‘Baseless Allegations': 'Love Island' Producers Fire Back at Lawsuit Accusing Crew of Watching Cast Shower, Sabotaging Black Contestant

The defendants claim the ex-producers worked “briefly” on season four of Love Island.

“Dissatisfied with their quick terminations from the show, Plaintiffs conjure up sweeping conclusions of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against five different companies, some of which do not even exist, and malign a variety of their innocent co-workers in the process,” their response read.

“Plaintiffs will not prevail on the merits on any of their claims. There are no facts – none – to establish that any Defendant engaged in discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. While Defendants do not address all of Plaintiffs’ baseless allegations here, quite simply, Plaintiffs’ terminations had nothing to do with their race, gender, or any protected activity,” the defendants wrote.

The producers and NBC are demanding the entire lawsuit be tossed.

As we first reported, Crestwell and Rinks accused the defendants of race and gender discrimination, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation, whistleblower retaliation, and wrongful termination.

Love Island is a reality dating show franchise that started in the UK and spawned an American spinoff in 2019.

The suit explained, “Contestants called “Islanders,” stay in a remote, purportedly lavish “villa” where they live under constant surveillance and compete for victory by successfully “coupling up.” Islanders earn privileges by participating in risqué challenges.”

Crestwell and Rinks said while Love Island was a huge hit in the UK, the show struggled to connect with viewers while on CBS. The show was then moved to Peacock for its fourth and fifth seasons. The ex-producers said a bunch of UK producers were hired to spice up the show after it moved to a new network.

In the suit, Crestwell and Rinks claimed the UK producers had a long history of racism and abusive practices. They said they were both “immediately grew concerned by the show’s labor practices.”

Rinks said she companied about alleged unsafe and unsanitary conditions in one of the “villas” which she claimed was “in reality, a ramshackle, dilapidated ranch with inadequate plumbing and inoperable bathrooms.”

“The villa was also unsanitary. Islanders generally were restricted to specific portable toilets connected to their rooms. These toilets were rarely cleaned and often broken and unusable. Showers in the villa’s bathrooms were clogged and overflowing,” the suit read.

“Ms. Crestwell observed that the UK show’s pattern of mistreatment towards contestants of color continued into Season 4. From the first day of filming, Bush took steps to prevent Islander Sereniti Springs, a Black woman, from making connections with male cast members. Bush instructed all Producers on an internal walkie system, “don’t let Sereniti talk to any men.” That night, Bush sent a list of “couples” who had spoken on Day 1 to inform the following day’s production choices: Ms. Springs was the only Islander not on the list,” the suit read.

The suit also claimed certain producers had watched the contestants shower despite being told not to.

“The entire villa was equipped with cameras and Islanders were filmed 24 hours a day, even while showering, and producers had access to a video feed. While producers were instructed not to watch this footage, certain producers disregarded this instruction and not only watched this intimate footage but discussed it openly on set, including by making disparaging comments about female contestants’ bodies,” the suit alleged.

The ex-producers said they were terminated after raising their complaints. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.