If you’re a fan of “Love Island” or “Below Deck,” and don’t mind a watered-down version of the two, you may like “Love Overboard.”

The nine-episode Hulu reality show, released March 26, is executively produced by “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper and hosted by TV personality Gabby Windey.

The show pits couples against each other as they battle to be on the “Topside” — living a lavish life on the boat — and to avoid the “Downside,” where contestants clean the boat and serve the topsiders in a “Below Deck” fashion. Honestly, most of my favorite parts of the show were watching the “Downsiders” attempt to learn how to cook and clean, and hilariously failing. 

The show incorporates several elements from “Love Island” and “Below Deck,” but by failing to create original concepts, it proves stale. It was too similar to its inspirations from occasional “shipwreckers,” following the same premise of “Love Island’s” “bombshells,” and a rip-off “Heart Rate Challenge” to the “Downsiders” working to serve the “Topsiders” living in twin-sized cabins, like the crewmates in “Below Deck.” 

Something I haven’t seen in any other reality dating show is “Love Overboard’s” method for eliminating contestants from the show. Rather than a peaceful exit from the villa, the players literally walk a plank off the side of the boat, and if they are eliminated, the plank drops from under them, and they plummet 30 feet into the Mediterranean Sea. While there is likely no graceful way to drop off a plank, watching grown men plug their noses in preparation for the drop made me chuckle every time. This absurd inclusion provides unique comedic relief and an extra thrill to the otherwise recycled show.

Another highlight is Windey’s performance as the show’s host. Her dry wit perfectly contrasted the show’s hyper-dramatic contestants and the show’s high stakes. Unlike other hosts, like Ariana Madix on “Love Island,” she does not really involve herself in the couples’ drama. 

It was especially hard to become invested in the couples and their fates, as I felt no one truly cared about finding love. Most contestants already had a social media platform, and frankly, their participation in the show felt more like attempts to boost their online presences rather than their relationships. Currently, none of the final couples are in a confirmed relationship.

Casting certainly prioritized attractiveness and Instagram fame over determination to form connections. You would think that if they weren’t there for love, they at least would make entertaining drama. Unfortunately, every bit of “drama” proved extremely insignificant and never carried through. 

One moment that fell flat was when contestant Andrew noticed his hair getting too long for his liking and requested an on-boat barber. Unfortunately, he did not like his cut and refused to be in front of a camera until a producer called his mom. Of course, his mom could not help him much as he is on a boat in Europe, but the sentiment was…cute? 

Overall, “Love Overboard” attempts to throw too many reality show cliches into one show and leaves viewers with an incoherent mess. It had so much potential to seamlessly blend two popular shows, but with a weak cast and inconsistent plot points, it shipwrecked. 

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