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By Lauren Giella
Senior Reporter
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Every summer, straight men begrudgingly turn on Peacock to watch over 30 episodes of Love Island with their partners. But this season, male viewers had something besides betting market odds to root for: bromances.
While the reality show is about finding romantic connections, the supportive friendships between women often take center stage. Two seasons ago, the close friendship between Leah Kateb, Serena Page and JaNa Craig, a.k.a the Powerpuff Girls, or PPG, became the show’s central love story. But this season, the men were the main characters of the villa.
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Together, they made breakfast for their girls, cheered on each other during steamy challenges and shared deep discussions from beanbag chairs. When Corbin Mims got dropped from the island, he was less upset about losing the $100,000 grand prize and more bummed that he wouldn’t see his boys every day.
Unfortunately, the men were not always so wholesome with the women sharing their beds. Movie night was a turning point of the season, when islanders watched unseen footage of disrespectful behavior, like a supercut of toxic masculinity.
The highlights included KC calling Aniya a grandma for not wanting to go beyond cuddling in bed, Corbin saying he was tossing his partner Kenzie “out the window” once he saw the Casa Amore girls and the blatant lies from the ironically named Sincere when exploring Melanie, Sol and Amora. While it was a tough watch, holding each other accountable and apologizing showed signs of positive masculinity. Growth!
In an era of rampant male loneliness, it was refreshing to see young men be vulnerable and silly with each other. So often, men neglect each other’s feelings, lacking the emotional maturity to check in, listen or provide the emotional support that comes customary in female friendships. The breakout relationship of this season was undoubtedly between finalists Zach Georgiou and Bryce Alakai. Their friendship grew into something bordering on homoerotic; holding hands, snuggling under the covers and stretching out hamstrings. The infamous “girth check” under their swim trunks fueled fan-made "ship" video compilations amassing hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok.
Throughout the season, Alakai was a shining example of how to navigate both platonic and romantic relationships. The feelings he caught early on for Trinity Tatum never wavered, and America believed in their love story enough to crown them the winners.
At 30 years old, the maturity gap with the other men (boys); never playing games, using big words correctly and never considering relegating Trinity to a situationship. He is proof that a fully formed frontal lobe goes a long way on a cast of 22-year-olds.
When the reunion airs on August 31, the men watching at home will hopefully take away that being a good guy pays off, and that some of the best relationships lie on the other side of their emotional ineptitude.
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