Virgin Island experts hope gay men join for season 3: ‘We want everyone!’
Virgin Island experts Celeste Hirschman and Dr Danielle Harel (Image: Channel 4 / Rob Parfitt)
The experts behind Channel 4’s Virgin Island have said they want gay men to be cast if the show returns for a season 3, after the first two series did not feature them.
Appearing on the Spill With Will podcast, Dr Danielle Harel said: “I think one of the things you don’t see on Virgin Island yet – and we hope to see on season 3 – is gay men taking part in the show.”
Harel added: “We have a gay therapist waiting.” She also said: “We want brave virgin gay men to come to the island. Don’t hide, we have a safe place for you to come to.”
Fellow expert Celeste Hirschman said: “We thought we had a gay participant but it didn’t work out in the end. We want to bring everyone out to the island.”
A third season has not been confirmed, though potential participates were encouraged to apply for future seasons at the end of the second.
The show has reportedly done well for Channel 4, including record viewing among 16-to-34-year-olds for the first episode of season one in 2025, according to Radio Times. It also won the National Reality Television Award for Best Social Experiment Show in 2025.
What is Virgin Island?
Virgin Island first hit screens in May 2025, with series two launching in April 2026. The format follows adult virgins exploring intimacy and gaining confidence in themselves while living together on an island retreat in Croatia.
Series one featured participants aged between 22 and 30. For the second season, the ages ranged from 21, to 35-year-old Ellen, who PinkNews recently spoke to about her coming out journey.
LGBTQ+ inclusion in Virgin Island
Channel 4 has a long track record of commissioning provocative, conversation-driving factual entertainment and reality formats.
UK reality TV has increasingly foregrounded sex education and intimacy coaching, but representation often skews heterosexual unless explicitly designed otherwise.
The show has already included LGBTQ+ stories that connected with viewers, including Millie speaking about societal pressure, coming out and her family’s reaction to the show, and Joy believing she had to “convert” her gay friends due to her religious upbringing, until she realised she was queer too.
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