Love Island 2018: From contestants to recoupling, a beginner's guide to the new series
Reality series Love Island was a runaway success last year, with 2.43 million viewers tuning in to watch the final live on television last July. And now it's back for 2018 with series 4 and a whole new batch of contestants.
But while many coming to it fresh assumed it was the show's first season, its history actually stretches all the way back to 2005, when it began as "Celebrity Love Island'.
Love Island fever gripped the nation, with water cooler conversations dominated by Kem and Chris' bromance, Camilla's break up with Jonny over her feminist principles, and the proper definition of 'melt'.
This year's series kicked off on June 4 – and if you're going to survive the summer, understanding the world of Love Island is now a pre-requisite.
If you didn't watch it last year, here is everything you need to know about the show – from how it works, if 2017's contestants are still loved up (clue: no) and what 'melt' actually means. If you're already a Love Island fan, read on to learn who this year's contestants are, when to watch it and 2018's set of stricter rules.
What is Love Island?
The popular ITV2 series is a reality TV show that follows the journey of everyday singletons in their bid to find love in a luxury holiday villa.
However, all is not fun and games as surprising twists are thrown into the show in the form of recoupling and new arrivals. Recoupling means one contestant, or sometimes more, will be booted off the series by their fellow housemates.
Love Island latest news
Just one week into the series and chaos has already started. Six new arrivals have already joined the villa, heads have been turned, partners have been stolen and one contestant has quit the show.
ITV confirmed on Tuesday that Niall Aslam, who was coupled up with Georgia Steel, has left Love Island due to 'personal reasons' and will not be returning to the villa.
What time is Love Island on tonight?
The programme airs on ITV2 at 9pm, with new episodes on television six nights a week and a recap episode on Saturdays.
You can also watch the coverage live from mobile devices via ITV Hub.
How long is the series on for?
2017's series was the longest series to date, lasting for seven weeks – and we expect 2018's offering to dominate the TV schedule for a similar amount of time.
The first iteration of the show, 'Celebrity Love Island', ran in 2005 – returning again in 2006 before being cancelled – with famous people signed on as contestants instead of members of the public. Calum Best, Lady Isabella Hervey, Sophie Anderton, Rebecca Loos and Brendan Cole were among the most notable names; however in the second season the word 'celebrity' was dropped from the show's title following uproar over some contestants' level of fame.
After eight years off air, the programme was then recommissioned in 2015 to little noise – however last year, with the third series of the rebooted version, it becamse a word-of-mouth hit, turning into the TV sensation of the summer. Reality show-naysayers, flabbergasted parents and celebrities galore were converted to the Love Island fold – heck, earlier in May, the show even won a BAFTA . This year will no doubt see many of those LI17 newbies tune in again to see if the producers can deliver a repeat success.
How does the format work?
The couples in Love Island can change faster than it takes to say '100 per cent my type on paper'. Romantics say the aim of the game is to find love; cynics say it is to stay in a couple until the final so there's a chance of bagging to ￡50,000 prize.
The contestants stay in a Majorcan villa and has only double beds, forcing the Islanders to share with one another. With 69 cameras installed, the contestants' every move is captured and up for water-cooler debate. Last year a second villa, dubbed Casa Amor, was unveiled in the middle of the series; all the men were relocated to it with new female contestants, before photos of the their shenanigans were delivered to the outraged women in the original house.
When the contestants first arrive, they are coupled with another Islander. However over the course of the series, contestants can be re-coupled (either by choice or not – sometimes a contestant is given a new beau without wanting one). Plus, contestants are regularly voted out by the public (yes, the cruel power to create heartbreak is in our hands) and new ones brought in, throwing chaos into the mix.
Love Island | Read more
From masturbation to counselling: this year's rules
This year's offering comes with more severe rules (perhaps to make the show more appropriate in a post #MeToo era), with each contestant to be given a handbook at the start of their time in the villa. Contestants are no longer allowed to have drunken sex and there will be a counsellor on hand to offer emergency contraception and talk to Islanders after they engage in sexual activity.
Masturbation has also reportedly been banned, as well as complete nudity – even in the shower.
Plus, smoking has been restricted following a slew of complaints last year that contestants' regular lighting up glamorised the habit (there were more complaints to Ofcom about smoking than sex). Instead of lighting up around the pool, Islanders will now have to seek permission from a producer and will only be allowed to smoke in a special 'hut'.
Guide to the lingo
If you're confused by my earlier reference to the phrase '100 per cent my type on paper', then this section is for you. Last year's series brought local and millennial lingo to the fore, with confused parents googling 'muggy' and 'pied' in order to make sense of their teens' new vernacular at the dinner table.
Slogan t-shirts and mugs adorned with the phrases flew off the shelves, while Facebook and Twitter were ablaze with memes inspired by them. This year will no doubt see more phrases enter the nation's lexicon; for the baffled, here is our guide to last year's slang in case it crops up again.
Love Island 2017 | Learning the lingo
Love Island 2018 contestants
This year's 11 initial contestantsinclude West End performer Samira, A&E doctor Alex and, would you believe, geezer acting legend Danny Dyer's daughter Dani Dyer. Over 80,000 people applied for a place on this year's series; click below to see the cream of the crop chosen to kick off the antics.
Love Island 2018 contestants: The full line-up
The host: Caroline Flack
The show is hosted by the bubby Caroline Flack, who has been manning the programme since its return in 2015. She rose to fame in her role as Bubbles on Bo' Selecta! in 2002 and has since hosted the X Factor and won series 12 of Strictly Come Dancing.
Last year, she told The Telegraph that it’s the relationships that are key to the programme’s success - not the money or the sex.
“The sex is literally as interesting as them making a cup of tea,” she says. “When you’re into the storyline you’re like, ‘Oh no, stop that bit, we just want to hear what you’re going to say.’”
Love Island's Caroline Flack: 'It's not about sex, it's about relationships'
Where are the Love Island winners and couples now?
Book deals, fashion collaborations and public appearances have helped the Islanders rake in money since the series ended - but have the financial opportunities helped keep the couples together? In short, no.
Last year, lovebirds Ken Cetinay and Amber Davies were the winning couple, sharing the ￡50,000 prize money. Amber soon signed a ￡500,000 contract with clothing label Motel Rocks, while collectively the couple were estimated to earn ￡1.25m.
Despite Kem saying Amber was 100 per cent his future wife in the finale, they split in December 2017. They stated: "With sadness, we’ve decided to separate. We fell in love in the villa and want to thank all the fans of the show for supporting us. Our schedules made it difficult. We’ll remain good friends."
But the money hasn't dried up: Kem has since released the single 'Little Bit Leave It' with fellow contestant Chris Hughes, appeared on Dancing on Ice and is due to present the daily podcast Love Island: The Morning After once this year's series begins.
Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood had an on-off relationship following the end of the series, eventually splitting up for a good in front of the cameras on their spin-off show Chris and Olivia: Crackin' On.
Marcel Somerville, the former member of Blazin' Squad, has released a book since leaving the villa, called Little Book of Big Love - however he and Gabby Allen split earlier this year after it was revealed he had cheated on her while they were on holiday together.
Montana Brown and Alex Beattie split mere weeks after the show ended, while Tyla Carr and Jonny Mitchell have also split, as well as Sam Gowland and Georgia Harrison.
It appears only two couples from the series are left standing: Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt are still together, as well as Dom Lever and Jess Shears, who are engaged. In fact, Lever and Shears took part in a fake wedding on Good Morning Britain on Valentine's Day earlier this year, dressed only in white swimwear.
But what about the winners from previous shows - surely they're still together? Alas, the road hasn't been easy for them either. 2015 winners Jessica Hayes and Max Morley quickly called it quits after leaving the villa. 2016 winners Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde have had an on-off relationship, although Cara gave birth to their son Freddie-George at the end of last year.