Words by Naomi Chadderton
To date successfully in today’s day and age, we tend to require a few things. Reliable methods of communication, knowledge of our potential partner’s likes and dislikes, a banging wardrobe (or at least a spare change of clothes), and mates to drown your sorrows down at the pub with if it all goes horribly wrong, to name a few. A splash of aftershave to get those pheromones flowing doesn’t hurt either.
Yet in a world of dating-app fatigue, where romance can disappear quicker than you can say ‘seen at 2:14pm’, there’s one new reality TV show set to strip it all back in a bid to discover whether, in fact, isolation could be the recipe for true love.
What is Stranded on Honeymoon Island?
Created by the award-winning team behind Married At First Sight, Love Is Blind UK and A League Of Their Own, Stranded on Honeymoon Island is far from your average dating show.
Designed to bypass any awkward first dates or swiping through endless profiles, twelve hopeful singles are matched by experts after a lightning-fast speed-dating event before committing to each other in an intimate ceremony. Then comes the kicker: they’re dramatically abandoned on one of six remote, tropical beaches for the honeymoon of a lifetime.
Yep, that means nowhere to run – and no way to ghost - when the going gets tough.
And things can get awkward very quickly, too. One bride, for example, poetically calls her new match “a walking ick”, while it’s quite clear that another has found herself firmly in the friend-zone, with her groom saying: “You’re like a little sister to me.”
Oh dear.
Who is the host of Stranded on Honeymoon Island?
None other than reality-TV show legend Davina McCall will be hosting Stranded on Honeymoon Island, and IOHO she is the perfect fit. With her trademark warmth and quick wit, she’s the perfect person to steer us through all the drama, romance and hilarious moments.
What happens on Stranded on Honeymoon Island?
Once (un)comfortably in place on their private island, the new couples must build their relationships without the creature comforts of everyday life.
Stripped from outside connections and home support groups, there will be no make-up, aftershave or hairbrushes, while the living conditions are also decidedly sparse. Think very basic shelter, bed, outdoor shower and the blandest food options, they won’t even get a change of clothes to impress their match, instead forced to adapt the one wedding outfit they arrive on the island wearing for each day. There will, of course, be games and challenges too.
What’s more, as with all good reality TV shows, we can expect plenty of twists. Remember the quick speed-dating event? Well other singles from that evening – known here as castaways – may be sent to the islands in a bid to tempt the one half of the couple, after which the brides and grooms will decide where to ‘anchor down’ with their current partner or ‘test the water’ with a castaway. Cue comments like, “Stop thinking you’re Henry VIII, more wives aren’t coming...”.
And if they’re just not feeling it? There will come a time when the couples can choose to ‘flare out’, signalling the end of their relationship.
What can we expect from the couples on Stranded on Honeymoon Island?
We have already been treated to a number of belting one-liners that give us a little taster of the hilarity that is set to ensue from this series. One bride, for example, explains her dating history with a straight face: “So, with my last proper boyfriend, unfortunately there was an accident where he fell into his colleague's vagina...”
If that’s anything to go by, expect chaos, comedy and plenty of quotable moments.
So, is isolation actually the recipe for true love? Watch now on BBC iPlayer to find out.
Stranded on Honeymoon Island is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now, with new episodes every Wednesday!"
Thomas Thorn