Ah, the heart rate challenge on Love Island - what most normal people would consider to be their worst nightmare.
Essentially the Islanders have to lap dance for each other, wearing a variety of sexy - and sometimes very unsexy - outfits. (Honestly, it all depends on the producers’ choice - because some of the Islanders get better options than others.) All the while, they’re all strapped up to a heart rate monitor, which will reveal who gets their heart racing the most.
It’s a stroke of genius from the producers as it's always bound to cause drama when someone’s heart races for someone they’re not in a couple with. Last year real-life exes Gemma Owen and Jacques O’Neill, both had the highest heart rates for each other, despite being coupled up with other Islanders and in the 2023 summer series Sammy Root's heart beat fastest for his former partner Jess Harding. Uh oh.
Here, we take a look back at some of the best - and most excruciating - heart rate challenge moments.
Mehdi Edno
Ok, so we'll be honest, Mehdi Edno's contribution to the heart race challenge can't be called particularly sexy, but the audacity to kiss every single girl in the villa is at least worth a mention!
Curtis Pritchard
To this day, we still don’t know who or what Curtis Pritchard was dressed as during this challenge in 2019 - but his entrance is never to be forgotten.
Mary Bedford
Most fans agree that in 2021 it was Mary Bedford who was done the most dirty, when she came in dressed as a mermaid, in a very low-quality red wig. It really did look like producers raided a charity shop box. Mary later poked fun at the costume, dressing up as a far sexier version for Halloween. Fair play.
Dani Dyer
Poor Dani Dyer wasn’t exactly the most successful at this challenge when she took part in 2018, but then she was dressed as a cheerleader. ‘I don’t know what to do with the pom poms, I don’t know what to do with them,’ she exclaimed in the beach hut.
Mike Boateng
Mike Boateng was definitely the best from winter Love Island 2020. His twerking in a butler-in-the-buff costume left Shaughna screaming that she had ‘bum crack in [her] eye’.
Megan Barton-Hanson
Megan Barton Hanson is known for giving the sexiest heart rate challenge of all time, in a very provocative maids outfit. As Wes Nelson said afterwards, ‘What the hell just happened?’
Davide Sanclimenti
He was already the fittest man to ever grace the Love Island villa, but as soon as Davide Sanclimenti took part in the heart race challenge dressed as Zorro it was over for everyone. And then he kissed Ekin-Su! His performance will go down in the history books.
