Love Island USA to overhaul casting process following an Islander’s controversial exit
Producers were apparently 'embarrassed' and want 'a change'
The powers that be at Peacock are reportedly going to switch up the casting process for Love Island USA next year. Apparently, an Islander’s controversial exit made producers rethink how they deal with applications.
Right after Peacock announced the cast of Love Island USA season eight, videos resurfaced in which the participant Vasana Montgomery seemed to say a racial slur. Vasana was then cut from the show. In a statement on her Insta, Vasana said she was “deeply sorry” and was “embarrassed and disappointed by [her] words” from her “teen years”. Both videos were on private accounts, which would have been very difficult for casting producers to view.
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The production team apparently felt “embarrassed” by this whole incident. A source told The U.S. Sun: “The general feeling is not great. It is not a good look that this slipped through.”
Supposedly, producers are planning big changes to the casting process for Love Island USA, to prevent another incident like this.
The source continued: “There’s only so many ways to vet someone, given all the different technologies and social medias that have been in and out over the years. The network is actively looking into ways to better vet contestants that give a more thorough scan of their social media profiles.
“They are looking into AI options that will help dissect a potential contestant’s entire digital footprint and ensure that these slip-ups do not happen in the future. Precautionary measures are underway and there will be a change, an improvement, to the vetting process next season.”
Alternatively, perhaps the Peacock executives should try asking the Love Island fans on Reddit to have a cheeky stalk online of each potential cast member before any announcements are made? There’s nothing they can’t find x
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