It’s Australia’s turn to release its own version of the US original reality tv show, “FBoy Island.” The question is, is it another superficial dating show, or a masterful mockumentary? FIB finds out for you (spoiler free!)
The Premise
Somewhere on a beach in regional New South Wales, Australia, twenty men, and three women arrive on “FBoy Island”. Half of the men have been recruited as ‘nice guys’, and the other half ‘fboys’. It is only revealed which one they are if they are eliminated. Similar to The Bachelor, the girls will each pick a man at the end of the show.
But here’s the catch. Each couple will receive a $50,000 prize. If the man is a ‘nice guy’, they share the cash. But if the man is a ‘fboy’, he gets to choose whether to share the money or keep it all to himself.
As it’s a BINGE show, it is a bit more risqué than free-to-air reality tv. Sex is talked about more openly and the group activities are less PG. The host, Abbie Chatfield, is less manicured and more spontaneous and cheeky.
The episodes are also much shorter than the typical Bachelor-style shows. A lot of so-called boring stuff is cut out, such as the mechanics of a date or in-between chit-chat.
Now that you’re caught up, let’s meet the female contestants.
Ziara Rae
Ziara, a young model with surprising maturity, has a soft spot for fboys. The 21-year-old is determined to overcome this weakness on the show. She is more intelligent than she initially lets off, yet most of the boys seem blinded by her astonishing beauty.
Sophie Buckley
Sophie, a DJ, and dancer, has not had sex in two years and attributes this to the lack of quality men in the dating pool. Beaming with confidence, she wears her strong Kiwi accent with pride. Sophie simply wants to find someone who makes her laugh (so she says…).
Molly O’Halloran
Molly, an occupational therapist, has the classic tragic storyline of a cheating fiancé. She is fiercely self-protective and has far-reaching standards. Despite her strict guidelines, the audience can’t help but hope she meets her man.
The Host: Abbie Chatfield
You may recognise Abbie Chatfield from her contestant role on The Bachelor in 2019. Chatfield, as a sex-positive woman, was villainised by the producers as an overly seductive mistress who couldn’t keep her hands to herself. She then experienced a thrashing of slut-shaming and death threats on social media.
Despite the villain trope, Chatfield managed to rise to national fame. She now has the typical influencer career of Instagram sponsorships, radio shows, a podcast…you name it she has it.
However, the influencer claims to be more than the stereotypical celeb. She portrays herself as an ultra-feminist, and admittedly a lot of her work stays true to that. Yet, she has been the culprit of a few scandals involving stealing the limelight from other female influencers. Which is the exact behaviour she professes to condemn adamantly…
What Separates FBoy Island From The Crowd?
First of all, instead of the women competing against each other, they work together to figure out which men to cull. They form a wholesome sisterhood and are not afraid to call the men out for their bad behaviour.
The production also refrains from fabricating any ‘villain edits’. However, Chatfield notes that:
“If you’re choosing to apply as an FBoy, you can’t really act blindsided when you aren’t seen in the best light.”
The show also doesn’t shy away from making light of typical dating shows and their fairytale dates and cringe-worthy romance. The host points out that:
“It’s a comedy first and foremost, and reality show second.”
Sophie Brahams, one of the show’s writers, argues that FBoy Island is a “necessary evolution” of dating shows. The show confesses that the real winners aren’t the ones that find love, they are the ones that build a career afterward.
Brahams expresses that:
“She [Abbie] really typifies the modern reality TV fairytale, which is not finding love, it’s finding success.”
At the end of the day, on the surface, it’s still a fun dating show with a cash prize, beautiful women, and shirtless men. Whether you bother reading into its nuances or not, that’s up to you.
We’re already more than halfway through the season, so get bingeing!
Check out the trailer below:
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