The BBC’s new dating show Stranded on Honeymoon Island sees Davina McCall play matchmaker to a group of singletons.
But as the first episode aired on BBC One on Wednesday, viewers dubbed it a bit too similar to Channel 4’s hugely popular Married at First Sight – which might make sense, given that the show is produced by the same company.
The new dating show sees a group of hopefully singletons first meet at a speed-dating event in civilisation, where they get to chat, flirt and feel each other out before they’re shipped off to a tropical island.
There, the daters are paired up and walk down the aisle in a series of not-legally-binding weddings on a tropical jetty. Then it’s onto a catamaran, from which they take a literal plunge into the sea and their new love lives.
Once they’ve swum to shore, the couples are left to their own devices and the elements on the island, in the hopes that the stripped-back setting will help love bloom on what is technically their honeymoon.
What’s available is fairly limited: it’s the basics of a toothbrush and a bed, with a nearby composting loo. This is where the 12 singletons will spend three weeks together.
In the show’s premiere episode we met the first three couples, each 20-and 30-somethings with tales of woe from the trenches of modern app-based dating.
The teaser for the series, which kicked off the first episode, also includes some flare-based antics, which is how any of the newlyweds can signal they want to call time on their relationship.
However, as the first episode aired, a number of BBC viewers gave up on the dating series from the get-go, as they noted its clear similarities to Married at First Sight on Channel 4.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) as the episode aired, @johnwallis01 described the show as ‘kinda like an extra s*** rip off of MAFS,’ as @PaulCAAtkinson bemoaned the contestant’s ‘sob stories’, writing: ‘This is not a patch on MAFS – a show lives or dies on the contestants likeability – sadly RIP Honeymoon Island I won’t be tuning in again!’
@Caz2025xx added: ‘What an absolute load of s*** I could only stand 5 minutes of it,’ as @GinDeeDee decided: ‘I definitely won’t be watching the rest of the series!’
@lindastudd tweeted: ‘Not remotely convinced by this programme. It’s desperation to be MAFS is a bit embarrassing.’
The show’s announcement came hot on the heels of the ITV decision to axe McCall’s other reality dating series My Mum, Your Dad.
Speaking after Stranded on Honeymoon Island was announced, the Big Brother legend said: ‘I am a serial matchmaker, so I jumped at the chance to host the BBC’s new dating show.
‘I can’t wait to meet our couples and find out how they get on when they’re stranded on Honeymoon Island.
‘For some, it will be challenging, and others, idyllic! Hopefully, it’s the start of some very beautiful relationships.’
Stranded on Honeymoon Island continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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