‘Joey Essex is worst thing for Love Island – it’s clear the show’s not about love’

If it wasn’t obvious before, Love Island is clearly no longer about finding romance.

The big launch night twist saw The Only Way Is Essex legend Joey Essex enter the villa. We can’t be too surprised, Love Island is basically the only reality show he HASN’T yet appeared on.

He’s said he’s going in to find someone to settle down with, and time will tell if he actually is. But with Love Island being the fifth dating show he’s been on, I’m not convinced.

READ MORE: Joey Essex ‘not on Love Island for romance’ as expert exposes tell-tale signs

READ MORE: Click for more brilliant Daily Star TV stories

Joey, 33, has been on TV since 2011, when he joined TOWIE. Since then, he’s been on Splash!, I’m A Celeb (and the Australian version), The Jump, Celebs Go Dating three times, Five Star Hotel, Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Ex On The Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, All Star Shore and Dancing On Ice. He’s also had a number of his own shows, including Educating Joey Essex.

Almost every show he’s been on includes the word “celebrity” in the title – because that’s what he is. He is Joey Essex, and everyone knows what that means.

He’s done incredibly well creating a brand around himself, and I don’t knock him for it in the slightest. But I just don’t understand why he’s been brought into the Love Island villa.

The girls’ eyes lit up when he walked in on Monday night’s show. Unsurprisingly then, in Tuesday’s episode, most of them admitted they fancied him.

Frankly, I believe they fancy the life being seen on his arm could bring them more…

I know, I know. Nobody truly thinks Love Island is about romance any more, but the islanders could at least pretend they’re not going in to add a few extra zeroes to the end of the Instagram follower count.

In Tuesday’s episode, as part of the challenge, Joey had to kiss quite a few of the ladies. Fine, that happens every year.

But the reactions afterwards were so not what Love Island is (supposed to be) about. “My mum is gonna watch this and see I’ve just kissed Joey Essex,” one of the girls said.

So much of the show has been about Joey so far, that some of the other cast members have had barely any screen time. Viewers even picked up on the fact that Sam Taylor seemed to have vanished.

The poor lad was then kicked out of the villa because Joey had to steal one of the girls, and he chose Samantha Kenny, who Sam had been paired with.

Now, we’ve seen brutal dumpings before. Shannon Singh was also kicked out on day two.

But Sam’s dumping just feels extra cruel – because he never chose to couple up with Samantha in the first place.

This year’s coupling-up twist was done via a challenge, which meant the islanders were basically randomly paired up. For some it has seemed to work out, but for others it just wasn’t happening.

I worry now that the series will just become about Joey and whichever girl is fighting for his attention. We’ve already seen a glimpse of what’s to come, with one of the girls giving him a private dance in the Hideaway.

Bringing in famous faces isn’t new for Love Island, as Adam Collard and Kady McDermott, both former islanders, returned for another chance of love (or 15 more minutes of fame). I’m fine with that – they’re known for Love Island, so it makes sense.

But I really struggle to see the point of adding an established celebrity into the mix. Why not just do Celebrity Love Island, instead?

That’s how the show started way back when, before ITV brought it back with “regular” people. At least, the re-boot started with “regular” people.

Love Island was at its best in its early seasons, back when the islanders were a little naive to the fact they could make a career out of the show and completely change their lives.

It was (slightly more) successful as a dating show back then too, with couples like Alex and Olivia Bowen, Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt, Jess Shears and Dom Lever, and Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde still going strong and starting families.

Only a handful of couples from the more recent seasons lasted much longer than a few weeks or months after the show. As for the All Stars season it’s still early days.

And I hope this season proves me wrong. Maybe it will, but I don’t see Joey marrying whoever he ends up with.

He’s had plenty of chances to find love on television before – what makes Love Island any different to those?

Maybe ITV is testing the waters with Joey and will announced a full-on Celebrity Love Island. Maybe another famous face who has no link to the show will go in as a bombshell later in the season.

But please, Love Island bosses, let’s stop pretending that the show is still about love.

Love Island airs nightly at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX

Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk