Love Island 2024: Five biggest talking points after new series launch
Series is set to be ITV’s biggest yet
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Cue the romance, drama, gravity-defying bikinis and fire pit chats – Love Island has officially returned to our screens for the summer.
Hosted by Maya Jama, the popular ITV2 show follows a brand new group of singletons as they lounge in the brighter-than-ever and newly revamped Mallorcan villa, to find love, compete to get the public’s vote and win a £50,000 prize in the process.
The 12 new contestants for the eleventh series have been revealed, ranging from self-described Welsh “pocket rockets” to Scouse queens. They include Harriet Blackmore, 24, Sean Stone, 24, Ayo Odukoya, 25 and Patsy Field, 29, who is keen to raise awareness for Erb’s palsy, a condition which affects the nerves in her arm.
As of episode one (Monday 3 June), the first couples have been announced after a surprise game which ruffled feathers and saw Islanders rank each other from most boyfriend and girlfriend material to least.
And, a shock bombshell entrance floored Islanders, as reality TV royalty Joey Essex entered the villa.
Find all the talking points from the Love Island season 11 launch show below. Read our review of the first episode here.
1. Joey Essex enters the villa
In a shock to viewers at home and Islanders in the villa, The Only Way is Essex star Joey Essex entered the show at the last moments of episode one.
Despite being a veteran on our TV screens, Joey walked in declaring that he’s looking for a queen to help rule Essex with him... and judging by the grins on the girls’ faces as he entered, he might just find her during his stint on the Island.
2. Feathers were ruffled in a brand game that gave us our first couples
In a first for the show, our new contestants were not paired up through their own choice or through a public vote. They were instead forced to rank each other based on who they felt was the most boyfriend and girlfriend material and who they felt was the least.
A mullet and tattoos went against 23-year-old hairdresser Sam Taylor, while 31-year-old surveyor Ciaran found himself at the bottom of the pile because the girls thought he was cagey when talking about his previous relationships.
Meanwhile Sam was judged for her “partying” and Harriet for coming out of a relationship four months ago as the girls found themselves at the bottom. Meanwhile Mimii came out on top and Nicole was considered “wifey” because she was... Welsh.
What better way to start a fiery summer of love than with a spicy twist? ❤️🔥
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 3, 2024
The Islanders' rankings of each other mean your first Couples of #LoveIsland Series 11 are… pic.twitter.com/Njt2TkuZiD
3. Patsy says she shares a bed with her mum
Patsy revealed an intriguing fact to her partner, Ayo – at home, she shares a bed with her mum. According to the 29-year-old office administrator, she has been tucked in with her mother since moving back home in December.
Unsurprisingly, the mother-daughter sleeping situation has not been conducive to romance – but maybe they can figure out a time-share situation if Patsy leaves the island with a new love interest...
4. Samantha divided fans as she compared herself to Abbey Clancy
Scouse queen Samantha is a 26-year-old make-up artist who says she’s often told she looks like model Abbey Clancy. Fans were divided as some said “Is Samantha like Abbey Clancy‘s long lost daughter or her doppelganger or what?”
Another added: “I just shouted at the TV, she looks like Abbey Clancy and she’s just said it.”
Others disagreed as they felt the similarity was only visible with a “squint”.
5. The newly revamped villa is hurting people’s eyes
ITV have invested a lot into the colour and decor of the new Miami-inspired villa in Majorca. They’ve made this year’s home for the housemates brighter than ever before. But for some it was a bit too bright.
“The love island villa is not it this year. It’s so bright for what? Why is the dressing room BRIGHT ORANGE.. like seriously what was the need?” said one person on X/Twitter.
Love Island launched on Monday (3 June) at 9pm, and for the first time in the network’s history, the first episode aired simultaneously on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX. It will continue on ITV2 and ITVX thereafter.
Half an hour in and social media appears to have picked some early favourites already
Patsy and Mimii appear to have made an impression on viewers already. Will their predictions ring true?
We don’t need 6 weeks, Mimii has already won #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/NJhJSaOP8H
— josh (@northbankjosh) June 3, 2024
Patsy… yeah I’m definitely seeing something 😍😍#loveIsland
— nimi 🫶🏽 (@nimisinterlude) June 3, 2024
Maya Jama has stirred things up in a new game
Islanders have to rate who they think is most boyfriend material to least.
The boys will have to do the same for girlfriend material soon.
Sam’s tattoos and mullet may be going against him in this game...
Results are in - The Islanders have decided who they think is the most boyfriend material
The girls have decided based on their first impressions, the most boyfriend material to least are as follows:
1. Munveer
2. Sean
3. Ronnie
4. Ayo
5. Sam
6. Ciaran
Ciaran’s caginess about previous relationships has made the girls suspicious as they ask, what has he got to hide?
Girlfriend material results are in!
Feathers have been ruffled as some of the girls are judged for their “partying” and others are deemed “wifey” because they’re... Welsh?
The results are as follows...
1. Mimii
2. Nicole
3. Jess
4. Patsy
5. Sam
6. Harriet
Patsy is offended for being considered “average” while Harriet thinks being judged for a split from her ex 4 months ago is unfair.
Our first couples are...
1. Mimii and Munveer
2. Nicole and Sean
3. Jess and Ronnie
4. Patsy and Ayo
5. Samantha and Sam
6. Harriet and Ciaran
Harriet’s accent appears to be causing a stir...
Me whenever i hear harriets accent#loveIsland pic.twitter.com/wNRjE3mwCT
— Hollie (@Hollie19945451) June 3, 2024
me every time harriet speaks #loveisland pic.twitter.com/Y0I7FxMYAc
— shauna (@wednesdaysadums) June 3, 2024
Ex-Islander Andrew Le Page has spilled some alleged tea about new Islander Harriet
Andrew Le Page made it to the final two of season 8 of Love Island with his now girlfriend Tasha Ghouri. He’s best known for his seminal line, “I licked her t** or whatever...”
He has some thoughts on the gap between Harriet’s split from her ex, and her entrance into the villa.
One Islander shares a bed with her mum and it has X/Twitter talking...
Patsy, 29, has revealed she shares a bed with her mum, after she moved in with her and there wasn’t enough space for her to have her own room.
Hates mummy’s boys but shares a bed with her mum pls #loveisland pic.twitter.com/K5RhDX7Utg
— Chi Uzo (@_chiuzo) June 3, 2024
Not Patsy saying she shares a bed with her mum #loveIsland pic.twitter.com/0X99sOuqy0
— KN (@IfUAskMe_) June 3, 2024
Viewers are convinced new contestant Samantha Kenny has a celebrity doppleganger
Love Island fans think one of the new contestants looks like Abbey Clancy.
“Is Samantha like Abbey Clancy‘s long lost daughter or her doppelganger or what?” said one viewer.
Others disagreed as they said the similarity was only visible with a “squint”.
Joey Essex is this season’s first bombshell in shock twist that has left Islanders floored
Reality TV royalty Joey Essex has entered the villa in a shock twist that has left Islanders and viewers gobsmacked.
As Maya surprised the couples as they got to know each other she said: “It’s good to see you’re all settled in but as you know, you’re on Love Island. You must always expect the unexpected.”
And she didn’t disappoint.
The only way is… Essex 🔥 The #LoveIsland Villa just got a bit more ‘reem’ as Joey Essex has arrived to find his future wife ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/Xf0C9nFWNE
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 3, 2024
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