String bikinis? Check. Extra sunscreen? Check. Walls of cameras so millions of Americans can watch their spicy summer adventures in real time? Check. Love Island United Stateswhere contestants kiss, hook up and fight while lounging in bathing suits in a neon-colored villa, is currently approaching the “climax” of its eighth season. The biggest bombshell of this summer? He Love Island United States app, where viewer engagement levels are so high that it crashed during the first vote.

Fans of the real-time dating show enjoy controlling the action through their in-app votes, helping decide who gets paired up and who gets dumped. Fan voting is done about five times during each season. Voting allows users to choose their favorite couple, which exiled cast members they think should return, and finally vote for which island couple should win the popularity contest and $100,000. Earlier this season, for example, the duos who received the fewest “favorite couple” votes from viewers were in the crosshairs to be kicked off the show.

While the app’s primary use is voting, users can also scroll through an Instagram-like feed of video clips, photo shoots, and polls. And, of course, the Love Island United States The app includes shopping links so avid viewers can get their hands on some products.

He Love Island United States The app now has more than 10 million unique users, the show’s producers told WIRED. Since this season premiered in June, it has reached the number one spot in the Entertainment category of the iOS App Store nine times, a category it shares with giants like Netflix and TikTok, according to the app analysis company Apptopia.

Courtesy of Reece Rodgers

Love Island United States Producers see the app as a critical component in keeping fans engaged, whether through official voting or other polls. “More than anything, it reassures us how passionate these fans are and how eager they are to make their voices heard,” says executive producer Bernie Schaeffer. “I mean, say what you want about this statistic, but we have more people voting in the Love Island United States application than what we do in many political elections that take place across the country.”

Fans of love island They have to be glued to their TV screens constantly if they want all the juicy details before casting a vote that could impact their favorite couples, since the main show airs five times a week and the voting windows are only open for a few hours. “The show moves quickly, and within hours of the public casting their vote, we’re already revealing and filming those results with the cast,” Schaeffer says.

The team has a roadmap before the start of each season, in terms of fan voting moments. Still, they’re always ready to change and develop that plan based on the resulting drama, as well as how fans react on social media.