Love Island USA Season 3 Release Date, Cast, And Location - What We Know So Far

Love Island USA, the American version of the popular U.K. reality show, is returning for a third season. If you're a lover of love — or just a fan of drama and beautiful people in bathing suits — this is huge news. In January 2021, the CBS dating show announced its third season and new location on social media. 

Contestants are brought to a remote location where they're isolated from the rest of the world and put under constant surveillance. The "islanders" live together 24/7 and must "couple up" in order to stay on the show, sometimes playing goofy games but mostly lounging around the pool by day and partying by night. Those who don't find a connection and couple up may be "dumped" from the island, and sexy new islanders appear to take their place.

The British version of the show is known for such classic reality TV moments as explaining Brexit and the difference between a county and a country. Its American cousin has likewise been a big hit, transforming contestants into reality stars and influencers.

Love Island USA travels to a new exotic locale every season. Season 1 was in Fiji. In 2020, CBS filmed season 2 in Las Vegas because the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited international travel. Contestants lived and loved at The Cromwell hotel under strict quarantine protocols.

For season 3, the show will be filming in Hawaii. Because Love Island is once again taking place on a literal island, the show tagged its social media posts with #BackOnIslandTime. Narrator Matthew Hoffman voiced his enthusiasm for the move, commenting "HERE WE GO!" on the show's Instagram announcement, per Decider.

It's not currently known which Hawaiian island will host the boys and girls of Love Island. The show posted a doctored map of the state with a fictional "Love Island" due north of Oahu. Netflix's Terrace House: Aloha State filmed on Oahu, in and around the capital city of Honolulu, while Temptation Island filmed on Maui in fall 2020.

Along with the location announcement, CBS revealed that the show is looking for young men and women who are single and ready to mingle to be season 3 contestants. Islanders will live in a villa and have their movements (including canoodling) taped 24/7, in the style of CBS sister show Big Brother. Paramount+ will host bonus footage that "takes subscribers beyond the boundaries of the broadcast," according to the streamer's Twitter. 

To stay on the show, coupled-up contestants need to keep committed to each other while staying in the good graces of viewers, who vote on which couple ultimately wins the cash prize. There's not just money on the line — but also the (slim) chance of finding true love. Season 2 winners Justine and Caleb (pictured above) took home $100,000 but broke up shortly thereafter. According to Decider, Connor and Mackenzie are the only couple from season 2 that's still together.

Season 2 was delayed from May to August 2020 due to the pandemic. But when it finally did air, CBS ran episodes every night from its premiere to the finale. Both Love Island and Big Brother have produced seasons during the pandemic, with quarantine procedures strictly enforced. According to Vulture, both the cast and crew of Love Island were expected to quarantine before filming, the crews worked in pods to minimize exposure risk, and the network tested regularly.

The system must have worked, because Love Island got the job done and is now heading for a summer release. According to Screen Rant, the third season will premiere immediately following Big Brother season 23 on July 7, so mark your calendars. Now that the release date is imminent, CBS is already teasing the new season in its summer promo videos. Things really look to be heating up.