Fans of The Island of Love can find their favorite islanders in The Island of Love: One Last Adventure, a travel show by Evasion that allows some displaced people to visit a corner of paradise in the Dominican Republic in the company of tour guide Francisco Randez, a great traveler at heart.
The host was ecstatic at the time of the interview, when he was just hours away from flying into the hot Dominican sun. He didn’t know at the time who would be taking part in his show. It all depended on the contestants leaving the villa in Las Terrenas, where a lot of “drama” was unfolding in this twist-filled second season at TVA.
“We will select certain people – darlings of the public – with a good travel profile to give them one last adventure when they think they are going to the airport to return to Quebec. It’s special because we don’t know who’s going to come out. I’ll be waiting for each candidate in a jeep when they leave, and we’ll leave them and give them surprises throughout the day,” said Francisco Randez, who is also a columnist for this summer’s Sucré Salé.
We will be able to discover breathtaking landscapes, mouth-watering delicious dishes, learn more about the culture and the Dominicans. Merengue, surfing and yoga are certainly on the menu, and we’ll stop at the Salto Del Limón Waterfall, the Santo Domingo Capital Botanical Gardens and Playa Rincón, considered one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Santo Domingo in the world.
Naadei Lyonnais, who will host the flame ceremonies for The Island of Love, and friendly daily narrator Mehdi Bousaidan will also be joining the Evasion travel show. “I take them on a ‘road trip’ to show them corners of the Dominican Republic that they don’t know,” said Francisco Randez.
The host loves doing travel shows because the team needs to be flexible, with last-minute adjustments being – almost – as numerous as The Island of Love, exactly. And he gets his hands dirty, because with small film crews, even animators have to carry equipment.
Even Francisco Randez, who has traveled to many corners of the world, refuses to label the Dominican Republic as a dangerous country. He says the danger is everywhere, including in Montreal, where gunshots can be heard too often, even in residential areas notoriously quiet.
The show “The Island of Love: One Last Adventure” will air every Friday at 9 p.m. on Evasion starting June 3.