Skip to main content

Whether you love The Bachelor or love to hate it, HBO’s FBOY Island took their new dating series to a whole new level. The HBO Max original series looks pretty similar to The Bachelor franchise’s The Bachelorette or Bachelor In Paradise on the surface. A group of 24 men competes for love with cheesy competitions in the beautiful Cayman Islands, with host Nikki Glaser. However, the twists that HBO threw in the mix make the entire series more interesting, more hilarious, and even more real — depending on how you look at it. 

HBO host of FBOY Island Nikki Glaser ready for the elimination ceremony similar to The Bachelor
Host of HBO’s ‘FBOY Island’ Nikki Glaser | Julie Corsetti/HBO Max

Is HBO’s ‘FBOY Island’ the new ‘Bachelor in Paradise’?

HBO took everyone’s favorite spinoff from The Bachelor franchise — Bachelor in Paradise — and turned it into something even better with FBoy Island. Viewers love The Bachelor summer spinoff because there are more men and women to pair off, not only one. Plus, it’s set in a beautiful location, which requires a lot less clothing. Additionally, more men and more women equal more drama. 

So, HBO flew 24 men to the Cayman Islands to fight for the hearts of three women. FBoy Island is the new Bachelor In Paradise. However, creating the series with HBO instead of ABC gave the producers more leeway for mayhem. (There are a lot fewer rules with subscription TV versus cable). Three episodes of the new series drop to HBO Max on July 29, 2021. Then another three episodes of FBOY Island hit the streaming giant on Aug. 5, and the last four episodes air on Aug. 12. Rather than waiting for a new episode each week, the series is ready for binge-watching two weeks after it began airing.

https://youtu.be/wjM2vywajAc

‘Are you here for the right reason?’ — On ‘FBOY Island’ the men admit they are not 

The constant question from those who appear on The Bachelor and its spinoff shows is, “Are you here for the right reasons?” With HBO’s FBOY Island, the guesswork is gone; everyone is there for the money. 

Do you get paid to be on The Bachelor or on FBOY Island? No, you do not get paid to be a contestant on either show unless you are the lead. However, with the development of social media, many contestants appear on The Bachelor series to gain an Instagram following. With a certain number of followers, the men and women go home to book paid partnerships on social media. Essentially, many of the contestants compete on The Bachelor and its spinoff shows for fame and fortune.

https://twitter.com/hbomax/status/1410615093381853184?s=20
Related

This ‘Bachelor’ Alum From Peter Weber’s Season Would Refuse a ‘BIP’ Invite for this 1 Heartbreaking Reason

HBO’s FBOY Island takes the guesswork out of who is on a dating series like The Bachelor for the “right reasons.” Every contestant on the new dating competition is fighting for $100,000. Finding love is a bonus. 

“The Fboys have admitted to our producers that they’re just here for the cold, hard cash,” host Nikki Glaser explains in the FBOY Island trailer.

There’s no pretending here. However, the viewers and the three women don’t know who the “nice guys” are and who the “Fboys” are. It’s intriguing and hysterical. 

Who is a nice guy, and who is an Fboy?

OK, maybe some of the men are on FBOY Island for the right reasons, but everyone knows they are competing for cash unlike The Bachelor where they all claim they are looking for love. Elan Gale from The Bachelor franchise helped create the concept for FBOY Island, so it’s sure to have elements from the long-running ABC series.

The last new twist is that viewers find out during the last episode of the HBO series who is a “nice guy” or an “Fboy.” The producers also advertise in the FBOY trailer that some of the Fboys might end up reformed by the end. We’ll see how that goes. 

FBOY Island premieres on HBO and HBO Max on July 29, 2021, with three episodes.

Best in Entertainment