Hundreds of Love Island viewers have complained to Ofcom over scenes of contestants "bullying" Ron Hall. Fans of the ITV2 reality show were left outraged last weekend as the series nine islanders took part in a couple of challenges and games, during which they felt Essex boy Ron was being ganged up on by his peers.
The Mirror reports that couples Ron had previously made about Lana, with whom he has been coupled up with for most of the series, came back to haunt him as the islanders played a game of Chinese Whispers. The task came just two days after the "A Couple of Sorts" challenge, in which the couples had to rank each other, sparking drama.
On March 5, viewers issued 245 complaints to the broadcasting regulator relating to Love Island, with a further 57 lodged the following day. All of these made by fans who felt as though financial advisor Ron had been "bullied" by his fellow islanders.
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The challenge saw Ron address allegations that he had been playing a game as he reflected on his experience of watching Love Island as a viewer. "I thought the ones who have their drama nice and early and then get comfy and treat it like a holiday, they’re the ones who are probably like, they just cruise," he said.
"I can see why people probably thought, ‘Oh Lana and Ron are just cruising through.’ I’m not bothered by any of that."
"As I know I’m not," he added. "Otherwise I never would have made her my girlfriend, it means too much to me."
Ron's comments were hotly discussed by other residents of the South Africa villa, as Samie Elishi confessed that she had taken them as an admission of having a "game plan" on Love Island. In confrontational scenes earlier this week, Ron told Samie that he felt she'd got the wrong end of the stick as he sat down to go over what he said with others in the villa.
"I’m not going to lie, I’m quite livid," Ron said. "I’m just not going to have it… I’m not having a whole gaff think that after one challenge I’m playing a game.
"The only way that’s being perceived is by either you or Tom going away and taking that and making out as if it was said that way."
Defending herself, Samie replied: "All I’m saying is that's what you said and it can be perceived as weird and everyone in here has an opinion on it."
"If they’ve got an opinion, say it to me," Ron told her. "Please relay your opinion on the fact you don’t think I'm game playing because I’m not having nine other people thinking I’m game playing when I’ve got my girlfriend in here and people are talking behind my back."
Samie said: "I can’t influence nine other people's opinion, I’ve had the chat with you, whoever does think it, you need to talk directly to them. I’m not doing that, I’m not cleaning up all of that."
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