Random Facts About 'Love Island' British Reality Show (21 items)

• 

  (#1) It's Coming To America

  In August 2018, American company CBS snatched the US format rights to Love Island. 

  "Love Island has been a massive success overseas. It's currently seen, or about to premiere in several European countries as well as Australia, and we're thrilled that ITV has partnered with us to bring their most successful show to American television, CBS's head of alternative programming Sharon Vuong told Deadline. 
• 

  (#2) More People Applied For The Show Than For Admission To Oxford And Cambridge

  Every year, approximately 36,000 college hopefuls apply for admission to the UK's top universities, Oxford and Cambridge. Compare that to the 85,000 aspiring Islanders who apply to be on Love Island. The discrepancy in these numbers started a heated debate on social media, with many suggesting the higher Love Island totals are indicative of a serious social problem. "Think we need to make education more accessible for all if this is the aspiration of under-30s today," one Twitter user wrote.
• 

  (#3) The Show Brings On Contestants' Exes To Taunt Them

  One way the show stirs things up and attempts to throw the Islanders off their game is by bringing on the exes of some of the contestants. This twist was added during the fourth season of the show, which premiered in 2018. Since providing a comprehensive dating history is a prerequisite to being cast on Love Island, producers have access to all the dramatic details of Islanders' previous relationships. Of course, this move only brings more drama as the exes hold grudges, and are ready to exact some monumental payback.
• 

  (#4) Contestants Sometimes Get It On In Front Of Other Contestants

  It stands to reason if you're appearing on reality TV, you're probably not too concerned with intimacy and modesty in general. But in 2016, one couple took disregard of propriety to a whole other level. Islander couple Terry and Malin engaged in sexual activity in front of their housemates and the world. And not only did their housemates watch, but the other contestants actually cheered Terry and Malin on. It was a new high for the show — or a new low, depending on who you ask.
• 

  (#5) Some Of The Female Contestants Formed A "Dry Hump Society"

  Whether it was a strategic ploy or an attempt to maintain at least a modicum of decorum, a group of female Islanders formed a surprising abstinence alliance during the 2018 season of the show. They called themselves the Dry Hump Society. The club was purportedly a way for the ladies to have more control over the couplings and who did what with whom. As we all know, sex can quickly complicate things — but a vow of celibacy on a show like Love Island admittedly seems counter to the entire brand.
• 

  (#6) Both Winners Receive Envelopes, But Only One Has Cash In It

  At the end of the 2017 season, the winning couple Kem and Amber were each given the choice of two envelopes. One of the envelopes contained the £50,000 cash prize (about $66,000). The other envelope was empty. Kem ended up choosing the cash-filled envelope, and Amber was left with nothing.

  This sounds like a remarkably cruel way to treat one half of the winning duo, but, like everything else on Love Island, it's meant to elevate the drama and tension between supposed lovers. The winner who chooses the cash then has to decide if they want to split the prize with their partner. Fortunately for Amber, Kem did.
• 

  (#7) One Contestant's Father Was So Embarrassed By Her Behavior That He Had To Take A Leave Of Absence From Work

  Love Island is so popular, even contestants' families are being hounded by fans and the media. And, not surprisingly, some family members are downright embarrassed by how their loved ones are behaving on the show. Megan Barton Hanson, a contestant on the 2018 season, was one of the Island's most polarizing characters. Her father, an insurance broker, was reportedly so ashamed of his daughter's antics he took three weeks off of work until the season was over, and hopefully forgotten.

  "If he could have taken three months off, I’m pretty sure he would have," a friend of his told the Mirror. "He’s a serious businessman. He’s not coped well with the thought of the country ogling his daughter in the Love Island villa."
• 

  (#8) The Show Stirs Up Considerable Controversy

  Love Island isn't your grandmother's nightly TV viewing by any stretch of the imagination. The show has generated significant controversy for what is seen by many as a nonstop orgy of sex, sun, and shallow young people out of control. One columnist called out the exploitative nature of free-for-all sex, calling it "sneak p*rn." The shady game-playing, the bed-hopping contestants, and the cutthroat competition all in the name of a little cold, hard cash (and maybe a little tabloid fame) combine to make a show that has attracted the not-always-positive attention of the world.

  As the show made its way to a Australia for a version down-under, a psychologist slammed the UK version of Love Island, saying, “We have a huge problem in this country with sexism, we have a huge problem with domestic violence. I do not believe that this show — unless they have radically changed it — ...is helpful." But one thing is certain: if any publicity is good publicity, then Love Island's headline-making ways spell success.
• 

  (#9) Clocks And Watches Are Not Allowed In The Cast Villa

  To maintain tension and raise the stakes, the atmosphere on the Love Island set is purposefully kept as removed from the real world as is humanly possible. There are many ways producers accomplish this rarified air, including the removal of all clocks and timepieces from the villa. Kady McDermott, who came in third during Love Island's 2016 season, told Cosmopolitan:

  You don’t even know what time it is! You’re not allowed clocks... You don’t even know what day it is really. We started to figure out the time by where the sun was! If the smoking area was in the shade when we woke up, we knew it was before 7 AM, so we started figuring out timings. But the days were very long, and the producers never let us sleep in past 9:30 AM [because] that wasn’t entertaining.
• 

  (#10) One Contestant Didn't Know What Brexit Was

  These aren't exactly Rhodes Scholars populating the Love Island villa. Hayley Hughes, a 2018 Islander, confessed to her housemates that she didn't know what Brexit was. Another contestant attempted to explain the concept to her, but Hughes was clearly confused. "So does that mean we won't have any trees?" she asked, baffled. Fans raked Hughes over the coals on social media, with many claiming her ignorance was just an act designed to get attention.
• 

