Leaving Love Island USA can give a contestant the kind of audience most aspiring creators spend years trying to build. By the time Islanders get their phones back, they may have millions of new followers, brands filling their inboxes, and television producers considering where they could appear next.
But leaving the villa does not necessarily mean they are free to accept every opportunity waiting for them.
That could matter for Mackenzie “Kenzie” Annis, whose commitment to practicing her splits throughout Season 8 inspired fans to campaign for her to join Dancing With the Stars. Professional dancer Ezra Sosa encouraged the idea beneath Annis’ first post-villa TikTok.
“The mirrorball is CALLING your name,” Sosa commented.
“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR,” Annis replied.
Turning that exchange into an actual trip to the ballroom may require more than an invitation from ABC. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Love Island USA contestants enter a one-year exclusivity period that can limit their television appearances, brand partnerships, and other commercial work after the show.
Because Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+, outside Peacock’s NBCUniversal family, Annis may need approval before she can compete. Her situation provides a useful look at what happens after Islanders leave Fiji, when sudden internet fame collides with the contracts they signed before anyone knew their names.
What happens after Islanders leave the villa?
Love Island USA places a group of singles in a Fiji villa, where they date, compete in challenges, and try to remain coupled up long enough to win. Viewers follow their relationships almost every night on Peacock, discuss each episode online, and vote on who stays, leaves, and ultimately takes home the prize.
The contestants experience the season very differently. Like the casts of Big Brother, The Traitors, and many other reality shows, Islanders are largely cut off from the outside world while filming. They do not have their phones, cannot check social media, and have no way to see which conversations, outfits, or facial expressions have become memes.
An Islander can therefore enter the villa as a relatively unknown person and return home several weeks later as a major online personality. Season 8 generated more than 4 billion social video views and ranked as the No. 1 social program during its run, according to NBCUniversal. Winner Trinity Tatum emerged from the season with more than 3 million Instagram followers.
That kind of attention quickly attracts agents, managers, publicists, brands, and television producers. Representatives generally have about 10 days to meet with the most sought-after Islanders before the contestants begin receiving interview requests, sponsorship opportunities, and choosing representation.
It also forces Islanders to absorb several weeks of memes, criticism, fan edits, and public discussion about decisions they made without knowing how viewers would respond. Trinity asked viewers to stop directing “hate & ignorant comments” at Zach Georgiou, called him one of the most “amazing” people she met in the villa, and reminded fans that the Islanders are “people just like everyone else.”
All of this happens just as they begin deciding how to turn their new audience into a career. Their options, however, may be more limited than they initially appear.
How does the Love Island USA exclusivity period work?
According to a report, Love Island USA contestants are subject to a one-year exclusivity period, and ITV America, the show’s production company, must approve their brand partnerships. The contracts also govern which television appearances contestants can make, meaning an Islander may receive an offer without having the sole authority to accept it. Former Season 4 contestant Deb Chubb supported their claims, saying in a June TikTok: “contract-wise, you can’t go on any shows a year after the finale.”
Mashable Trend Report
The full terms of the current agreements have not been made public, but available reporting suggests the restriction is more complicated than a blanket ban on television appearances.
These restrictions are not unique to Love Island USA. A publicly available Survivor agreement defines an exclusivity period lasting one year after the finale and requires contestants to obtain permission for certain media appearances. Contracts used by RuPaul’s Drag Race have also included one-year exclusivity clauses, while allowing contestants to participate in live performances and personal appearances.
The agreements can also help networks manage conflicts with advertisers. If a company already sponsors Love Island USA, for example, Peacock may not want one of the show’s contestants immediately promoting a competitor. A source told THR that limited noncompete provisions have become standard in reality casting and can give networks veto power over outside brand and commercial deals.
Networks frequently recast personalities from their own franchises
Dancing With the Stars has featured a steady supply of contestants from ABC’s The Bachelor franchise, including Matt James, Gabby Windey, Charity Lawson, Joey Graziadei, and Jenn Tran over five consecutive seasons. Disney personalities and stars from Hulu, another Disney-owned platform, also regularly appear in the ballroom.
Season 34, for example, included Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while Disney Channel actor Chandler Kinney competed during Season 33.
Netflix takes a similar approach by treating its unscripted shows as a connected “Netflix Reality Universe.” Contestants who become popular on Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and The Ultimatum are regularly brought back for crossover programs such as Perfect Match and Battle Camp; some later become hosts or receive shows built around them, including Too Hot to Handle breakout Harry Jowsey’s Let’s Marry Harry. This lets Netflix keep recognizable personalities on the platform after their original seasons end.
Peacock and NBCUniversal have their own growing reality ecosystem. Former Islanders can return for Love Island Games, compete on The Traitors, or appear in Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which follows cast members as they navigate their relationships and careers after leaving the show.
Season 6 Islander JaNa Craig joined NBC’s Destination X less than a year after leaving Fiji, for example, while fellow Season 6 contestant Rob Rausch later competed on and won Peacock’s The Traitors. A third season of Beyond the Villa is expected in 2027, creating another potential destination for members of the Season 8 cast.
For contestants, that means one successful reality show can lead to several more opportunities, but the network that introduced them may have the first say in where they appear next.
Could Kenzie still compete on Dancing With the Stars?
The exclusivity period may complicate Annis’ chances, or those of any other Islander hoping to strap on their dancing shoes, but it does not necessarily keep them out of the ballroom.
Two celebrities announced for Season 35 show that NBCUniversal is willing to let some of its reality personalities compete on Dancing With the Stars. Maura Higgins, who became known through the British version of Love Island before appearing on Peacock’s Love Island Games and The Traitors, will join the cast alongside Bravo’s Ciara Miller. Miller stars on Summer House, hosts Love Island USA: Aftersun, and also competed on The Traitors.
Christine Cowan, the NBCUniversal executive who oversees casting across Bravo, NBC, and Peacock, said during the ATX TV Festival panel “How Familiar Faces Drive Fandom” in May, that the company had allowed Higgins and Miller to participate.
“We want them to be happy, and we want to continue our relationship with them,” Cowan said.
Cowan characterized Dancing With the Stars as a one-off opportunity rather than a permanent departure for a competing entertainment company. She also said NBCUniversal makes its talent available to outside productions under certain circumstances.
Do the restrictions help or hurt Islanders?
For contestants, the arrangement brings both opportunities and tradeoffs.
ITV America sets rules for how contestants choose representation and offers a list of preferred managers and agents. This guidance can help someone navigating sudden fame evaluate offers, negotiate contracts, and avoid jumping at the first deal that lands in their inbox.
Staying in NBCUniversal’s orbit can open doors to more television opportunities. The company has several programs ready to transform a successful Islander’s season into a longer reality TV career.
The downside becomes apparent when the best opportunity comes from outside the network. The weeks right after a finale are when contestants get the most attention from viewers and brands. Another network might want to cast an Islander while the season’s still buzzing, or a company might want to build a campaign around a viral moment or catchphrase that’s currently making the rounds online.
Those offers may not remain available for a year or even a month. Requiring approval can reduce contestants’ control over the audience and the opportunities they gained on the show.
Leaving Fiji may end an Islander’s search for a connection, but their relationship with Peacock could just be getting started.
