Love Island 2023 is already causing its fair share of debates and drama online - and now, fans are calling out semi-pro footballer Tyrique Hyde over his treatment of Whitney Adebayo and Catherine Agbaje.
In recent weeks, viewers of the show have noticed a certain tension that's taking place within the villa. Known for his one-liners and quick comments, Tyrique - who is coupled up with Ella Thomas - never shies away from stirring the pot. But now, questions have been raised whether the footballer could have a vendetta against his fellow islanders Catherine and Whitney, after sending more than one backhanded comment their way.
Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote 'We need a movie night dedicated to Tyrique pushing men away from Whitney and Catherine' - with another agreeing 'Catherine and Scott's relationship making Tyrique this mad? Has he lost his mind?'
Over the weeks, Catherine has been coupled up with a number of islanders, including Andre Furtado and Zachariah Noble, before happily settling with bombshell Scott Van Der Sluis. In all of these situations, Tyrique has had more than his fair share to say.
Just weeks ago, fans saw Catherine burst into tears after some of the boys appeared to insinuate she was 'unattractive'. And in a teaser for tonight's episode, it appears things come to a head between Scott and Ty, after the boys actions left Catherine upset again last night. In the preview, Tyrique is heard saying 'You're just with Catherine to try and stay here longer,' as a shocked Catherine looks on.
And now, fans are calling out Tyrique over his behaviour, arguing that he seems to have a habit of throwing negative energy Whitney and Catherine's way.
Calling out his public confrontation, one fan wrote, 'Ty's babe is friends with Cath. If he "cared" about her, he could've pulled her with Ella and just said keep your eyes open. But he's been making sly comments about finding Cath and Whitney unattractive since day one.'
After having partner Mehdi Edno shockingly dumped from the island, Whitney has kickstarted her Love Island experience by heading after Zach. Sparks flew on their date, before the two admitted there was some chemistry - much to the displeasure of LI legend Kady McDermott.
But after Zach returned from his date, fans couldn't help but note Ty didn't seem too pleased with this potential romance. As he questioned whether Zach really liked Whitney, one viewer wrote 'Can we talk about how Tyrique pushed Zach away from Catherine, tried to push Scott to Leah, and is now pushing Zach towards Kady and not Whitney.'
But not everyone is convinced these are simply one off comments, a result of Tyrique's divisive honesty. In fact, fans are convinced that it comes from a much deeper place.
Suggesting that it's a classic case of some Love Island game playing, one fan wrote 'Ty's trying to keep all the couples away from each other so him and Ella can win.'
Linking back to a scene aired in earlier episodes, another agreed, 'Tyrique hates that Scott and Catherine are genuinely happy together and doing great, because then that means him and Ella aren't the strongest couple and Tyrique wants the 50k bad.'
It's already been said that sisterhood is the best part of this year's season, with Whitney, Catherine, and Ella's close friendship making us hold out hope that a friendship would win.
And arguing that this close friendship with Ella could be behind the grudge, one viewer said 'My theory is that he sees those two are Ella's confidants and will open her eyes to his weirdness at some point. I genuinely think that. Otherwise, why be a hater randomly like that?'
But for some, Tyrique's behaviour has prompted discussions over a much deeper issue - with many arguing some of the comments on this year's show are brimming with microaggressions and a sign of the colourism still faced.
One Twitter user shared, 'There are some hints of micro aggression in the way Tyrique and Montel speak about Whitney and Catherine - they make them seem unloveable,' with another agreeing 'He needs to stop projecting.'
No matter the motivation, one thing is clear - viewers won't be tolerating anymore 'bullying' when it comes to Catherine and Whitney. Unnecessary opinions over their looks and questioning comments over their relationships are being called out once and for all, both inside villa walls and in the real world.