When it comes to the popular reality dating show Love Island, there is no shortage of polarizing opinions foundonline. In particular, Reddit has several threads dedicated to the pros and cons of the guilty-pleasure show, with many voicing thoughts that go against public sentiment and others that reinforce what most people feel about certain characters, aspects of the show, etc.
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From underrated seasons, the role of social media and branding, to the value of Casa Amor, some fans of the show might be delighted to discover some of the outlandish opinions about Love Island that tend to go against the grain.
Season 1 Is Underrated
For most Love Island fans, season 1 tends to be among the least entertaining due to the fact the show was still new and finding its footing, establishing its tone, and working out all of the format kinks. The contestants also left a lot to be desired, as did the viewership ratings.
However, several Redditors feel season 1 was underrated, with Mkblingg saying "season 1 was actually enjoyable," withKnighboat17agreeing that "the speed/group dating in s1 and s2 was a great concept and I'd like to see them bring that back." Alas, the speed dating was not brought back and season 1 remains one of the least viewed by fans.
The Show Is Losing Its Mojo
In a Reddit Thread about Unpopular Love Island opinions, Advanced_Performer47 claims "Love Island is losing its flair. Idk what it is but it used to be way better. The people had personalities, even if they weren't the best, it made it entertaining. This season (7) had a lot of furniture people."
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A ton of blowback for the opinion can be found below the OP, including season 7 being compared far favorably to Love IslandUSA season 3. Moreover, averaging 'over 4 million per episode across all devices' (via Variety), season 7 was the second most-watched season of Love Island yet, proving the show is getting stronger, not weaker.
As Love Island has progressed, production has increased the use of social media for contestants to promote their various brands and build an online following post-show. According to drmcstuff, "I think social media ruins it. The stakes are not high enough inside the villa, they want deals and try to market themselves."
But judging by the increased popularity of the contestants on social media as soon as the show airs, including massive spikes in Instagram followers, the increasing presence of social media branding on the show actually works as intended. For instance, fans may not know that even Molly-Mae's Pretty Little Thing brandgained mass success and increased her visibility greatly.
Olivia Bowen Was The Worst Contestant Ever
Judging by her excellent 45-day run to second place, Olivia Bowen was one of the most beloved contestants in Love Island season 2, avoiding elimination from the public and her housemates alike to finish as a worthy runner-up. As one of the best Love Island UK couples, she found true love in Alex Bowen, with the two getting married in 2018 (via Hello Magazine).
Yet, some feel Olivia was mean, manipulative, and undeserving of making it as far as she did. Artaxxx says "I can't stand Olivia. She was mean and selfish," withIcyAmphibian6455 also adding in that they "don't understand the [couples] popularity [or why...] they [were] more popular than Nathan and Cara, for example?." It’s important to remember that the show’s producers condense a whole day into a 1 hour time slot so it’s not completely fair to judge a person based on what they see on TV. Just because the show presented Olivia as “mean and selfish” didn’t mean that she always was.
Amber Gill WasRude
Love Island season 5 winner Amber Gill is often considered the coolest contestant to appear on the show and a worthy first-place finisher. She found genuine love with Greg O'Shea and endured an impressive 58 days in the villa without being eliminated. When Greg split up with her after the show, Amber saw a huge outpouring of fan support.
Yet, Edgeyworth95 gets no support for launching into a paragraph-long rant about how they "did not like Amber," claiming she was rude to dump Callum for Anton and was too mean to Maura. As expected, the opinion was met with opposing views, (which support Amber's popularity on and off the show). Tensions are always high in the villa so there was going to be times where the contestants got annoyed or frustrated with one another. It did not make them bad or horrible people; just human.
The Smoking Area Is Missed
In a somewhat controversial take, NikolaSolonik comes out and says "I miss when the islanders were allowed to smoke together on camera." Of course, the smoking section of the show was nixed precisely because it was deemed too unhealthy to promote, resulting in an overwhelming number of public complaints in 2017.
Still, despite the unpopularity of Nikola's opinion, the chats that took place during the outdoor smoking section were often some of the most candid and compelling. While the show did make the right decision in getting rid of the smoking areas, the producers could easily find other ways for them to talk and gossip. After all, there are plenty of challenges and games they come up with that lead to some explosive moments.
Casa Amor Is Getting Old
Most Love Island fans will attest that the Casa Amorprovides themost dramatic moments in the show. Not only does it separate the men from the women, but it also introduces new contestants to test relationship loyalties and present serious temptation.
Yet, oneRedditor thinks "the Casa Amor twist is starting to get tiring and there needs to be a new twist to replace." Without presenting a new twist, the opinion is met with blowback by fans who do still enjoy the Casa Amor but think it could be improved (such asMarilyPinkbee,suggesting the men stay with each other and the women stay with each other, with the resulting gossip being too juicy to miss).
Anna Might Not Be An Unpopular Love Island Contestant
Reddit u/gtjacket231 knows that their opinion regarding Love Island 5 contestant Anna Vakili is so unpopular that, they signs off with the phrase "runs for cover." Their opinion? "I still like Anna."
With some other Reddit users"upvoting for bravery," it's clear that many Love Island fans were not so impressed with Anna or her wicked shenanigans and nasty behavior she exhibited on the show. Although it does appear as if she has changed since her time on the show, the way she treated Ovie at the end of the season was just too much for fans to take.
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