It’s being hailed as a cross between Love Island, Married at First Sight and Survivor, meaning you definitely need to be tuning into the latest dating must-watch, Stranded on Honeymoon Island.
Hosted by the brilliant Davina McCall, viewers can expect a dating show with a difference when the all-new series lands on BBC One on Wednesday September 3 – new episodes will air on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Far more authentic than regular dating shows, couples appearing on Stranded on Honeymoon Island won’t have access to makeup and beauty products, getting to know their new love interests with no modern luxuries.
But how does the show actually work? Here’s the full lowdown.
How does Stranded on Honeymoon Island work?
In the series, 12 singletons will initially meet one another on speed dates, which last just five minutes. Although they can pick their favourites after this quick meeting, they’ll ultimately be put into couples by relationship experts.
In a similar way to Married At First Sight, a fake wedding will then take place – the couples won’t know who they’ve been paired with until they see their new ‘husband’ or ‘wife’ at the aisle.
A three-week honeymoon follows the marriage ceremony, which sees the couples left stranded on a remote island and left to fend for themselves.
Left alone with just their wedding outfits and each other, the contestants will really get to learn about their compatibility under such extreme circumstances.
(Image credit: BBC)
Davina McCall particularly enjoyed witnessing the couple’s reaction to finding out who they’d been paired with.
“It’s actually quite sweet when you see the joy on someone’s face when the person at the altar is the person they were hoping for,” she says.
The presenter adds, “Then they go to their new beach home for three weeks and it’s interesting watching them and seeing how they handle that situation and what they expect from their partner.”
However, it’s never going to be that simple – and there will be twists. The first surprise for the couples involves three of the pairs going straight off to their stranded lives, while another will be in for a shock when “a blast from the past” turns up who “threatens to sink their ship”.
The couples also get a chance to socialise and debrief at Couples Cove sessions. Here, there’s a chance for wandering eyes to feast upon somebody from another pairing – and you just know this will lead to plenty of drama.
(Image credit: BBC)
While Davina has waxed lyrical about the “sweet” nature of eyes meeting for the first time at the aisle, even she admits that Couple’s Cove will be “carnage”.
“It gets really complicated when we start doing Couples Cove. Everybody starts socialising together and then suddenly maybe you’re looking at other options you met at speed dating, it’s carnage,” she reveals.
Contestant Hannah is emphatic about Stranded on Honeymoon Island being far more authentic than other similar dating shows.
She insists none of the conversations are scripted, and everyone taking part is doing so because they’re genuinely looking for love.
“It’s less superficial,” she says, adding, “You don’t have to dress up pretty every day. You’re not told what conversations to have.”
“The people I was sharing the experience with weren’t trying to be influencers; they weren’t trying to get brand deals. It really felt like every single person was there for love, and it was a challenge.”
Watch Stranded on Honeymoon Island from Wednesday 3 September on BBC One and iPlayer, with new episodes on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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