Here are the first two bombshells heading into the Love Island villa...
Love Island welcomes not one but two bombshells in an explosive first episode
Love Island is back and we’re well and truly into the swing of things from day dot.
Episode one will see five girls couple up with five boys in what appears to be the most straightforward coupling ceremony the show has ever seen.
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But as always with Love Island, there’s a sudden twist, as two new boys are thrown into the villa at the last minute to test the new couples.
The men in question are dancer Curtis Pritchard and boxer Tommy Fury, bringing the line-up to 12 islanders.
The news is announced via text (how else), with Amber Gill receiving the message that threatens to stir up the villa.
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With some strong hashtag action already, Amber reads, “Islanders, it’s time for the real games to begin. Please welcome your new arrivals. #DoubleTrouble #BoxFresh #HotToFoxtrot.”
Reflecting on Tommy and Curtis’s arrival, firefighter Michael Griffiths said in the beach hut, “Nobody was expecting that! Like, nobody at all.”
Lucie Donlan added, “It’s been such a full-on day. There have been bevs coming in everywhere and then two guys come in… who are also bevs.”
(For those of you not yet in the know, bevs is Lucie’s own Love Island lingo for a fit man – brush up on your vocab here.)
The arrival of the two bombshells marks a departure from Love Island’s usual format, which previously saw one bombshell stroll in, bringing the total to an uneven number and leaving one contestant on their own.
And this is just the first of many format “tweaks” that ITV bosses have in mind for the fifth series, with executive producer Angela Jain telling RadioTimes.com and other journalists of plans to keep the series fresh and exciting to viewers.
“We’re really excited about the show starting – we’ve tried to have a huge range of personalities, people, hoping there’s someone for everyone,” Jain explained.
“What we do in terms of format twists, obviously we don’t want to reveal things. We’re trying to mirror real life here, and relationships in real life get tested and that is entirely normal.”
However, don’t expect Love Island to be completely revamped, with Jain dubbing the changes an “evolution.”
“The temptation to rip up the rulebook is there,” said Jain. “But the one thing I will say with confidence is that we’ve got a winning formula here. Why would we change it?
“What we have to do is keep evolving the show. To fundamentally change it doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.”
Love Island continues weeknights and Sundays at 9pm on ITV2
