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.
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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.
