Love Island Australia Season 3 - Here's What We Can Tell Fans So Far

"Love Island Australia" brings a group of singles from the land down under together in a luxurious villa, where their search for lasting love, hot hookups, and cold hard cash is occasionally interrupted by wacky, wet-and-wild challenges like "Dunk in Love." Coupling up is a must for survival on the reality series, and the islanders have to worry about being sent packing if their ability to keep viewers entertained is found lacking.

The first installation of the "Love Island" franchise featured contestants from the UK, and it proved to be so popular that ITV Entertainment produced an American spinoff as well. The latter's first season was shot in Fiji, which is also where the Aussie islanders found themselves during Season 2. In addition to getting a free vacation, the contestants have a shot at winning a $50,000 cash prize. It's a big incentive for islanders to extend their stay in paradise until the end, as they don't receive a large paycheck simply for being there. Sam Withers wasn't as salty as a vegemite sandwich when he was the first islander kicked off during Season 2, but he did spill a little billy tea about his compensation for his time. "If you're in it for the money, you're doing something wrong," he told the Hit Network.

Sam's revelation didn't stop singles from signing on for Season 3 of "Love Island Australia," and you can learn everything you need to know about it below.

The second season of "Love Island Australia" premiered on October 7, 2019 on the Australian television networks 9Now and Nine Network. American viewers can currently binge-watch the first two seasons on Hulu if they haven't already, while UK fans can catch up on ITV Hub (via Tech Radar).

As for the third season, it's been fraught with production problems. So Dramatic! reported that the show faced the prospect of being shut down after a member of the production crew tested positive for COVID-19 and exposed others to the virus. The crew was in Byron Bay at the time, and Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon did not take the COVID breach lightly. "I am looking into our options this morning to rescind Council approval for the Love Island production, from the same studios that brought I'm a Celebrity, and Covid, to the region," he wrote on Facebook.

The mayor got his wish, but according to The Sydney Morning Herald, filming resumed, anyway. This is because of a Local Government Filming Protocol law saying that councils cannot halt production on projects if "total filming activity is for fewer than 30 days per year." Season 3 of "Love Island Australia" was initially supposed to premiere on October 4 but had to be pushed back to October 11. The second season hit Hulu five months after it premiered, so viewers outside of Australia will likely have to wait a bit to watch Season 3.

The cast of the third season of "Love Island Australia" didn't have to go far to meet each other — it was filmed right in their own backyard. They resided in a mansion located in Federal, a village in Northern New South Wales. According to TV Tonight, Sophie Monk returned to host the reality series. Sophie is an Aussie entertainment icon whose impressive resume includes a career as a pop star, appearances in movies, and a victory on "The Celebrity Apprentice Australia." She also learned a lot about the world of reality dating shows when a large group of guys vied for her heart on Season 3 of "The Bachelorette Australia."

Radio host Eoghan McDermott served as the narrator for the first two seasons of "Love Island Australia," but he was replaced by Irish comedian Stephen Mullan for Season 3. Stephen told The Sydney Morning Herald that he didn't know a lot about the reality series when his agent urged him to audition for it, and he decided to give it a shot as "a bit of a laugh." 

As for the rest of the cast, it will be comprised of a group of "beautiful sexy singles," to quote Sophie's flute-playing mermaid featured in the season's "first look" video.

Mortgage broker Josh Packham split his cash prize with model Anna McEvoy after they became the last couple standing on Season 2 of "Love Island Australia." "I honestly can't believe it. I am speechless, and I am never speechless," Anna said of their victory.

The couple stayed together after the show ended and embarked on a new career as YouTube vloggers. However, their post-win bliss didn't last. In one video, they revealed that being stuck together during lockdown was testing their relationship. "We've definitely stepped on each other's toes too much," said Josh (via Hello!). In a now-deleted November 2020 Instagram post, Anna announced that they had decided to call it quits. "Please know we did everything we could to make it work," she wrote. She also admitted that she still loved Josh, which made their breakup especially difficult (via 9Now).

But just in time for "Love Island Australia" Season 3, Anna has found love again. During the September 27 episode of her "Where's Your Head At?" podcast, she revealed that she has a boyfriend. The lucky guy, Michael Staples, has also popped up on her Instagram page. "I feel like I'm beaming," Anna said of her new romance. As for Josh, he's been busy filming the renovation series "The Block" with his twin brother Luke. According to the Daily Mail, they were involved in a cheating scandal of the non-romantic variety.