Ariana Madix Scores Her First Emmy Nomination as Love Island USA's Host
Love Island USA's beloved host has lots to celebrate in Fiji!
Key Takeaways
- Ariana Madix received her first Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program category for hosting Love Island USA.
- Madix, who has hosted Love Island USA since Season 6, said she still gets emotionally invested in the Islanders’ drama and is often surprised by the final couples.
- Fans have embraced Madix’s hosting style and standout Villa fashion, with the host revealing she packs around 20 outfits plus backup looks for filming in Fiji.
We got a text! Ariana Madix can officially add another accolade to her glittering resume as she's received her first Emmy nomination for hosting Love Island USA.
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Ariana Madix gets Emmy nod for Love Island USA
On July 8, the Vanderpump Rules alum and Broadway star, who's currently in Fiji filming the final episodes of Love Island USA Season 8, was named as a nominee in the Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program. Madix is nominated alongside Alan Cumming (The Traitors), RuPaul Charles (RuPaul's Drag Race), Kristen Kish (Top Chef), and Jeff Probst (Survivor).
Madix has been the host of Love Island USA since Season 6, a job she dreamed of having while simply watching episodes as a fan at home. In August 2025, Madix shared on Late Night with Seth Meyers that she could envision herself in the hosting role and finds herself just as shocked as the rest of us as the drama unfolds.
"There are moments when my heart is beating out of my chest," she told Seth Meyers. "Maybe it comes across like, you know, I know exactly how it's gonna go, maybe it seems a little chill, but I'm dying on the inside sometimes."
In an interview with Peacock Blog, Madix said hosting Love Island USA is "really fun" as she walks the Islanders through filming the wildly popular reality TV show. And while she's gotten a front row seat to all of the drama going down in the Villa for three seasons now, Madix shared that she's "always surprised by who ends up coupling up."
"Sometimes I think you can feel an energy between people that maybe you don't even see on camera but when you're there in person you can always kinda feel like, 'Oooh, there's some chemistry here,'" she explained.
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Beyond her own chemistry with Islanders — guiding them through recouplings, challenges, and delivering the always-shocking news of dumpings — Love Island USA fans can't get enough of Madix's Villa fashion, courtesy of her stylist Emily Men, and stunning hair transformations. Speaking to Peacock Blog, Madix revealed she usually packs around 20 or so outfits for filming. As she put it, "Things are always changing on a dime out there."
"You have all the outfits for the actual show, and we always know the top, big ones are gonna be the premiere, Casa Amor recoupling, and the finale. And then however many Aftersuns that I’m doing," Madix said of her Love Island USA wardrobe. "Then we have all of those outfits, and then of course, we have some backups or some wildcards in case they decide they want me to go in for a challenge or something changes, and all of a sudden, maybe I’m not feeling that anymore."
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How to watch the Love Island USA finale
As Madix celebrates her Emmy nomination in Fiji, Love Island USA Season 8 isn't done yet. New episodes of Love Island USA continue to stream every day, except Wednesdays, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on Peacock, until the Season 8 finale airs on Sunday, July 12, also at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET when we learn which couple has been crowned as this summer's winners.
