Sophie Monk, flaunting the ironic bombshell bogan persona on which she so endearingly trades in Andy Lee’s survey quiz show The Hundred, declares that this eighth season of Love Island Australia, has “hit its actual peak of brilliance”.
asserted
season → flaunt → brilliance
In the trailer, which rivals Sam Kekovich’s Australia Day lamb ads for its lavish parody of patriotism, our Sophie, the host since its inception, is tossed the keys to the US series’ villa in Fiji.
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Sophie → rival → Fiji
Here, 10 young Australian “hotties” will this time try to fall in love, refrain from cheating and win over viewers for a $50,000 prize.
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hotties → try → prize
Announcing that the set “just needs a bit of Aussification”, Monk winks at two shirtless tradies hanging a Vegemite poster and cracks a MAGA gag from a pink inflatable in the pool.
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Monk → announce → pool
For starters, the audience is getting younger.
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audience → get → starters
“I’ve noticed that, now, it’s a lot of daughters and mums – they watch together,” says Monk.
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Monk → notice → daughters
“Fourteen-year-olds are watching it.
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olds → watch → it
That’s the majority, I’d say, of people that come up to me with their mum, and they both want a photo.
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they → ’ → photo
Because we all want love, don’t we?”
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we → want → love
Monk’s joke in the trailer that “a few red flags have slipped in, but it’s too late now!” doesn’t seem so funny about 20 minutes into the first episode.
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it → slip → episode
Encouraged by Monk, the women take turns walking up to a man on a heart-shaped podium to perform a passionate kiss, before the man makes his selection.
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man → encourage → selection
The camera zooms in as one man puts his hand around a woman’s throat, seemingly inferring the controversial “sex choking” trend.
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man → zoom → trend
Monk says she didn’t notice this during filming, and likens the spectacle to a party game.
“
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she → say → game
I’m definitely not perving!” says Monk.
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Monk → perve → ?
“I guess it’s just that age group where they do spin-the-bottle …
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they → guess → bottle
I’m so protective of them all.
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I → ’m → them
I wish I had had a show like this when I was a teenager.”
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I → wish → this
Monk came of age on reality TV, with Popstars Australia in 2000, and a decade later, while continuing to forge an acting career at home and in the US, appearing on The Bachelorette and Celebrity Apprentice – so she well knows the perils of the game.
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she → come → game
She has not seen the Binge documentary The Curse of Love Island, which covers the deaths by suicide of four people associated with the original UK series, including host Caroline Flack, and airs the mortified reflections of former contestants.
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which → see → contestants
She insists the Australian cast are in safer hands, even in the very villa where the previous US series was marred by allegations of racial slurs and bullying.
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series → insist → slurs
“It’s changed so much.
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It → change → ?
When I started, no one knew how big [reality TV] was going to be.
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TV → start → ?
And when it was over, it was like, ‘Bye!’ ” she recalls.
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she → recall → ?
“We didn’t know what to do when the fame stopped.
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fame → know → what
[This cast] is looked after through the show, before the show and after the show.
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cast → look → show
I just wish that was around when I was younger.”
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I → wish → ?
In the first episode, a British expat cast as a temptress waits in a “hideaway villa” to test the loyalties of paired-up male contestants, though Monk says there is no emotional manipulation on this series.
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Monk → cast → series
“Producers were out to get you a bit more back then, and they’re not now.
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they → get → you
Love Island’s not that.
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Island → ’ → ?
We don’t need villains.”
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We → need → villains
Instead, Monk says there is a “psychological study” behind the bikini-clad glamour.
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Monk → say → glamour
“It’s the conversation points,” she says.
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she → ’ → ?
“Like Married At First Sight, people come away and discuss things.
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people → come → things
I know they’re in bathers, but once you pull all that away, within a day, you forget that they’re even hot, and you just learn so much by watching.
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you → know → much
Well, I do.”
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I → do → ?
Love Island Australia airs Monday-Thursday at 10am on 9Now; and 8.30pm on Nine (the owner of this masthead).
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Island → air → masthead
We’ve got you.
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We → get → you
Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
asserted
Watchlist → get → ?
- Sam Pang returns:
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Pang → return → ?
What did the most popular man on TV do after winning the Gold Logie?
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man → do → Logie
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
