If you’ve ever sat in bed at night, lonely and depressed, wishing you had that special someone to keep you warm at night, we have a solution for you: Love Island. Specifically, the Casa Amor episodes of this year’s Love Island, where even the most hopeless romantic will give up on love within the first 10 minutes of exposure.
Last night, the dial of terrible male behaviour on the show turned up a notch – if you ever thought it could – as we bore witness to all but two of the men sleeping in bed with new partners while every single woman slept outside pining for their heartless other-halves.
Of course, most of the commentary online centered on Liam Reardon, who seemed to build the most genuine connection with Millie Court before deciding he simply MUST ‘test’ their bond by shacking up with a new woman. From his actions to Teddy Soares flirting with Clarisse Juliette and Tyler Cruickshank’s bed-hopping while Kaz Kamwi confessed she ‘really really really’ likes him, viewers were all but disgusted at how easily the men excused their complete disregard for their partners feelings.
But there was one narrative only a few picked up on, and it might be even more disheartening than the brazen cheating going on: Jake Cornish’s encouragement of it.
So far, Jake has proved many wrong by staying loyal to Liberty Poole. Sure, he hasn’t exactly been fighting off the blondes he admitted were his ‘type’ when entering Casa Amor, but he’s certainly gained brownie points for firmly stating ‘I have a girlfriend’ on arrival. He’s slept outside, he’s avoided kissing unless absolutely necessary for a challenge (Husband goals!!!!) and frankly, raised the bar from the depths of hell to at least floor level.
When it comes to his own relationship then, he seems to be pretty secure with Liberty (much to viewers relief). His friends though? That’s another story. From Teddy to Liam, Jake has managed to egg on every single man in the villas actions – even hyping up Liam to pull Lillie for a ‘chat’ (which, might as well be asking for a shag in Love Island) after he initiated a conversation about Millie.
Now don’t get me wrong, the locker room chat in Casa Amor right now spans beyond Jake. All of them, even ‘nice guy’ Hugo, have engaged in the very lad banter that excuses and encourages cheating. But Jake, of all the islanders, is definitely leader of the Test Brigade. Not one conversation goes by without him finding convoluted ways to condone and actively motivate is friends to cheat.
Yes, cheat is a strong word – Jakes the only one in an actual relationship – but as we learned from Olivia Rodrigo this year, you don’t have to explicitly ‘cheat’ to be a traitor (if that song doesn’t play during Millie and Liam’s reunion we’re calling Ofcom, by the way).
There’s something about Jake’s behaviour that just doesn’t sit right with viewers. Whether or not he’s cheating on Liberty himself, is it not a huge red flag that he’s so encouraging of it with others? Are we not mildly concerned that he can justify the men completely disrespecting their partners, all of whom are also his friends?
For many, it speaks to Jake’s true character that he can be so blaze about his female friends being treated so badly by their partners. Because if he can do all of this to justify their cheating, what excuses can he come up with should he ever want to himself?
Some, though, are speculating it's more sinister than him simply being a cheating apologist - but rather, he's trying to sabotage the other couple to ensure he and Liberty win. Now, this feels slightly beyond his capabilities as a master manipulator, but when you add up all his behaviour so far they certainly have a case.
Not only has Jake asked Liberty to be his girlfriend INCREDIBLY early in the season, his ability to avoid talking about how much he cares for her is noteworthy. Everytime Liberty confesses how much she likes him - even dropping the 'L bomb' a few times - he replies with a question, usually 'Are you falling for me?!'. It's always said with a smile and air of shock that forces Liberty to go giggly and thus, he escapes having to reciprocate or validate her feelings.
Is he just playing a masterful game then by locking Liberty off, sabotaging other couples, all while actually not being very clear about whether he's 'falling' for her as she is him? As we said, it feels strong to suggest Jake would be up to such a task, but who are we to doubt the capabilities of toxic men.
Ultimately, intentional or not, the cheating encouragement is absolutely a red flag for Liberty in future – particularly given she can barely bring herself to closed-mouth kiss in a challenge. Clearly, they have two very different views on acceptable behaviour in these couplings – and that doesn’t bode well at all.
Read More:
Love Island: We Need To Talk About Chloe And Hugo’s Code-Switching
Love Island: These Videos Are Exactly Why Millie And Liam Are Becoming Fast Favourites
Love Island: Should Men As Inexperienced As Toby Be On Such A Ruthless Reality Show?