  (#11) It Has Allegedly Led To A Decline In Chest Hair

  One can bemoan the lack of civility on Love Island, the lack of propriety, the lack of tastefulness. But among its greatest "tragedies" may in fact be the idea that the show has led to a decline in chest hair. Turn on Love Island at any point in any show, and you will likely see a shirtless male with nary a hint of body hair. They've been shaved, plucked, tweezed, and waxed to within an inch of their lives. Many fans seem to be following suit: gone are the days of bushy Playgirl models and Cosmo centerfold Burt Reynolds in all his resplendently furry glory. Love Island is ushering in an age of totally hairless men.
• 

  (#12) Politicians Weigh In On The Show

  Love Island has even rocked the British government. Politicians have spoken out about the outrageousness of the show, and even who they want to win. Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn urged viewers to vote for Marcel Somerville during the 2017 season. Parliament member, Brexit ringleader, and Trump BFF Nigel Farage said he wanted to be a contestant on Love Island. Lord Mike Storey criticized all the smoking that's done on the show. From every angle, Love Island invites strong viewer reaction.
• 

  (#13) Condoms Are In Endless Supply

  EXCLUSIVE @carolineflack1 reveals cheeky secrets of #LoveIsland villa - including piles of branded condoms - in tour https://t.co/l6tZ9dZ6kC pic.twitter.com/xdGFIjwA00

  — Dan Wootton (@danwootton) June 2, 2017

   

  With sex as free-flowing as cigarettes on Love Island, it should come as no surprise that condoms are available in endless supply wherever you turn on the villa's property. In typical 21st century consumerist fashion, the rubbers are branded with the Love Island logo. Contestants are provided with the option of STD testing before filming begins, and many have agreed to it. The show offers post-sex counseling as well.
• 

  (#14) There Are Cameras In The Bathrooms

  The cameras on Love Island are quite literally everywhere in the villa, ensuring every angle of debauchery is captured for the viewing audience. Even the bathroom is outfitted with cameras, though these are reportedly not monitored. The show says that the loo cams are only for "health and safety" purposes (huh?).
• 

  (#15) One Contestant Had To Publicly Prove His Age

  Adam Collard, a villain of the 2018 season of Love Island, had fans up in arms. Yes, they talked about his duplicitous game-playing and, of course, his rock-hard abs. But they were most concerned about his claims of being 22 years old. Many were convinced he must be older. But Collard showed the Daily Mail his birth certificate, and his birth year is indeed 1995, making him 22 in 2018.
• 

  (#16) Contestants Are Given Cell Phones With Extremely Limited Capabilities

  Islanders are issued cell phones for their stay on Love Island. But these aren't your average phones, considering the show is only interested in fostering relationships between the contestants, not between the contestants and anyone in the outside world. The phones allow users to only contact one another, get in touch with producers, and receive text alerts regarding things happening in the villa. The phones are also equipped with cameras, so contestants can take selfies or document their time on the island.
• 

  (#17) The Villa Is Insanely Lavish, And You Can Stay There When The Show's Not Filming

  The 2018 season of Love Island was filmed in a villa on the Spanish isle of Majorca. Yes, there is one big shared bedroom, but the other amenities more than make up for it. There's a ginormous hot tub, pool, and gym. There is an al-fresco bar, firepit, and fully-stocked kitchen. The poolside area is set up with loungers and conversation areas to facilitate connection among the Islanders. When the show isn't in production, you can book a stay at the villa, but it won't come cheap. 2018 prices start at £3,000 per week (nearly $4,000).
• 

  (#18) One Ousted Contestant Claims The Place Is Dirty And Rat-Infested

  Despite the apparent lavishness of the villa, one ejected contestant has been vocal about the alleged real condition of the property. The unnamed castoff from the 2018 season has said that the place is dirty and infested with rats. They told the Sun Online:

  There are ants all over the kitchen crawling all over food — trails of them are going towards the bread and fruit. The nastiest thing is rats. Some people don't care, but others found it really horrible. If they bothered cleaning up after themselves it wouldn't be going on. It's filthy.

  The show says that it does "go in to periodically clean the villa," but "housemates are encouraged to clean up after themselves."
• 

  (#19) There's Some Push To Have More LGBTQ+ Representation On The Show

  Since Love Island returned to the airwaves in 2015 after its original two-season run in 2005, the world has changed a lot, especially in regard to LGBTQ+ rights. Fans of the show have encouraged producers to include more non-hetero representation on the island. At one point, one of the show's producers expressed that he wanted to explore the idea of a gay version. It didn't take long for an executive from ITV, the channel that airs Love Island, to quash the notion.

  "The format doesn't really allow it. If you're familiar with the program, it's about coupling and recoupling," Paul Mortimer said. "To complicate it with same-sex relationships is to take something away from the format."

  Though there have been bisexual Islanders in the past, they haven't been involved in same-sex relationships on the show. Sounds like that's as close as Love Island is going to get to same-sex love for the foreseeable future.
• 

  (#20) The Cast Is Totally Sequestered On The Island

  When you're cast as a contestant on Love Island, you are sequestered on the villa property for the length of your stay. That means no outside contact, no news of the outside world, and no connection to your "normal" life off the island. This is a way to maintain the integrity of the game and keep everyone neck-deep in the drama that is happening around them. Naturally, a miniature society forms within the villa's walls, which makes for excellent TV.
• 

  (#21) There Are 69 Cameras On The Island

  Reportedly, the Love Island Australia set features 69 cameras. Because… of course. There can only be one reason for this.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking