Love Island, which was last on in August 2021, has returned for an eighth series.
Monday (6 June) saw the ITV2 series return with a new batch of contestants who entered the Spanish villa in the hopes of finding romance or, at the very least, getting a nice suntan.
Fans of the show – or those deciding to get involved for the first time – met the hopefuls, who were introduced by presenter Laura Whitmore and narrator Iain Sterling.
Those concerned that this series would be without any hysterical moments were almost immediately reassured thanks to new contestant Liam, who made a hilarious admission about Elton John in the first episode.
Find all the talking points from the Love Island season 8 launch show below. Read our review of the first episode here.
1. The public picked the first couples
The first Love Island twist was an odd one. Moments into the new series, Whitmore revealed that, as opposed to the boys picking who they coupled up with, the decision was actually in the hands of the public. This ultimately stripped the episode of some dramatic heft, with viewers left wondering who actually liked who. The couples were revealed to be: Amber and Dami, Gemma and Liam, Indiyah and Ikenna, Tasha and Andrew and Paige and Luca.
2. Gemma held back one key detail
Every year there seems to be a contestant with a celebrity link, and this series, it’s Gemma, whose father is ex-footballer Michael Owen. While Liam, the boy she’s coupled up with, was getting to know her, he seemed to pick up on the fact that she has a history she isn’t sharing. “I feel like you have a big house,” he told her, and a little later wondered if she has an ex who was a footballer. Not quite. Whenever Gemma decides to reveal her family history remains to be seen, but it will certainly rid the new series of a fun sense of dramatic irony.
2. Tasha supported as she shares her history
One contestant who decided to open up about their past was Tasha, who gathers her fellow stars by the firepit to tell them a bit about herself – namely, about the fact that she was born completely deaf. Tash, who had a cochlear implant when she was five, was supoorted by everyone, who praised her for deciding to tell them so early.
4. All the girls revealed they like the same boy
As the couples came to terms with who the public had chosen for them, a cat was thrown among the pigeons in the form of a self-proclaimed “Italian stallion” named Davide. The girls couldn’t contain their excitement: Gemma was “blown away” by Davide, with Indiyah commenting that she finds him “really good looking”, Meanwhile, Tasha called him “fit” and compared him to Hercules, while Paige said she’s ready to “get married” after laying eyes on him. Well, at least they all have something in common.
5. Davide is now holding the power
“I got a text,” Davide said aftear hearing that famous message alert. “In 24 hours, you will couple up with a girl of your choice. leaving one boy single and vulnerable,” he told his fellow contestants, leaving the boys in jeopard and the girls extremely excited. Who he picks will be revealed in Tuesday night’s episode (7 January).
Love Island airs every night bar Saturdays on ITV2. Episodes will be available to stream on Britbox the following morning.
