
As a passionate moviegoer, I must admit that I wasn’t fully prepared for the explosive turn of events in season seven. Craving a shared cultural experience amidst our fragmented media landscape and weary from grim realities, we sought solace in the villa. However, instead of providing an escape, the season served as a stark reminder of the elusiveness of such an escape:
Before the season even premiered, there were murmurs among fans about a potential issue. It was discovered that one of the islanders had shared problematic TikToks containing racist, transphobic, and pro-Trump content. This raised serious concerns given that most of his fellow cast members identified as non-white.
Just two days into filming, another contestant was removed from the show after it was uncovered that she had used the N-word on a podcast.
These incidents made it clear that no matter where we turn, we can’t entirely escape the challenges and complexities of our world.