Love Island facing lawsuit for ‘mistreatment’ of contestants and staff-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

Love Island USA facing a lawsuit (Picture: PA)

A lawsuit has been filed against Love Island USA producers ITV and NBCUniversal.

The claims being made against the show are said to include mistreatment of contestants, and bad working conditions during the fourth series of the reality dating show.

Former villa producers, Jasmine Crestwell and Alex Rinks, allege that UK production staff was brought over to increase ratings to detrimental effect.

In papers obtained by People, they also claim the UK crew members had a history of ‘racism and abusive practices’ which led to mental health issues for some islanders.

They claim Sereniti Springs – one of the few Black women on the show – was treated differently and sabotaged.

The filing adds that the producers ‘pressured female Islanders to engage in sexual relationships without regard for their personal preferences or genuine consent,’ and ‘were flippant with the concept of sexual consent’.

Crestwell and Rinks claim a contestant was sabotaged (Picture: Casey Durkin/Peacock)

They also claim that some producers ‘openly commented on video feeds of female Islanders showering and having sex, creating a deeply uncomfortable work environment for women on set’.

The working environment was also criticised, with the villa being described as a ‘ramshackle, dilapidated ranch with inadequate plumbing and inoperable bathrooms’.

Crestwell and Rinks allege they were unfairly dismissed after raising their concerns.

ITV America has denied allegations (Picture: Peacock)

ITV America denied the claims in a statement to Metro.co.uk: ‘This is a frivolous attack at an opportunistic moment, timed to the Season 5 debut, made by two former employees who were terminated for cause, purely in relation to their job performance.

‘These characterisations are false. Love Island USA’s commitment to diversity and proven track record speaks for itself.

‘We categorically deny the allegations and look forward to defending against these claims in a court of law.’

Love Island USA began in 2018, and is one of 22 versions that have been produced worldwide following the original UK version.

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