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

• 

  (#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.
• 

  (#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.
• 

  (#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."
• 

  (#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.
• 

  (#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.
• 

  (#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.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking