Love Island has been back on our screens for one week, and already the season 12 cast is already bringing all the drama.
This year marks the show's 10th anniversary. Yep, it really has been ten years of watching glamorous singles live it up in the sun while trying to find love. Any show turning ten means it must have a pretty tried and tested formula. The downside of this is that it can end up becoming a bit repetitive, especially if, like us, you've avidly followed the show since it first aired.
But fear not, because this year the rulebook has been shaken up with producers teasing a whole host of new twist and turns to keep us entertained. Already, we've seen brutal twists that have given us shock dumpings and unexpected recouplings. And we can expect plenty more of this to come.
Speaking ahead of show's launch earlier this month, Creative Director of Love Island Mike Spencer-Hayler told the Mail they’ve had to ‘tear up the rule book’ this year, after viewing figures have dwindled after years of tame series of the reality show hit. 'We’ve seen the same things time and time again now and it’s boring. We’ve got to move on. It felt static, and the show needs to feel fresh. People that come in, all do the same thing. Because they’ve all watched it time and time again. It became too formatted.'
So what's in store for the rest of season 12?
Viewers will see if things heat up in the hideaway
One of the key changes for season 12 is to do with the infamous hideaway. Mike told The Mail that ITV will broadcast intimate moments if and when they happen. This takes the show back to the early days when steamy scenes were common. This all changed in 2020 Ian Stirling confirmed that bosses had decided to censor sex scenes.
‘The hideaway is open for business for 24 hours all the time, as long as they don’t come with their partner,’ Mike told the outlet.
There's a trampoline bed for throuples
He also told The Mail that the villa is equipped with a new trampoline bed that 'would be good for throuples.' He continued: 'It can take the weight of four, we’ve checked. It’s all about keeping the show fresh and exciting. And that’s what we’ve got.’
Banned items
Yep that's right, there's items that are a no-go in the villa - some that you might not expect. One slightly more unusual banned good is chewing gum, along with clocks and watches, so the islands never really know what time of day it is. When it comes to razors, the islanders can have them - but they are limited on how many they can take in - and clothes with old brands are a strict no.
There will be special surprise guests (and exes!)
In last year's attempt to shake things up, former TOWIE star Joey Essex entered the villa. This year, Mike said we can't expect the same twist, but he teased there will be a different surprise.
'No former love islanders are coming in this year,’ he said. Something big is coming in week one though. Not another reality star like Joey Essex. We’ve got a big week one planned. It’s not a celebrity, but totally new.'
Talking to The Sun, Mike seemed to hint that the Islanders could be faced with their exes: 'Do you know what I always say, the cast get released and then the ex's come forward. And that's how you get the bombshells.'
No smoking or vaping
Gone are the days when all the on-camera gossip would go down in the smokers area. Smoking and vaping is allowed in the villa, but not on camera. ITV chose to ban on-screen smoking, due to complaints from viewers, as well as to make sure the show wasn't glamorising cigarettes.
However, eagle-eyed viewers did spot something that looked strikingly similar to a vape in Dejon Noel-William's hand on Tuesday's episode. '"Did I just see Dejon put a vape to his mouth??? Are smoking chats coming back?' one user wrote on X. After a flurry of internet speculation, it turned out that Dejon was actually applying some lip balm - not vaping.
The iconic terrace will be less private
There's even been some renovations to the villa itself in order to amp up the drama. Mike told The Mail the producers have shortened the walls of the terrace, which as any viewer will know, is a hotspot for spying on crushes and bombshells looking to couple up.
‘The terrace walls are shorter and more see through now too. So you can see more up there. We just felt like it was too covered up. Extra gossip,' he said.
Meal-time chats will be shown on camera
It's no secret that the contestants are cooped up in the villa pretty much 24/7, meaning they do absolutely everything there. This is why one of the questions that's been asked many times is - why don't we ever see people eat proper meals? In previous seasons, we've only really seen the islanders snack or prepare their breakfasts in the outdoor kitchen.
The contestants have their meals cooked for them by privatechefs, and are only allowed to prepare one meal a day themselves. ITV has confirmed they don't show contents eating because it's their downtime from having the cameras on them 24/7. They also said meals aren't filmed for technical reasons, like the sounds of eating with microphones.
However, for season 12 the contestants will be shown eating meals for the first time ever. 'In this day and age, we need to be showing it,’ said Mike. ‘Viewers always ask us where and when the islanders eat lunch and dinner. Well this year you’ll see it on camera now.’
This could lead to even more good TV, as Mike admitted that sometimes juicy conversations come up between the islanders at mealtimes. 'There are chats that do happen whilst they eat,’ he said. ‘It might feature, it might not when it comes to the final edit, but there is a lot of whispering and there always has been. Sometimes it will affect how they might know information, because the viewer hasn’t seen it. Now they will see it.’
Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.