Love Island 2024: Five biggest talking points after new series launch
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.
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.
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.
Key Points
Who are the new Love Island 2024 contestants?
12:47 , Maira Butt
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.
Click below for info on all the new islanders.
Love Island 2024 contestants revealed ahead of new summer series
Last season’s winners and all previous champions
14:08 , Maira Butt
Find out which couples have stayed together since appearing on the show here.
Who are the previous winners of Love Island?
Sneak Peek: Watch the Islanders enter the villa ahead of the launch tonight... and there’s a major twist
14:40 , Maira Butt
Love Island is back at 9pm tonight, with the launch airing simultaneously on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX simultaneously.
Watch the islanders enter the villa in a sneak peek below.
How many weeks does the show last and when is the finale?
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Though January saw the first all-star season, bringing back memorable contestants from the past for a second (or third) shot at finding love, this summer will see a group of new faces entering the Mallorcan villa.
But how long do we have to wait before the drama, scandal and gossip begins again?
Love Island 2024: How many weeks does the show last and when is the finale?
Where is the Love Island villa? As ITV revamps house with major plot twist
16:05 , Maira Butt
The new and improved villa is brighter than ever before with a new Hideaway twist.
Tucked away off a dirt road in a remote area in the east of Majorca, it is set against a sprawling landscape of mountains and greenery.
It’s where our couples will get to know each other in the hopes of making a connection– and some major changes have been implemented to ensure it is the “sexiest” season yet.
Love Island 2024: Inside the famous villa near Majorca with major new twist
From Gemma Owen to Tommy Fury: All of the nepo babies that have appeared on Love Island
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Gone are the days when Love Island contestants were ordinary people with less than 1000 Instagram followers. These days, contestants are more likely to be the children of wealthy and famous parents.
Read below for our list of all the nepo babies that have appeared on the dating show.
All of the nepo babies that have appeared on Love Island
All the Love Island couples that are still together now
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If we look back at islanders past, the real world has broken what seemed like the strongest of pairings. (Who else was quietly devastated when Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham split?)
Below, we run through the Love Island couples from all the series that are still going strong.
All the Love Island couples that are still together now
Love Island bosses say show is good ‘education’ for young people
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The show’s executive producer Mike Spencer has shared that he believes the reality TV programme is good education for young people.
“Love Island should demonstrate what a relationship is like and what dating is like,” he told The Sun.
“We’ve got an audience of young people so I think it is an education. It’s seriously important for people to watch the show and know people aren’t perfect — none of us are.”
Islanders asked to rate each other in launch night twist
19:00 , Maira Butt
Islanders have been asked to rate each other according to who they think is girlfriend and boyfriend material in a new launch night twist.
Usually the Islanders are free to step forward for who they think is their type, while in the show’s latest seasons the public have coupled them together according to who they think is the most compatible.
But it appears all of that is out of the window as they play a brand new game ahead of their first coupling.
Who will get an ego boost? And will anyone be left in tears?
Love Island released a sneak peek of its first episode which can be viewed below.
After weeks of waiting, the popular dating show is back with a bang
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Fans react to Love Island’s return as the series is back on our screens for another eight weeks of romance, drama, scandal and fire pit chats.
Meet the new Islanders
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“It’s Love Island, not friendship island,” says Scouse queen Samantha Kenny.
“I’m not competitive when it comes to dating, because I’ve never really had competition,” says Ayo Odukoya.
This year’s islanders are more confident than ever, and determined to find the love of their life.
Check out the full line-up below.
Only half an hour to go... and the first episode promises a major twist
20:31 , Maira Butt
In a preview of tonight’s launch, Maya Jama returns to the Villa and gathers the Islanders at the fire pit. Maya asks the Islanders about their first day in paradise and how they’re getting on in their couples.
Maya then says, “It’s good to see you’re all settled in but as you know, you’re on Love Island. You must always expect the unexpected.”
Ayo says, “Oh my God.”
Patsy says, “What?!”
But what does this Love Island first mean for the rest of the Islanders?
With 15 minutes to go until the launch of Love Island 2024... Who are your couple predictions for this year?
20:45 , Maira Butt
For the first time, Islanders will be paired up based on how high or low they rate each other as girlfriend or boyfriend material.
Their decisions have ruffled some feathers already. But Maya Jama is on hand to reveal an even bigger twist. What will it be?
Have a look at the lineup below to see who you think could see sparks fly.
How to watch this summer’s series
20:54 , Maira Butt
The first episode of the eleventh season of Love Island will air simultaneously on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm tonight (3 June).
Episodes thereafter will air at 9pm every night except Saturday on ITV2 and ITVX.
Typically, the series lasts eight weeks. But ITV are yet to confirm the duration of this year’s series.
Here we go!
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The wait is over! Let the drama, romance and fire-pit chats begin...
The first islanders are in!
