Love Island USA fans erupt at Peacock after season seven premiere delayed

Love Island USA fans were left fuming after the premiere of the program’s seventh season was delayed.

The American version of the British reality series, hosted by Ariana Madix, made its highly anticipated return June 3 on Peacock. The series sees a group of contestants enter a villa with the goal of coupling up to compete in games and challenges to avoid being eliminated.

Although the season seven premiere was expected to drop at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Peacock shared a post on X at 9:01 p.m. to confirm that it was airing late.

“WE GOT A TEXT! Tonight’s episode will be slightly delayed. But it is worth the wait. Stay tuned!” the streaming service wrote. The post also referenced how contestants often shout “I’ve got a text” when their game plans or the dynamics in the villa are about to change.

However, it wasn’t until 9:43 p.m. when Peacock shared the premiere was finally available to stream.

“Thank you for your patience! The #LoveIslandUSA episode is officially live now. Enjoy the premiere,” the company wrote in a follow-up post on X.

While the episode was delayed, fans confessed that they were quite confused and upset.

“Y’all are about to pay for the meltdown I’ve been having the last 20 mins thinking it was my wifi,” one tweeted.

“I was SAT at 8:59 p.m. and now it’s DELAYED?!?!!” another wrote, while a third quipped: “Just cancelled my subscription.”

A fourth joked: “I have a text too: ‘Peacock will be blown up in five seconds.’”

Other people said they planned their evening based on the season seven premiere of Love Island USA. Peacock has not revealed why the episode was released late.

“Timed my food for this… and the new Love Island episode got delayed BABY ITS TWO HOURS LONG THERE’S NO TIME FOR IT TO DELAY,” one fan tweeted.

“Ordered a whole seafood boil to arrive just in time for the first ep of Love Island season seven and there is a ‘slight delay,’” another wrote.

Season seven of Love Island USA features 10 eager singletons entering this summer’s villa in Fiji. The five women in the villa are Yulissa Escobar, Belle-A Walker, Olandria Carthen, Huda Mustafa, and Chelley Bissainthe. They are joined by five male contestants: Jeremiah Brown, Austin Shepard, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, and Ace Greene.

In a teaser for the season, Madix offered her words of wisdom for the group of singles.

“My advice for Islander guys is be there for the right reasons. Like, I’m not here for guys trying to get up their Instagram following. Advice for Islander girls? Never settle for less than what you truly know you deserve,” the Vanderpump Rules star said.