With around 70 cameras taping all the action and episodes most days, Love Island fans probably think they know everything there is to know about the goings on in the villa.
We’re almost at the end of the ITV2 show’s seventh series, so you wouldn’t blame fans for thinking they were experts on all things Love Island by now.
However, it turns out that show bosses do have a few little secrets.
From a hidden kitchen to sneaky days off, there is plenty happening behind the scenes.
We have a look at some of the least known aspects of island life.
Eating is off camera
One of the things most fans notice is that the contestants never seem to eat on camera.
However, several have spilled the beans about it over the years, revealing that meals are generally off screen because watching people eat probably wouldn’t make very good TV.
This year’s hopeful Georgia Townend recently explained that Islanders can help themselves to breakfast while lunch and dinner – usually meat, fish and salads – are provided for by a catering agency.
The ‘real’ kitchen
There is also a hidden kitchen tucked away behind the back wall of the bedroom.
Viewers don’t get a glimpse of it and the contestants don’t go there either.
Food is prepared back there, off camera, before being served up to the reality stars.
Instead, viewers see the islanders whipping up iced coffees and toasties in the outside kitchen, trying to win the affection of their other halves.
The Islanders get paid
Some of the contestants had jobs, homes – and probably gym memberships – before they jetted off to the villa, so just who is paying their bills now?
Well, don’t worry, the stars of Love Island are paid for their time on the show.
It hasn’t been confirmed how much the contestants make but according to The Sun they pocket around £250 for every week they are on our screens.
Potential Islanders go through a long screening process
Competition for a spot on one of those loungers is fierce, and anyone hoping to get on the show has to go through a long interview process.
This involves an online application, interviews, questionnaires, medical tests and psychological assessments.
It was even revealed that the contract warns applicants that they might not find anyone in the villa – and it’s not a guarantee that they’ll get famous.
Contestants get a day off
While every day in the villa looks like a holiday to most of us, the contestants need a break from the highs and lows of filming.
Former winner Kem Cetinay said on This Morning in 2019 that the Islanders get a day off every week but that producers watch them like hawks.
“Normally we go to the beach and we just chill out – there are no microphones,” he said.
“So what happens is, when you take the microphone off you’re not allowed to talk about anything to do with the show or the couples, you have to talk about home life and things.”
What’s with the sunglasses?
Fans have been confused about why the Islanders don their shades in bed.
But it seems it’s purely down to the bright lights in the well-lit bedroom.
Former contestant Elma Pazar told a fan on social media: “The light is so bright when it flicks on and also I don’t know many people that wake up pretty in the mornings, the more of the face hidden before it’s washed the better.”
Time is hard to pin down
Clocks and watches are banned in the villa so time doesn’t really seem to be much of a thing.
Several contestants have shared that they had no perception of time during their stay.
Former contestant Michael Griffiths told GQ: “You never know what the time is. They’ll wake you up by putting the lights on or a voiceover will say ‘Islanders, it’s time to get up’.”
The villa looks very different post-Love Island
One thing that might surprise viewers is that the plush villa doesn’t look like that all year around.
The lavish pad is actually privately owned by someone who rents it out for the show.
The pool remains the same, but much of the other décor is laid on just for the programme and stripped out when everyone has jetted home.
The larder is used for secret talks
The larder might just be the villa’s best kept secret – until now.
While its name might suggest it’s just a place for storing food, it seems the little tucked away area is often used for top secret chats with producers.
Former contestant Laura Anderson previously told Closer magazine: “If you see someone coming out of ‘the larder’, there’s probably drama ahead!”
Conversations sometimes get repeated
Love Island isn’t scripted but Islanders sometimes have to repeat certain conversations if the camera missed them.
Former contestant Jack Fincham previously explained that there was “no fakeness” but that things might have to be said again to make sure viewers don’t lose track of a storyline.
He told RadioTimes.com: “It’s the same conversation, just so that they can show it to everyone else so the viewer isn’t going, ‘Hang on a minute, I thought he didn’t like him? Or when did they become friends?’ It’s all to make sense.”
Love Island has its own branded condoms
Viewers have started to pick up on the fact that there are Love Island condoms on hand should the need arise – and on Wednesday night’s episode it certainly did.
But just how many are there?
Well according to reports, there are about 200 condoms scattered around the villa at any one time. That’s several for each Islander.
This year’s islander Hugo Hammond even took one home with him after he was dumped from the show.
Love Island airs nightly at 9pm on ITV2
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk