On last night’s Love Island, Hugo – or should we say, MR HAMMOND – took some time out of his all-inclusive holiday to provide the scandal of the season so far. In a dramatic recoupling, the PE teacher called out Toby Aromolaran for dumping Chloe Burrows one day after new bombshell Abigail Rawlings walked in.
‘She doesn’t deserve to be treated how she has done this past 24 hours and I firmly believe that a lot of this “test” stuff is complete bullshit,’ Hugo said as Toby squirmed in his seat. ‘You [Chloe] deserve someone who is honest and communicates with you.’
The speech divided viewers, some obsessed with Hugo finally showing a personality beyond just being ‘nice’ while others were confused as to why he was publicly dragging his friend instead of pulling him aside. Personally? We’re convinced it may be more about showing Chloe he’s the man for her than anything…
But whether Hugo was right to give the speech in that manner or not – and our serotonin rush just watching says he was – the fact is, he is absolutely right about the ‘test’ excuse. Year after year, male islanders refer to women as ‘tests’. Every time they fancy someone new, they pretend that getting to know her is part of some great challenge that will only make their original coupling stronger should they not… cheat.
That’s what they’re really saying though, isn’t it? ‘Well, if I don’t fuck you off or betray your trust for this new girl I know nothing about, clearly I like you.’ It not only excuses them playing the field and ignoring their partner's emotions, but implies that should they dump their partner – it was all because the new woman was just ‘too hard’ a test, like she was TOO much for their little Neanderthal brain to resist.
In actuality, what men who use the test excuse do is completely invalidate their partner's emotions, create mistrust in the relationship, and give them insecurities about what they lack in order for them to be so easily replaced.
Chloe, of course, was part of this very narrative herself when she originally went for Toby. They got together the exact way they ended (classic), and thus many viewers seem to have little sympathy for her. The thing is, she deserved to be stood up for in that moment – or at least, Toby deserved to be called out for using the ‘test’ excuse. But you know who else deserved that first? Kaz Kamwi.
Toby was coupled up with Kaz for the same length of time as Chloe, if anything treating Kaz worse.
Kaz and Toby spent almost two weeks together at the beginning of this season. It may not have felt that long because we were all bored out of our minds by Love Island back then, but it was. Yesterday then, it had actually been the EXACT same amount of time for Chloe and Toby – the man, it seems, cannot go more than 13 days without breaking a heart.
Why then, when Toby was kissing Chloe on the terrace while still coupled up with Kaz, did he not get the ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’ speech from Hugo he received last night? When he dumped Kaz during a recoupling for Chloe, as he did last night, where was her speech about how much he’d misled her?
Chloe and Toby might have been more compatible, more physically affectionate, but there’s no doubt that the way Toby treated Kaz deserved calling out. Mere days after telling her he was ‘all in’ on their new coupling, he was kissing Chloe behind her back. Meanwhile, he was telling every islander BUT her all about his doubts and how much he didn’t want to ‘rip her clothes off’.
Yes, Toby has also handled his break-up with Chloe awfully, but 24 hours of miscommunicating and childish behaviour is no more worthy of a telling off than two weeks of leading Kaz on. It’s something viewers picked up on almost as soon as Hugo’s speech shocked the villa, noting that he had actually encouraged Toby to go for Chloe when he was coupled up with Kaz.
Honestly, we’re happy Hugo is holding his friends accountable for bad behaviour – it’s a narrative we rarely see on Love Island. But if Hugo can stand up and publicly embarrass Toby with a speech about ethics, the least Kaz deserved was the same level of respect.
Read More:
Hugo Applied For Love Island As A 'Joke' 'After One Too Many' With His Housemate
Love Island: Should Men As Inexperienced As Toby Be On Such A Ruthless Reality Show?