UK smash hit show Love Island has been entertaining audiences for almost two decades since way back in 2005. Originally, the series centered around celebrities who would jet out to a luxurious villa in hopes of finding true love. The series saw a huge change when it was revived in 2015 as regular members of the public were chosen as the show’s contestants. 7 years later and the show continues to prove a success amongst viewers worldwide as many tune in summer after summer to see fresh singletons enter the chaotic villa.
Many of the past Love Island contestants tend to go on to find great success after leaving the show. Some have truly found their soulmate in the villa whilst others have made huge career movements thanks to their appearance on the show. Regardless of whether they remain with their Love Island partners or not after their time on the show, it's safe to say that Love Island has truly changed the lives of many of its contestants. Whilst some brand the show as “fake”, others believe in the authenticity behind the program. In reality, this argument may not be as clear-cut as many believe. Whilst there are very real and unfiltered elements to the show, there’s also an entire side of Love Island that viewers don’t get to see in its hour-long episodes. So let’s take a look at some of the juiciest behind-the-scenes secrets from the Love Island villa.
8 'Love Island' Or McLove Island?
During a typical Love Island series run, audiences have become accustomed to seeing islanders go about their days as they gossip, participate in challenges, dates, and shocking recouplings. However, something viewers don’t get to see is the meal times in the Love Island villa. With breakfast being the exception, lunches and dinners are never filmed or shown as part of the islander’s daily schedule. Thus posing the question: what are mealtimes really like inside the villa, and what do the islanders eat on a day-to-day basis? Series 5 contestant Anton Danyluk revealed a staple meal in the Love Island villa following his departure from the show in 2019 and the answer may surprise you! Whilst speaking to HeatWorld Danyluk revealed that the Love Island producers would often order McDonald's for the contestants to enjoy.
The 27-year-old Scotsman stated, “We needed that. We really did. I think it was about once a week we were getting them." Before later adding, “I had a few chicken nuggets here and there.”
7 The Secret Beauty Getaways
As any avid fan and viewer of Love Island knows, the female population of the villa is famous for consistently putting on the best beauty and fashion looks from the daytime into the evening. But what many might not know is that the producers of the show actually take extra hidden measures to maintain the girls’ perfect hair, nails, and overall looks for the show. As spotted by The Sun back in 2017, the series 3 Love Island ladies were treated to a beauty getaway in which they were allowed to leave the villa to visit a salon and touch up their hair, nails, and make-up.
6 Safety Comes First… And It’s Unlimited!
As the show centers around the concept of romance and relationships, each season is bound to get a little steamy and physical as the islanders get more and more invested in each other. Whilst nowadays, the more sexual acts and moments are censored, they are still encouraged by the Love Island producers. In fact, safety precautions are thoroughly pushed by the show’s producers to ensure the intimate safety of the islanders. Whilst speaking to The Sun, season 6 contestant Mike Boateng revealed that the producers of the show ensured that there were unlimited condoms available for the islanders to use should they wish to engage in any sexual activity.
The ex-policeman stated, “Condoms are absolutely everywhere - they’re literally scattered all across the villa.” Before later adding, “There are condoms in the drawers, even in random secret ones.”
5 Long Nights Vs. Short Nights
The filming schedule tends to vary throughout the seasons as islanders of the past have often spoken up about. However, one thing that seems to stay the same throughout the seasons is the islanders' being left in the dark about what the time is throughout the duration of their star in the villa. Season 5 contestant Amy Hart recently opened up about this on her TikTok channel as she revealed that, whilst the islanders were not allowed to know what time of the day or night it was explicitly, they would know if they were in for a “short night” or a “long night” of filming. The 29-year-old explained the differences between the two as she stated that short nights would be those where they would be casually filming whereas long nights would be reserved for bombshell entrances, dates, and recouplings.
4 The Villa’s Smoking Regulations
The first few seasons of Love Island may have been considered by many to be more explicit in the content that producers chose to show. One example of this was the islanders' smoking habits. Whilst in the past, islanders were often shown sparking up cigarettes in the smoking areas, nowadays, that is never explicitly shown on-screen. During another TikTok Q&A, Hart revealed that during her season (and what we can assume to be the case in the seasons that followed), contestants who smoked were allowed a maximum of 10 cigarettes a day and had a special smoking area that was not located in the main villa but rather just outside the premises. Hart also stated that islanders would have to take their smoke breaks alone and were not allowed to bring any paraphernalia back into the villa.
3 The Villa’s Alcohol Regulations
In addition to the strict smoking regulations, Love Island also limits the intake of alcohol that the contestants are allowed to consume. Whilst speaking to Cosmopolitan, season 2 contestant Kady McDermott highlighted the alcohol regulations that the Love Island contestants must abide by daily.
She stated, “At night time we weren’t allowed a lot of alcohol. During the first four or five days when we didn’t know each other, we had alcohol to break the ice, but then after that, it was two glasses of wine a night.”
2 Morning Wake-Up Calls
Later on, in the Cosmopolitan interview, McDermott also revealed the methods that the Love Island producers would use in order to wake the contestant each morning. McDermott highlighted the certain timings that islanders had to be up by and how the producers ensured this each morning.
The ex-islander stated, “But the days were very long, and the producers never let us sleep in past 9:30am [because] that wasn’t entertaining. They used to wake us up through speakers."
1 Pre Villa Holding
What many may not know about the islanders' journeys into the villa is the long and extensive process that they must go through before they are allowed to debut on the show. Season 7 contestant Chloe Burrows opened up about her time before entering the villa during a Q&A uploaded on her YouTube channel. In the video, Burrows highlighted how, prior to her entrance into the villa, she had to undertake a 2-week quarantine with a chaperone in which she was not allowed her phone or any contact with the outside world. Burrows then revealed that, during that time, she just watched Netflix and read several books.
