshell is going to walk in and have their eye on the prize straight away, and not just in terms of breaking up a couple. These bombshells are a lot more competitive. They’re there to win.
How was hosting this different from your usual gig on Love Island UK?
I’ve been out in Fiji the entire time we’ve been filming this time round, so I’ve gotten to really spend a lot more time with the contestants and get to know them. I’m a big Love Island fan at heart, and I’m meeting old Islanders that I’ve watched onscreen, so it’s been really enjoyable to watch everyone interact in real life.
Also, I definitely do feel like I get to play a little bit of a confidant, and that’s me—I love a little goss!
Is narrator Iain Stirling’s role the same?
Iain is a staple of all the Love Island formats, and he’s still the witty “voice of God” that we all love.
What do you think fans will enjoy the most about this new series?
I think fans will connect to this series in the same way, honestly. There’s the fun of the games, but mixed in with that is all the usual romance and drama from couples, bromances and everything in between.
Love Island Games, Series Premiere, Wednesday, November 1, Peacock
This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s November issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
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