How Love Island USA watch parties are taking over the bar scene – The Mercury News

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It’s 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening at Roosterfish in West Hollywood. The tables have been claimed for hours, the standing room area is packed, and those in line are being turned away because the bar is at capacity. Is there a celebrity DJ taking over? Or maybe there’s a big game?

Nope, Love Island USA is on, and everyone’s here to watch.

Reality TV may have been considered a guilty pleasure for many, but the Love Island USA watch parties popping off around Southern California prove that’s a notion of the past. Even tennis star Coco Gauff is in on the fun, sharing a video of her and other attendees’ reactions to a recent recoupling ceremony. “This is my Super Bowl,” says Gauff. “I feel like my team just won!” Fans in the comments pointed out that she had also just won the French Open.

@cocogauff

ya’ll tried, I feel alive, nicolandria in 🖐🏾 ! #nicolandria #loveislandusa

♬ original sound – Coco Gauff

While karaoke and trivia nights are ubiquitous on the bar scene, Maddy Biebel wanted the same communal approach to reality TV taking over local pub screens. Enter Reality Bar.

Attending a Reality Bar watch party is like going to a sports bar to watch the game—you cheer on your team, boo when it doesn’t go your way and discuss the crazy plays you just witnessed with nearby patrons.

The show is unique among other reality TV shows, as it airs in real-time with new episodes released every day except Wednesdays. On top of that, viewers have a say in which couples stay on the show and which islanders are at risk of being dumped from the island through periodic viewer votes on the Love Island USA app.

The original UK version of the show began airing in 2015 and was actually a spinoff from a 2005-2006 version of the series, with celebrities competing for the $100k grand prize. The Love Island USA spin-off premiered on CBS in 2019. It later moved to the NBC streaming service Peacock for its fourth season in 2022.

While its more recognizable phrases, such as “a hot new bombshell has entered the villa” and “I’ve got a text!”, have been pop culture slang for some time, it wasn’t until last season that the US version of the show reached global success.

First, Ariana Madix, of Vanderpump Rules fame and an avid fan of the franchise, was named the new host of the show, bringing in her fan base as new viewers. Next, many moments from the show went viral on social media, and the online discussion made it a can’t-miss live television viewing experience.

As the show returned in June for its seventh season, so did those fans, eager to relive the fun from the previous summer. That’s where Reality Bar comes in, with its pop-up viewing parties throughout Los Angeles.

Love Island USA season finale airs on Sunday, July 13, with the premiere of the season 6 spin off Love Island: Beyond the Villa premiering the same day. Reality Bar has announced they will be hosting nine watch parties for the finale at Los Angeles bars throughout the Valley, Hollywood, Koreatown and more.

While Love Island USA might be coming to an end for the season, Reality Bar is just getting started with hosting reality tv watch parties for the summer. The group has already shared some upcoming dates for other shows such as Bachelor in Paradise, Big Brother and Drag Race All-Stars where fans can gather together at local bars to watch. Additional information can be found on @RealityBar on Instagram and TikTok.

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