Where Is Stranded On Honeymoon Island Filmed & Is It Scripted? All Your Burning Questions, Answered

Stranded On Honeymoon Island is the latest reality TV show to fill the gap left by MAFS and Farmer Wants A Wife, and it’s shaping up to be quite dramatic. The premise is simple: 12 singles are dropped onto a remote island where they marry a complete stranger, and then live with them for three weeks. What could possibly go wrong in this totally normal situation? 

Well, we’ve already seen bride Amy Dickinson label her husband Mike Dawes as “misogynistic”, and it looks like one of the contestants could have a relationship on the outside. Teasers for the season show plenty of tears, fights and MAFS-style dinner parties on the beach. 

With all the drama happening on screen, it got us wondering about what happens behind the scenes. Do contestants have to forage for their own food? Where do they sleep, and are they encouraged to have sex on Stranded On Honeymoon Island? And of course, are contestants allowed to bring makeup or clothes for the filming duration? Refinery29 Australia spoke to contestants Amy Dickinson and Jess Matthews to get all the answers to your burning Stranded On Honeymoon Island questions.

Stranded On Honeymoon Island was filmed in 2023 across the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.

The clothes the Stranded On Honeymoon Island contestants arrive in are the only outfits they’re allowed to wear for the entire three-week duration. Production provided a “few extra pairs of underwear” on arrival.

“White lace and tulle doesn’t last long in an ocean setting so we had to get creative and make our ‘fits,” Jess says. “I suspected I wouldn’t be given a suitcase of clothing, so I wore three g-strings and a pair of underwear under my wedding dress — hot!”

Possibly! Production provided condoms, plus all contestants were required to undergo medical checks prior to filming. “Condoms were provided… but whether I, or any of the other couples [had sex]... you’ll just have to wait and find out,” Amy teases.

“If you’ve ever tried to have sex on a beach, you’ll understand that sand alone is contraception,” Jess adds cheekily. “Jokes aside, yes, condoms were provided, and it was a very pro-safe sex environment.”

While the island is idyllic and gives off a honeymoon aesthetic, the contestants didn’t exactly have five-star accommodation. Each couple is given a bed inside a shelter with a roof but no walls, so like on Survivor, they have to deal with wind, bugs, and rain. 

“We had a double bed we had to share, which wasn’t ideal for the couples who weren’t feeling the spark. The shelter had a roof but no walls, so privacy wasn’t a luxury we had either,” Amy reveals. 

Stranded On Honeymoon Island contestants aren’t allowed to bring or wear any makeup for the 21 days they’re stuck on the island. Jess says it meant the women had to “rely on the sun and salt water to reveal natural beauty”, and their “vulnerabilities” were exposed. However, they do have access to some required toiletries, such as toothpaste and sunblock.

“Makeup was not a luxury we had, it was rough. We had a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. That was pretty much it. I ended up using my own hair to floss my teeth,” Amy tells us. “We didn’t even have a hairbrush, so my hair was in full-blown dreadlocks by day three.”

The Stranded On Honeymoon Island couples are provided with rice, pasta and vegetables. It doesn’t sound very gourmet, but at least they didn’t have to hunt or forage. “We had basic food rations but no utensils or plates. This forced us to be really resourceful with what we found on the beach. We used shells as spoons, and I cut veggies with a machete — it’s harder than it sounds,” Jess says. 

Couples are required to go completely no-contact with the outside world for three weeks. It sounds like a nice detox, actually. Jess tells us she didn’t hold her phone for almost an entire month, and the contestants never knew what time or day it was. 

“We got used to judging [the time] by the sun and moon. Very National Geographic of us,” Jess jokes.

Reality TV doesn’t always seem authentic, but Jess swears nothing on Stranded On Honeymoon Island is scripted. “The experience is designed to make you feel things in a big way. Exposure to the elements with a complete stranger and your heart on the line means incredibly raw reactions,” Jess explains. “The added curve ball of zero distractions heightens any feelings of anxiety or insecurities. On the island, I cried at things I would not even blink at in my real life.” 

Stranded On Honeymoon Island is our current reality TV obsession, but will it be able to create as many successful couples as Farmer Wants A Wife? Judging from the drama-filled previews, it seems this show might be more about entertainment than finding love.