15 Shows Like ‘Love Island’ to Watch Before Season 8 Premieres

We’ll admit, binge-watching drama-filled reality shows is one of our biggest guilty pleasures. And Love Island is no exception, thanks to its unique format and stunning backdrop.

If you’ve already finished season seven of the British game show, you’ll be happy to know that the most recent winners, Millie Court and Liam Reardon, are still going strong (and living their best life in a new $1 million mansion). Meanwhile, the American version was picked up for two additional seasons in February 2022, and season four is set to premiere on Peacock on July 19. Until then, we're biding our time by watching these 15 awesome shows like Love Island.

1. Married At First Sight

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Viviana Coles

The reality show boasts a fascinating concept, where a group of singles agree to tie the knot with a total stranger after meeting them at the altar for the first time. Over the span of 13 seasons, 49 couples were matched—and 29 of them chose to stay married at the end. But as of 2021, only 12 of these couples are still together. Expect a lot of awkward moments and drama.

2. Too Hot To Handle

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Beaux Raymond, Holly Scarfone, Harry Johnson, Georgia Hassarat

The series follows a group of attractive singles who struggle with committing to long-term relationships. Ten of them are put on an island for four weeks and tasked with forming genuine connections without getting physical. And if anyone breaks this rule, the cash prize gets reduced. If you enjoy the gorgeous scenery from Love Island but can do without the constant PDA, this show is right up your alley.

3. 90 Day Fiancé

• Rating: TV-PG
• Cast: Andrew Kenton, Amira Lollyosa, Brandon Gibbs, Julia Trubkina

The series takes inspiration from the K-1 visa process, where the fiancé or fiancée of a U.S. citizen is given a 90-day visa to marry their partner. On the show, each couple faces their own set of challenges as they prepare for the big day, from culture shock to unsupportive families.

4. The Circle

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Sammie Cimarelli, Chloe Veitch, Joey Sasso

You won’t find too many steamy make out scenes here, but the show’s concept feels like a cross between Catfish and Black Mirror, making it hard to resist. The reality competition follows a group of contestants who live in the same apartment building…but never meet face to face. Instead, they rely on a social media platform called The Circle, where each person gets to create their profile (or invent a fake persona). Throughout the series, they rate each other based on their online interactions and activity, but the main objective is to figure out who is a catfish and who’s the real deal.

5. Fboy Island

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Nikki Glaser, Celisa Franco, Sarah Emig, Nakia Renee

Do nice guys always finish last? That question gets explored in this remixed version of The Bachelorette, where three supermodels ladies move to a tropical island and navigate a dating pool of 24 men. Of the group, 12 of them are “Nice Guys” and 12 of them are self-proclaimed “FBoys.” Can these women successfully weed out the bad guys?

6. Love On The Spectrum

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Brooke Satchwell, Michael Theo, Mark Radburn

This standout series is about young adults on the autism spectrum who are trying to find love. And as they begin dating, they get assistance from a relationship coach and a clinical psychologist.

We’ll admit, it doesn’t share too many similarities with Love Island—but that’s exactly what makes it so bingeable. While chatting about the show’s inspiration, director Cian O'Leary told Entertainment Weekly, “So many people on the spectrum were wanting to find love, but many had never even been on a date in their lives. When you speak to a large number of people whose main desire in life is to have a partner, and they haven’t even been on a date, something isn’t right.”

7. The Bachelor

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Chris Harrison, Brad Womack, Sean Lowe

Often considered the king of reality TV, this iconic series shares quite a few elements with Love Island, from swoon-worthy dates to over-the-top drama. The Bachelor focuses on one charming single guy who’s tasked with selecting his future wife from a group of romantic interests. And each week, he must eliminate contestants as he gets closer to finding his match.

8. The Bachelorette

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Chris Harrison

The Bachelorette is one of several shows spawned from The Bachelor, but it’s equally entertaining. In this gender-swapped version, one single woman (often a former contestant from The Bachelor) gets to pick her future husband from a pool of about 25 guys. (Psst, season 19 will feature two leading ladies instead of one.)

9. First Dates

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Ralf Little, Brian Protheroe

The British series started out as an experiment that followed people going on real dates. And in an interesting twist, viewers could later apply to meet the unsuccessful participants. However, this format has since changed. So now, it follows single celebrities as they search for love through an exclusive dating agency. From surprise twists to cringe-worthy first dates, there’s never a dull moment.

10. Love Is Blind

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Nick Lachey, Vanessa Lachey

In Netflix’s hit show, 15 men and 15 women are searching for love. But to find their ideal partner, they must endure speed dates in specially designed pods, where they can talk to each other but not see each other. Anyone can offer a marriage proposal when they’re ready, and the pair can only meet after the other party says, “Yes.”

11. Love Is Blind: Brazil

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Camila Queiroz, Klebber Toledo, Shayan Haghbin

If you’ve already binge-watched the original series, then allow us to introduce the Brazilian version. It follows the same format: a group of 32 men and women go on speed dates and propose marriage whenever they feel ready. After this, the newly engaged couples attend a retreat and meet each other's families. And on their wedding day, they get to decide if they still want to say, “I do.”

12. Back With The Ex

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Jeremy, Meg, Diane, Peter

Getting back with your ex never seems like a good idea, but this Australian series might make you reconsider that thought. It documents four former couples who agree to give their relationships another chance. What could possibly go wrong?

13. Dating Around

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Jarry Lee, Luke Hawksworth, Jonathan A. Hanna

Dating Around is the first original dating series that Netflix produced. And just like the title suggests, it’s about a group of six singles who go on five blind dates in hopes of finding someone who’s worthy of their time.

14. Are You The One?

• Rating: TV-14
• Cast: Ryan Devlin, Terrence Jenkins, Maria Elizondo

This competition reality series follows a group of men and women who have been secretly matched by relationship experts. And as they all live together, they must figure out who their “perfect match” is. The grand prize? $1 million. (And a promising new romance, of course.)

15. Ex On The Beach

• Rating: TV-MA
• Cast: Andrew Maxwell, Stephen Bear, Jordan Davies

A group of reality stars and singles are under the impression that they’re participating in a typical dating show. But their quest to find true love gets complicated when they discover they must also deal with their exes. Talk about awkward…