Ah, the heart rate challenge on Love Island - what most normal people would consider to be their worst nightmare. The Islanders have to lapdance for each other, wearing a variety of sexy, and 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. 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. Uh oh.
Here, we take a look back at some of the best - and most excruciating - heart rate challenge moments.
Curtis Pritchard
To this day, we still don’t know who or what Curtis was dressed as during this challenge in 2019 - but his entrance is never to be forgotten.
Mary Bedford
Most fans agree that last year 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 wasn’t exactly the most successful at this challenge, 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 was definitely the best from winter Love Island. His twerking in a butler-in-the-buff costume left Shaughna screaming that she had ‘bum crack in [her] eye’.
Megan Barton-Hanson
Megan 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
OK, so we’re here for him and Ekin-Su’s enemies-to-lovers storyline. And Davide, dressed as Zorro (?), got very NSFW with Ekin-Su, and then kissed her. We sense a recoupling soon...
