HBO Max Just Canceled Its Best Reality Series
This article is more than 2 years old
HBO Max has scrapped FBoy Island after just two seasons. Hosted by Nikki Glaser, the reality show follows three women as they try to identify 24 men as womanizers or nice guys who want a serious relationship. When FBoys were eliminated, they were condemned to a sparse shelter, while nice guys who didn’t make the cut were given luxury accommodations and lavish meals.
FBoy Island is the latest show to be axed at HBO Max following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. It joins other scrapped projects like Made for Love, Raised by Wolves, Gordita Chronicles, and the Batgirl movie. According to Variety, no unscripted series have been renewed since the merger since Discovery came with its own prolific slate of similar reality shows.
As a result, various series in production at Warner Bros created redundancies incompatible with David Zaslav’s cost-cutting strategy. The CEO has repeatedly emphasized his goal of saving $3 billion over the next three years. Along with FBoy Island, HBO Max’s unscripted line-up includes shows like Selena + Chef, Legendary, The Big Brunch, Sweet Life: Los Angeles, and Kraftopia.
But it was up to Nikki Glaser, FBoy Island would continue for years. “I will do the show for the rest of my life,” the reality show host told Newsweek. She added that working on the series is the best job she’s ever had. “It’s just living on an island, getting to watch a reality show from the sidelines, and not having the stresses of being on it,” she told the publication.
Glaser also described her average workday saying she spent her time hanging out at a beach waiting to interview contestants after a date. “I mean, it’s the dream job, I don’t have to do anything,” she said of her time on FBoy Island. The host said she also befriended contestants to make sure that everyone on set, and everyone participating was having a good time. The series debuted on the streamer in July 2021.
It was the biggest premiere of any original reality series since the streamer’s launch. FBoy Island was also the noisiest of commissions for the company, which does not release streaming data, Deadline reports. The contestants for the first season were CJ Franco, a 30-year-old content creator from Los Angeles, Sarah Emig, a 25-year-old social media manager from Chicago, and Nakia Renee, a 28-year-old stylist also from Los Angeles.
It was renewed for a second season, which premiered in July 2022. For the second outing of FBoy Island, the contestants included Mia Emani Jones, a 26-year-old dental student from Tampa, FL, Louise Barnard, a 25-year-old model from Michigan, and Tamaris Sepulveda, a 29-year-old account executive from The Bronx.
Due to controversy that arose after the first season finale, when the prize money Garrett Morosky chose over a relationship with Sarah Emig was given to charity, Nikki Glaser said if a similar situation arose, the suitor would be allowed to keep the cash. Meanwhile, STX Alternative, the company behind FBoy Island, has been in talks with other networks and platforms about the show.
