Embracing Both the Present and the Past, Host Arielle Vandenberg is Loving LOVE ISLAND

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Host Arielle Vandenberg thinks the concept of LOVE ISLAND is cutting-edge and perfect for current times, even though she’s an old-fashioned romantic at heart. LOVE ISLAND is a sensational reality series that’s in the midst of its second sexy season on CTV, with a quarantined cast at a Las Vegas boutique hotel. Vandenberg took a few moments from her responsibilities to dish on a wide variety of topics, from rom-com dreams, to the kindness she was shown by another TV host: Q: This season LOVE ISLAND has taken everyone’s thirst for human connection during a pandemic, and set it in an enclosed space, which the world is also dealing with, so it’s relevant on multiple levels. ARIELLE VANDENBERG: “These people can actually interact and have some PDA! And what’s unique is that this show has not been sitting on the shelf. It is happening right now. What we shoot on Monday, you see on Tuesday. We provide fresh content practically every night. I love people-watching, so this is my dream show, not only to be the host of, but also to be a viewer of. I bet there are a lot of people watching who wish they were here doing this.” Q: Is LOVE ISLAND essentially a study in self-control? ARIELLE VANDENBERG: “Oh, interesting – I never thought about it like that. On LOVE ISLAND, you could be coupled up with somebody, but then somebody else will walk through the door, and you’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ But I feel like that’s what dating is for, to find out what you like, and what type of person you ultimately want to be with. This is the show for that. It’s next-level speed dating.” Q: Is dating harder than it used to be? Is that part of the appeal? ARIELLE VANDENBERG: “Well, to be honest with you, in my personal life, I’m so old school. Before I got engaged, I was always wanting to meet somebody at the grocery store or the book store, you know what I mean? Like, I bump into someone and my books fly everywhere, and then they pick up my books for me. But I feel like that doesn’t happen anymore. It’s so sad. Everyone’s just on their phones. But it’s also beautiful, because in the blink of an eye you can meet people in a different country, through social media. That’s cool, but it’s also hard if you have an old soul, like I do. For me, I didn’t realize until I was actually in my relationship that I have a rom-com relationship! I’m getting married to my best friend. I’ve been best friends with my fiancé for 12 years, and we started dating three years ago. I’m getting the guy that everyone said I was supposed to be with, and for so long I was like, ‘No, no, no, we’re just friends.’ ” Q: How are you a different host in Season 2 than you were in Season 1? And did you take any cues from the original host of LOVE ISLAND UK, the late Caroline Flack? ARIELLE VANDENBERG: “That’s a great question. The more you do something, the more confident you become. Hosting forces you to learn what your strengths are and how to let those things rise to the top, and also what you need to work on. I was able to learn from going back and watching Season 1. And yes, I was, and am, such a huge fan of LOVE ISLAND UK, and Caroline. She made me feel so comfortable. When I first got the job, she was such a beautiful soul to me. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you are going to be so fantastic.’ She said, ‘If you’re ever nervous, reach out to me.’ She was such a huge champion of mine, totally in my corner. And it was just … yeah … ” (Vandenberg gets emotional and pauses) Q: What a nice memory to have. ARIELLE VANDENBERG: “Coming into something like this can be very nerve-racking, when someone else has done it for years and years. For her to be so kind to me, and so accepting of me, as someone coming in and doing this job overseas, she accepted me in a way that was just so sweet. I am so sad that I never got to meet her in person, but we talked a lot on Instagram, and became friends online. Which goes back to what we were talking about in the beginning, full circle, being able to connect with people from wherever. But I was so lucky to get to ‘kind of’ meet her, and what a wonderful person.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv