The Traitors or Love Island? Hamlet-esque revenge plots or cracking on? The icon that is Diane or round two of Messy Mitch? It's a dilemma many viewers are hit with come 9pm on a weeknight evening, as the two reality series, The Traitors on BBC and Love Island All Stars on ITV air at the same time, both competing for viewers' attention. Except, it's not really a dilemma at all, is it?
Since both series debuted at the beginning of January, The Traitors has eclipsed Love Island All Stars in every way possible. From viewing figures (it had an average audience of 6.4 million viewers in the first seven days), to news coverage, to endless memes on social media. Everyone is The Traitors obsessed, while All Stars has fizzled into the background.
But this isn't just a Love Island problem. It's a dating show problem. In the last year, non-dating reality series such as Big Brother, Survivor and The Trust on Netflix have captured the cultural conversation (and viewers), while shows like Too Hot To Handle and Love Is Blind barely make a splash.
There is perhaps an argument that The Traitors in particular is truly exceptional TV (it didn't win a BAFTA for nothing), which is why it's distracted viewers from the muggings off of Love Island. But even if The Traitors wasn't on, there's an argument to suggest Love Island All Stars still wouldn't be popular (it doesn't air on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Love Island still isn't pulling in the viewing figures.)
It hasn't always been this way. Cast your mind back to the iconic summer of 2019, and you couldn't make it a day in the office without someone bringing up last night's Love Island antics or Twitter being full of reactions to a scene in Love Is Blind in early 2020. Dating shows became our sport and religion, with over 3.6million viewers tuning into the Love Island season five finale.
Now it seems we're all wanting to breakup from dating shows. But why?
A lot of it is down to the format. With dating shows, there's a cookie cutter formula that generally involves 10 to 15 young, conventionally attractive, singles spending time in a luxurious location, going on a series of dates, and hoping to find a connection. Sure, there are sometimes challenges, games or obstacles in their way, (aka LANA in Too Hot To Handle) but the majority of the show is based on observing the cast's interactions with each other and seeing if they'll fall in love. After you've watched that once, seeing two or three series worth it then all becomes a bit... stale. There's only so many times watching someone getting pied is entertaining.
In contrast, the majority of new reality shows, such as Survivor and The Traitors, involve varying degrees of physical and mental ability. Whether it's deciphering clues on a path, or scrambling off a boat to secure food, the added element of risk and intellect brings a new layer of competitiveness that you can be invested in.
In fairness, Big Brother follows a similar format to the rest of the dating shows; it's a group of people sat around in a house making conversation and trying to see who likes who (mainly on a platonic level), where allegiances lie, and who can be trusted. But, unlike dating shows, Big Brother's success was based on the interesting mix of diverse characters from around the UK. The 2023 cast had people from different ages, genders, religions, occupations, resulting in a number of conflicts and conversations that felt authentic.
When The Traitors first came out in 2022, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Finally, there were people that looked and sounded like the majority of the population. There was a trainee lawyer, an estate agent, a call centre agent, with an age ranging from 21 to 72 years old.
Unless you have characters like Ekin-Su and Davide bringing much needed personality to the Love Island villa, the contestants on dating shows merge into one, and their surface level romances don't draw you in. Are any of them even authentic?
Sure, in the early days, many contestants genuinely seemed invested in finding a partner. Look at Lauren and Cameron from season one of Love Is Blind, who've now been married for six years. But now there's a generic formula that dating show contestants can follow, into influencing, content creation - and millions of pounds. Is it any wonder the next generation of reality stars appear to want to emulate that success (and bank balance), so it's harder to trust their sincerity?
George Patient, the founder and editor of Merch Mates also suggests the increased awareness in producer involvement is to blame. "Over time, viewers have become more aware of the behind-the-scenes manipulation in reality TV," he tells Cosmopolitan UK. "This awareness has led to scepticism about the authenticity of the relationships portrayed, diminishing the appeal of these shows."
Step forward: competition reality shows. There's no doubt in your mind when watching The Traitors that the contestants are there to win the money. In the first episode, host Claudia Winkleman asks them all what they'd spend it on if they won. It's refreshingly transparent; rather than spending half an episode guessing their motives, you actually root for them more because you want them to win.
As journalist and founder of The Nikki Diaries, Nikki Onafuye, explains: "[The Traitors] is real people fighting for money in a way that isn't derogatory, sexist, misogynistic or classist. It caters to all and highlights different people from different paths in life. Whilst it is a game - we still hear the stories of real people."
Now as the final episode of The Traitors season two approaches, I can't help but question the last time a reality TV finale made me this excited to sit down in front of the TV on a Friday night. Being challenged as a viewer with new and interesting formats is what great TV is all about. Maybe in a few years the competition reality genre will have reached a plateau and a new dating show will be taking over our group chats. But for now I'm going to sit on the edge of my seat with pleasure, as I watch the game of cat and mouse between Harry and Jaz reach its epic conclusion.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
