Ariana Madix is hinting at how the offscreen silence from the season 8 Islanders will make for a better Love Island USA reunion.
“I feel personally that it’s helpful for me,” Madix, 41, exclusively tells Us about the benefits of having the Islanders stay somewhat out of the spotlight before they sit down to dissect the season later this month.
Madix admits it’s “hard” to “keep up with” every development for each Islander once they leave the villa. The season 8 cast’s step back from press, however, leaves more excitement for the reunion special.
“It is hard for me to keep up when everything is out there,” the host tells Us while promoting her partnership with Orgain. “I want to be able to keep up because, of course, I want to be able to ask the best questions.”
The Love Island franchise originally began in the U.K. in 2002 before expanding worldwide with various spinoffs, including Love Island USA on Peacock. The series follows a different group of singles every season who have to pair off in order to stay in the show’s luxury villa for the chance to win $100,000.
The contestants — referred to as Islanders — live in isolation in a villa and are under constant video surveillance as they attempt to find love.
Madix, for her part, has been hosting the show since 2024. She is expected to cohost the reunion, which airs August 31, alongside Andy Cohen.
“I want to be able to follow up with certain things. So for me, it is helpful that I’ll be able to see them and catch up with them in real time,” she says about her preparation. “I think it’s going to be so great because I’m really, really looking forward to asking them what’s been going on the last few weeks and having them give us all the updates.”
While Madix didn’t spill about her future with the franchise — she is hosting season 3 of Love Island Games — the reality star has some advice for hopefuls applying to join season 9 of Love Island USA.
“It sounds cliché, but be your most authentic self,” she explains. “It is the best way to succeed on the show in any way, shape or form. To succeed with the other Islanders, to find love in the villa and for people [in] the audience to connect with you.”
Madix notes that both viewers at home and people behind the scenes “can suss out inauthenticity from a mile away,” adding, “They’re very good at figuring out — especially with our casting process. These are people who are the best at what they do. So if someone shows up and they’re pretending to be someone that they’re not, casting is not going to want to keep them. They’re not going to want to move them to the next round because they’re going to sense that. They’re going to feel that.”
She continues: “So go in there being yourself. Let’s say you have a weird hobby or there’s something about you that you think doesn’t fit into whatever you envision in your mind of what an Islander is … express that and say that, because that might be exactly what we’re looking to bring onto the show.”
Madix, who was nominated for an Emmy for her hosting work, remains booked and busy even outside of the villa. After returning from filming in Fiji this summer, Maxis teamed up with Orgain for their plant-based protein powder.
“This has been such an easy alignment because this is something that I do every day. It was something I was doing every day leading up to going to Fiji,” she explains to Us. “I — no joke — had to have someone bring tubs of it to Fiji so that I could continue on my protein iced coffee routine in the morning.”
Madix has loved making Orgain a part of her daily routine — especially the Vanilla Bean flavor. “When I first got back from Fiji, of course, I was jet lagged. I was struggling a little bit in [those] first few days to get back into my routine and now I’m back,” she says. “So I have my 21 grams of protein in my iced coffee every morning. I know myself, so I know that I’m not going to get up in the morning and make an elaborate smoothie and mess up my kitchen and do all of that before I head out the door.”
The TV personality is thrilled to find a product that fits into her life so easily.
“My schedule is so different every day. So I know that if I can just start with that 21 grams of protein, I’m already at a headstart for hitting my goals for the day,” she tells Us. “Obviously, I love to work out, I love to lift weights, and if I’m not getting enough protein within that and I’m not hitting the right things for my diet, then I’m not going to build the muscle. And that’s really important to me. So this is the perfect thing to fit into my day for me.”