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Ayo is a 25-year-old semi-professional footballer from Canning Town in London while Nicole is a 24-year-old accounts manager from Aberdare in South Wales.
Jess, Sean and Sam are the next to enter. Jess is a 25-year-old retail manager from Stockport, Sean is a sweet salesman from Hertford and Sam is a 23-year-old hairdresser from Chesterfield.
You can see a list of all of the new contestants below.
Sam and Mimii have officially entered the villa
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Scouse queen Samantha is a 26-year-old make-up artist while Mimii is a 24-year-old newly qualified mental health nurse.
Are you-you ready for Mimii? Self-described as “wifey material”, she’s looking for her hubby on Love Island 2024.
So far, Samantha has been touted as someone who’ll bring some “Scouse glamour” to the Island.
The Love Island X account wrote that her aim in the house is to “bag a cockney charmer she can bring back to Liverpool”.
You can see a list of all the contestants here.
Patsy, Ronnie and Ciaran are next...
21:25 , Maira Butt
The fiery, redhead, Sagittarius is a 29-year-old office administrator from Orpington - who is determined NOT to be the “mummy of the group”.
Meanwhile Ronnie has famous connections as the 27-year-old was the best man at Love Island legend Olivia Atwood’s wedding. Ciaran is a 21-year-old surveyor from South Wales.
See a full list of the contestants below.
Only two more islanders to go...
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The final two (so far) have joined the group as Maya Jama enters the villa...
21:32 , Maira Butt
Harriet, 24, is a dancer from Brighton and has stirred up quite a lot of chat before her entrance tonight.
Meanwhile Munveer is a 30-year-old tech recruiter from Surbiton looking for a fairytale ending complete with wife, house, kids and a dog.
As the group discuss their icks, Patsy is adamant she doesn’t like a mummy’s boy - no hope for Munveer then?
See the full list of islanders here.
Half an hour in and social media appears to have picked some early favourites already
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Patsy and Mimii appear to have made an impression on viewers already. Will their predictions ring true?
Maya Jama has stirred things up in a new game
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Islanders have to rate who they think is most boyfriend material to least.
The boys will have to do the same for girlfriend material soon.
Sam’s tattoos and mullet may be going against him in this game...
Results are in - The Islanders have decided who they think is the most boyfriend material
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The girls have decided based on their first impressions, the most boyfriend material to least are as follows:
1. Munveer
2. Sean
3. Ronnie
4. Ayo
5. Sam
6. Ciaran
Ciaran’s caginess about previous relationships has made the girls suspicious as they ask, what has he got to hide?
Girlfriend material results are in!
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Feathers have been ruffled as some of the girls are judged for their “partying” and others are deemed “wifey” because they’re... Welsh?
The results are as follows...
1. Mimii
2. Nicole
3. Jess
4. Patsy
5. Sam
6. Harriet
Patsy is offended for being considered “average” while Harriet thinks being judged for a split from her ex 4 months ago is unfair.
Our first couples are...
21:45 , Maira Butt
1. Mimii and Munveer
2. Nicole and Sean
3. Jess and Ronnie
4. Patsy and Ayo
5. Samantha and Sam
6. Harriet and Ciaran
Read about all the contestants here.
Harriet’s accent appears to be causing a stir...
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Ex-Islander Andrew Le Page has spilled some alleged tea about new Islander Harriet
21:59 , Maira Butt
Andrew Le Page made it to the final two of season 8 of Love Island with his now girlfriend Tasha Ghouri. He’s best known for his seminal line, “I licked her t** or whatever...”
He has some thoughts on the gap between Harriet’s split from her ex, and her entrance into the villa.
One Islander shares a bed with her mum and it has X/Twitter talking...
22:08 , Maira Butt
Patsy, 29, has revealed she shares a bed with her mum, after she moved in with her and there wasn’t enough space for her to have her own room.
Viewers are convinced new contestant Samantha Kenny has a celebrity doppleganger
22:15 , Maira Butt
Love Island fans think one of the new contestants looks like Abbey Clancy.
“Is Samantha like Abbey Clancy‘s long lost daughter or her doppelganger or what?” said one viewer.
Others disagreed as they said the similarity was only visible with a “squint”.
Joey Essex is this season’s first bombshell in shock twist that has left Islanders floored
22:27 , Maira Butt
Reality TV royalty Joey Essex has entered the villa in a shock twist that has left Islanders and viewers gobsmacked.
As Maya surprised the couples as they got to know each other she said: “It’s good to see you’re all settled in but as you know, you’re on Love Island. You must always expect the unexpected.”
And she didn’t disappoint.
Fans react to Joey Essex bombshell entrance
22:32 , Maira Butt
New bombshelll Joey Essex is a 33-year-old reality star who has appeared on the likes of The Only Way is Essex, Celebs Go Dating and I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
