When Liv Walker first heard from the “Love Island USA” casting team, she thought it might be a scam. After all, she had never even seen the show.
Originally scouted for Season 5 of the reality dating show, Walker turned down the initial offer. But when the casting team reached out again for the sixth season a year later in 2024, she decided to give the show a shot.
That decision changed her life.
Season 6 went on to transform the U.S. installment of “Love Island,” distinguishing itself from the U.K. version that had popularized the idea of dropping a group of young, ready-to-mingle strangers together into a private villa cut off from the outside world.
“Love Island USA” originally aired on CBS when the show launched in 2019, with comedian Arielle Vandenberg hosting. The series switched to Peacock for its fourth season, replacing Vandenberg with Sarah Hyland — before Ariana Madix officially took over as host in Season 6. Following her dramatic break-up with Tom Sandoval, the “Vanderpump Rules” star brought the Bravo audience over to Peacock, and the dynamic cast kept them watching.
