On a recent Monday night, spectators were packed into the small end of Emerson Biggins West to watch the San Antonio Spurs face off against the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Walk to the other side of the bar, though, and you’re surrounded by women. And they’re here to watch one thing: “Love Island USA.”
Last summer, many sports bars across the country, including Biggins, began holding “Love Island” watch parties. What seems like a normal sports bar transforms into an oasis for reality TV fans.
Emma Bingham, a bartender at Biggins who is helping run the event, said that the bar will always cater to sports fans, but it’s fun to host the watch parties for people like her and the other staff members.
“It's been awesome to have, because it's our crowd, it's our friends, it's girls our age, all the servers and the bartenders here,” Bingham said. “It's something that we love, and so that's really nice to have all these people coming in that we get to have fun with, too. Not that we don't have fun watching sports, we do, but not as much fun.”
The dating reality show “Love Island” began in the UK and started making a big splash in the U.S. a few years ago. Contestants travel to Fiji, where they couple up, bed down, flirt, step on some toes and romance their way to $100,000.
Along the way, America votes on their favorite couples and islanders as they watch nearly every day for a month and a half. Watching at Biggins, Nicola and Mia weigh in on their favorite islanders from this season.
“I think it’s really good,” Nicola said.
“I'm really sad that Shawn went home, but I think my favorite is Kenzie,” Mia said.
“I like Kenzie, too,” Nicola chimed in.
For the watch party, Biggins offers menu specials and prizes. Stay long enough, and you might be able to catch a free shot. The bar has also partnered with One Life Spirits to come up with themed drinks.
Erick Zayas, a rep with One Life Spirits, said he gets some enjoyment out of it too.
“I think it's the exact same thing as watching sports,” Zayas said. “I'll bring out my girlfriend to the [NBA] Finals, a Stanley Cup, if it's the World Series, the Super Bowl, whatever it is, she's always there for UFC fights, whatever the case may be. So, something like this, where she pretends to like sports, I don't have to pretend to love ‘Love Island.’”
“Love Island” fan Bella Cabrera, who was at Biggins with her friends to experience the watch party for the first time, said she’s happy to see the sports bar get transformed into something that caters to her interests.
“I think it's really cool that they have like almost every space in here turned on to the TV show, and just like one small section of the bar for the final NBA game and stuff like that,” Cabrera said.
“I think it's really interesting that things are taking a turn towards what women want in society instead of dominating in sports and stuff like that. I think it's really fun, just like how the group of people here are just here to watch a silly, stupid little TV show.”
Emerson Biggins West will be hosting Love Island watch parties every Monday at 8 p.m. throughout the summer.
