When we left the Love Island Villa last week, producers left us hanging on who Teddy would pick at the recoupling: Faye or Rachel. He chose Faye, making the final couples for Week 2 as follows:
This means we said goodbye to Rachel, after watching her laying it on so thick in her last few days. She’s since come out regretting coupling up with Brad, calling him fake and saying she was stupid for believing what he said. Looks like karma was on her side though, as just two days later, Brad and Lucinda were given an ultimatum: one of you must leave, or you both leave together. This came after the first public vote of the series, asking us which couples had the most chemistry. Those with the lowest votes risked being dumped, putting Brad and Lucinda, Toby and Chloe, and Hugo and Sharon in an uncomfortable position.
Brad did as expected, sacrificing his own place in the Villa to save Lucinda and her potential PLT sponsorship deal. As he packed up, there was a moment where I thought she might just leave with him – after all, she’ll ‘never fancy anyone else in [here]’. But it was Faye who truly spoke for the rest of the country when she channeled series 3’s Theo Campbell: if she really liked him, she’d leave with him.
She didn’t, though. This meant she got a lot of stick for staying in, with people thinking she’s not really in there for love, but a boost for her career. And this doesn’t entirely come as a surprise. Since her arrival, BetMinded has predicted her online following could shoot up to 3.5 million after her LI appearance. They’ve also suggested she’ll be this season’s highest-earning star, making up to £14,000 a post on Instagram or just over £1m a year. Makes sense that she’d want to stay for as long as possible.
But money aside, I don’t think it’s crazy that Lucinda would rather stay than run off to Amble with Brad. They’d known each other for a week, and even then she’d expressed some doubts. You cant fully know someone after a week, let alone if you want a relationship with that person. Love Island is such a big opportunity, not just for a career, but socially too – I think she would’ve been foolish to follow him out. So yeah, Lucinda probably did pick Boohoo over Brad, but who can truly blame her?
Now, you know how it is in the Villa. One goes, and another comes in and stirs the pot. This Wednesday saw yet another blonde join the cast. AJ is a 28-year-old hair extension technician from Hertfordshire, with her sights set on Hugo, Aaron, and Teddy. She wasted no time getting to know the boys, but surprisingly it was Liam she’s been chasing after. It’s been kinda cringe seeing her chase after the boys – I know it’s the name of the game, but seeing her get knocked back endlessly stresses me out! Liam let her know that he was still focusing all his time on Millie, while Teddy said the same about Faye.
A lot of people were stressed that last night’s recoupling would potentially see either girl go home if AJ decided to steal their man. She went with Hugo though, sending Sharon home instead. And while I really liked Sharon, despite filler-gate, I think this was for the best. Those in friendship couples tend to have a hard time letting go of them, and I’ll be damned if this series is plagued by another Dr. Alex situation. Hugo didn’t seem too happy AJ chose him, but that was because he knew he was sending his bestie Sharon home. But fingers crossed this is the beginning of his experience – and marks the end of us all pitying him during challenges.
Sharon’s departure wasn’t the only drama from last night’s recoupling though, as another new player was added to the mix. 25-year-old plumber Danny, from Wigan, went in with an interest in Kaz, saying he thinks they’d vibe. He even took her on a date, which seemed to go pretty well. Until he came back to the Villa and began pursuing Lucinda with a vengeance. This means he was up against Aaron for her attention, as he also showed an interest in her after Brad left.
Lucinda is kind of playing them both off against each other: she fancies them both, wanted to recouple with Aaron, but didn’t want to kiss him, wants to get to know Danny, but doesn’t like being under his gaze. She’s in a tough position, because it’s always tough being at the center of a love triangle, but also because these men won’t let her breathe. They’re constantly pulling her for chats, or pulling each other for chats about how they want to pull her for a chat. What they really need is one big chat together, where Lucinda finally draws a line on who she’d rather have. I don’t think that’s coming anytime soon, though.
It’s worth mentioning, however, the controversy surrounding Danny’s entry into the Villa. Comments he made from late-2019 resurfaced where he used the n-word, leading people to brand him as racist and for producers to remove him from the show. Those who know him have come forward to emphasise Danny’s not a racist and that no ill intent was behind the captions. Regardless, he was out of pocket and should’ve known better – and Love Island should be properly vetting the people they cast. Doesn’t look too great that their ‘most diverse cast ever’ is made up of someone who thinks it’s appropriate to use such language.
It’s also important we now pay closer attention to how he approaches Aaron about this love triangle. It’s very easy for micro-aggressions to slip past the producers, and the way Danny is watching and speaking to Aaron is showing some pretty red flags. Couple in the fact Lucinda doesn’t seem comfortable with him, I’m not sure Danny is a great addition to the cast at all. There’s a strange sense of entitlement coming from him that I just don’t understand – neither Aaron nor Lucinda owe him anything, so why’s he so argumentative?
As for the rest of the couples, they pretty much stayed the same after last week’s recoupling:
Millie and Liam are still going strong, and Unseen Bits is showing a lot more of his personality and their chemistry. Maybe I got it a little wrong last week – clearly they still really like each other, even after their Hideaway visit.
Jake and Liberty are still the favourites to win, though we haven’t seen much of them this week. Suppose it’s pretty quiet when you’re the most secure couple in the Villa. Let’s not speak too soon, though, as tonight is the iconic Snog, Marry, Pie challenge. All the comfortable couples typically struggle in this episode, as the boys have to work out whether it’s better to snog the girl they’re coupled up with and marry another islander, or marry their girl and lips someone else. The teaser for tonight shows Jake full-on snogging Kaz while Liberty looks on and we are MORTIFIED. Not so much because of Jake and Lib’s relationship, but because we don’t want to see the end of her and Kaz’s friendship. Please protect those besties!
I’m still loving Teddy, and his relationship with Faye. Fans have done a U-turn on her, going from disliking her to really enjoying her presence and I agree! She feels like this series’ voice of reason, and I kind of love her and Teddy’s dynamic. I just wish she would lower her guard a little and let him in. Being this defensive and sarcastic can only work for so long and I’m hoping she sees how Teddy genuinely likes her.
This will be their fourth week in the Villa, and with Casa Amor right around the corner, our couples will have to work hard and fast to solidify these connections before they’re really being tested. And we all know how much Love Island producers like to test their cast…
Check back each Monday for Brig’s breakdown of that week’s drama!
Love Island airs every night at 9pm on ITV2.
Featured Image Credit : ITV
Fourth-year Digital Media student. Can be found procrastinating or talking about feminism. Sometimes writes things.
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