by Gabriella Gladney19th, this story was originally published 19th
This is the story Originally reported by Gabriella Gladney 19th. Meet Gabriela and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy.
“Love Island” is a rare dating show that offers a cash prize at the end, and with brand deals and commercial spots, contestants can expect to earn more money after leaving the villa.
Now, listeners can cash in too Prediction market apps like Polymarket and Kalshi, whose user base is dominated by men but have tried to attract women, allow viewers to trade on who will pair up and who will walk away.
The premise of the show involves young adults trying to find love in a bright neon villa in Fiji. Contestants compete in challenges — many of which involve making out while covered in various goo-like substances — and pull each other in for a “chat” to choose who they want to pair up with. “Love Island” relies heavily on audience participation through the app, and viewers have a say in who gets kicked out of the villa and the eventual winner. The winning couple receives a $100,000 cash prize.
Season 8 of “Love Island USA” is still the most popular of the show. According to NBCUniversal, the season premiere showed a 74 percent increase over season 7, making it Peacock’s most-streamed original season debut. It’s unclear how many men generated the new viewership, but the increase came with entering new conversations, previously dictated by women.
Last year, New York went viral for Knicks star Jalen Brunson posting about the show and later hosted former contestants on his podcast, “Roommates.” This year, popular streamers like PlayboyMax and Kai Senat discussed the show and even invited former Islanders. their flow Another popular Twitch streamer, DDG, ran into controversy by saying it was “gay” for men to watch shows alone; he wears has been posted His support for a couple on the show.
“Love Island” always draws commentary, but this season feels different, said Erica Hart, a sex educator and author who has followed both the British and American versions of the show for nearly a decade. Hart says he’s noticed a change in not only who’s watching, but how they’re watching.
“We rarely see cis men engaged in conversations around ‘Love Island,'” Hart said. “And if they’re talking about it, they’re talking about it from the perspective of criticizing other men, criticizing the system. It’s never like we see cis men basically rooting for other cis men. And I think that’s indicative of gambling.”
Consumer advocates have raised concerns about the expansion or prediction market, warning that gamified, app-based betting carries the same risk of addiction as traditional sports betting, even if dressed up as entertainment trivia. Young users are also at high risk for addiction. According to NBCUniversal, 50 percent of last season’s “Love Island” viewers were under the age of 30.
While prediction market apps are dominated by men, Kalshi is especially trying to encourage more women to use the platform. The popularity of “Love Island USA” has made the show a significant part of its engagement strategy.
According to a spokesperson for Kalshi, the percentage of female traders on its platform overall has doubled in the past year, and the “Love Island” market specifically has three times more female traders than the platform market, where women make up two-thirds of new “Love Island” traders. Still, men are overall the majority of traders in Kalshi, reflecting sports betting more broadly.
According to the spokesperson, the show’s near-daily structure and frequent eliminations make it uniquely attractive as a culture market. New elimination markets are opened with almost every episode, as opposed to one-off cultural events. Kalshi also has a social aspect, allowing traders to comment on specific markets and sometimes make their case for their chosen couple.
However, as with many other culture markets, there are concerns about insider trading. Kalshi’s “Survivor” bazaar was right in favor of the eventual winner with uncanny accuracy months before the preseason aired, accusing host Jeff Probst of encouraging the prediction bazaar to “lie, cheat and steal.” Love Island airs slightly late but unfolds in real-time, carrying a different risk, less about leaked final results and more about real-time access to eliminations or votes before they become public.
For Hart, whose book “Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, and Liberate Yourself” has a chapter that unpacks the politics of desire that shaped “Love Island,” the economics of the show were never just about romance. Contestants have always had financial incentives to present a certain persona Prediction markets, Hart says, simply extend that logic to people watching.
“Now we’re actually putting a value on people and their connections, and based on what? What’s the value? I think that’s the person who won’t back the patriarchy,” he said. “Capitalism inherently makes us weak, not singular.”
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Photo: While prediction market apps are dominated by men, Kalshi is especially trying to encourage more women to use the platform. The popularity of “Love Island USA” has made the show a significant part of its engagement strategy. (Sarah Porter for 19; Ben Simons/Peacock)
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A Good Men ProjectWe are proud of Syndicate Reporting 19thAn independent nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, policy and power. We value their work because it helps make visible something that is often considered secondary or niche: you cannot fully understand public life without understanding how gender and race shape who is heard, who is protected, and who is called upon to bear the consequences when systems fail.
We believe these stories are the reason questions are here 19th Also raises human questions. They affect the everyday experience of living in families, schools, health care, faith communities, citizenship, security and democracy. They also intersect with the many discourses of masculinity, identity, care, justice, and social expectations that shape people’s lives long before they have language for them. If we want a more honest conversation about how to live well in a rapidly changing world, we need reporting that clearly focuses on power, rights and whose stories are central. This is one reason we are delighted to share their work.
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