by Thinus Ferreira
M-Net's controversial vineyard-set Love Island SA has turned into Pain Island SA with several parody accounts that have sprung up mocking the badly-produced show while viewers have now turned to hate-watching the reality series that on Tuesday night once again suffered from technical problems and mistakes in its third episode including what sounded like farm tractor noise.
While MultiChoice has failed to place any Love Island SA episodes on DStv Catch Up except for episode 2 that was briefly loaded on Tuesday morning and yanked by Tuesday afternoon, the severely botched first episode is now widely circulating and being shared online by viewers beyond MultiChoice's control.
Parody accounts have also sprung up on social media ranging from Love Island SA Memes and Love Island SA Needs Help on Instagram, to Pain Island SA on Twitter, while viewers have turned to hate-watching the series on M-Net (Dstv 101).
Following the barrage of public criticism over the show's lack of cast diversity and low production values and problems, LottoStar - presumably partly responsible for the show's R1 million and other prizes - on Tuesday afternoon withdrew as the main sponsor of the excoriated Love Island South Africa on M-Net, plunging the show that is already in full crisis mode into further turmoil.
MultiChoice decided to stay tight-lipped about LottoStar's exit and haven't responded to the media's enquiries about it.
Meanwhile MultiChoice and its PR company Aprio continue to rebuff interview requests to talk to M-Net executives and Rapid Blue producers for them to explain what the cause of the various persisting issues are around the local adaptation of the ITV Studios reality format show.
There's also been no virtual press conference for the pay-TV broadcaster to take questions and to explain to the public and DStv subscribers why things went wrong, or any statements from Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Group CEO for general entertainment and connected video; M-Net CEO Nkateko Mabaso; M-Net director Jan du Plessis; or Kaye-Ann Williams as M-Net's head of local productions.
At Rapid Blue, as the production company also responsible for The Bachelorette SA on M-Net, Love Island SA is overseen by executive producers Adi de Lancey and Duncan Irvine, series producer Abigail Clark, series director Nadia White, and Kim Thwaites as head of production.
Tuesday night's episode 3 of Love Island SA set in the middle of a vineyard, abruptly ended 8 minutes short and continued to be marred by technical problems and mistakes as well as what sounded like farm tractor noise in the background.
Viewers complained about the bad sound and lagging sound, missing scenes, bad, blurry and out-of-focus camera work, bad editing, the sudden disappearance of the contestant Sarah who happened to be a white woman who was introduced and only seen in episode 2 on Monday, scenes shown out of chronological order, as well as the contestants talking about events never shown.
Viewers also called a sneak peek at new contestants the introduction of the "emergency blacks" with Tuesday's episode that teased the introduction of a black man and a black woman within days.
