Every day except Wednesday, Love Island episodes are broadcast. On Wednesdays, however, we’ll be publishing our weekly recaps throughout the remainder of the season.
Despite all the build-up and new arrivals, after a week in the villa, things seem quite familiar. Huda and Jeremiah’s marriage appears to be on shaky ground. Chelley and Ace remain involved with others but their feelings for each other are clear. Olandria and Taylor’s relationship status is unclear. Nic continues to be annoying, while Belle-A remains insignificant (rest in peace). I spent too much time focusing on Yulissa last week, as she has since left the villa without a clear reason, though we now know it was due to racist remarks. The only real change is that I find Ace more distasteful than Austin, which is quite an achievement.
The majority of the drama arises due to Nic, as he quickly loses interest in Belle-A upon encountering Cierra, a woman eager for a kiss. This is Cierra, the third bombshell, who shares her first night in the hideaway with the man she chooses – and that’s Nic. By the time of the mini-recoupling, it’s no surprise when she decides to pair up with him, leaving Belle-A without a partner. Meanwhile, Charlie, another bombshell from the first night, experiences less success. He selects Chelley, but her lack of interest is clear despite his numerous advances and daring attempt to kiss at an opportune moment, claiming it was written in the stars. Unfortunately for Charlie, neither he nor Chelley can find a suitable match among the others.
It’s possible that Nic would find it astonishing to discover a blogger writing about the “Madonna/Whore dynamic” in relation to his love triangle between Belle-A and Cierra, as she observes their situation. If this knowledge brings some relief to Cierra, who becomes anxious upon learning she has the greatest number of romantic partners compared to her rival Belle-A, it’s important to note that none of them are responsible for how their complicated relationships fit into a sexist stereotype. However, Belle-A eventually comes to understand that portraying herself as Jessica Simpson while positioning Cierra as Christina Aguilera isn’t beneficial to her own image.
In the Run the Bases competition, instead of abstaining from the kissing as most participants do, Belle-A surprises everyone by initiating kisses with each boy in her lineup. This event, which shares a vague connection with baseball, is reminiscent of the racy moments on Love Island. It involves unusual uses of food such as bobbing for baseballs soaked in buttery popcorn, smearing ketchup on each other, sharing a Popsicle, and so forth. The girls assign boys to different bases based on their preferences. While it’s optional, kissing is encouraged. Many expected Belle-A to avoid this, but she dives right in. This unexpected move earns her praise from Olandria, and even shifts Nic’s preferences, causing him to see Belle-A and another contestant, Cierra, as equally attractive.
In a straightforward manner, Belle-A expresses that she feels strengthened following her workout, yet not sufficiently empowered to react indignantly upon hearing from Nic that they both hold his affections equally with Cierra. This revelation spurs on Belle-A and Nic, leading them to share their first genuine kiss in Soul Ties, beneath a neon sign that reads “soul ties.” For a brief instance, it seems as though the direction of Nic’s attraction is firmly towards Belle-A. However, just minutes later, they are seen passionately kissing in the photo booth, which serves as their special spot, suggesting that Nic and Cierra share this affection as well.
In the recoupling, there’s a heavy weight on Nic because whoever he doesn’t pick, either Belle-A or Cierra, will be instantly eliminated from the island. He opts for Cierra, mentioning their memorable moment in the photo booth, thus ending Belle-A’s stay in the villa. Huda and Chelley are visibly upset, with Chelley even shedding her makeup tears. However, it’s Belle-A who emerges victorious in this situation because she’s finally learned to stand up to Nic and express her feelings directly. Nic later complains that he wished things didn’t have to turn out this way. Belle-A retorts, “You made it this way.” Indeed, girl, but one might wonder where such assertiveness was when Nic was leading you on?
Unless it’s Maura “Are You Pulling My Leg?” Higgins holding them accountable, characters on this show rarely face consequences for their poor conduct. That’s why, despite Olandria revealing to Cierra that Nic and Belle-A shared a Soul Ties moment, Cierra struggles to sustain her indignation towards Nic for more than 24 hours. Ace and Taylor express their disapproval of Nic’s actions; kudos to them, but it is precisely such instances that make the rest of us tune in to this show.
To be honest, let’s not act like Ace is the emotionally mature king he believes himself to be. Frankly, he’s pushing my patience to the limit. For the last week, while Chelley has been with Austin, Ace has been engaging her in suggestive conversations and bestowing affectionate forehead kisses, leading everyone to assume that he’ll choose her at the recoupling. However, just as two newcomers, Hannah and Amaya, enter the picture during the Run the Bases challenge, Ace decides it’s time for him to start playing his own games. With the arrival of Amaya, an intricate love quadrangle forms between her, Austin, Ace, and Chelley. But that’s just the beginning.
Chelley has conveyed to Austin that she feels a stronger platonic bond rather than romantic feelings towards him, but Austin harbors hopes of them transitioning from friends to lovers and remains optimistic. Alternatively, he is also drawn to Amaya. Amaya extends an invitation for him to participate in a morning meditation with her, and they share a kiss during the session. Notably, she manages to suppress any laughter at his goofy sun hat. (It’s worth pondering if Amaya is aware of the information we uncovered about Austin during the State Your Case game the previous day. Most importantly, Austin admitted to sending countless explicit photos in his lifetime. Performing simple calculations on this claim suggests that not every photo was requested, which makes it a definite no for me.)
As a dedicated movie enthusiast, let me rephrase this scenario: Just like the rest of us in this confounding villa, Amaya seems to have a soft spot for Ace, who surprisingly returns the sentiment. Frankly, Ace seems to reciprocate feelings rather indiscriminately, but it’s evident that he shares a unique romantic spark with Chelley. Their interactions feel less like scripted dialogue and more like natural banter between individuals who genuinely appreciate each other.
However, similar to his impulsive kiss with Huda during the Blindfold Challenge without any apparent reason, Ace chooses Amaya during the recoupling, despite her clumsy flirting style being a much better fit for Austin. This decision leaves everyone stuck with their secondary matches, and I can’t help but wonder if Ace intentionally made this choice to stir things up.
It appears Ace might be attempting to pique Chelley’s interest by creating distance, as Austin suggested was counterproductive since Chelley isn’t typically interested in pursuing relationships aggressively. This theory could have some basis, considering that after coupling with Amaya, Ace tells her to expect minimal effort from him. Amaya recognizes this as manipulative behavior, which further frustrates Ace. The ensuing interactions between the two are uncomfortable to watch, with Ace criticizing Amaya for expressing normal romantic expectations and Amaya responding assertively. This dynamic has led some viewers to label Amaya as overly aggressive while Ace comes across as cold and controlling.
In this stage, divisions have emerged based on gender, and they surface during the Pucker or Pie contest. Here’s how the game works: Islanders respond to tricky questions about each other, followed by a large coin flip that determines whether they’ll kiss or pie their chosen one. Taylor defends Ace by accusing Amaya of overdoing it, while Huda backs Amaya by suggesting Ace secretly wishes for someone more suitable. Emotions run high, but Cierra takes advantage of the situation to kiss Chelley, giving me a glimmer of hope that they might pair up instead of their current less-than-ideal partners. Unfortunately, it appears that Chelley hasn’t completely written off Ace yet.
As a film enthusiast, I find myself pondering over Ace’s unusual choice of interest in Chelley rather than the girl he appears fond of. Maybe Ace is cautious about committing too soon, as choosing Chelley could lead him into an actual relationship. Ace has been open about his desire to explore every potential connection during his stay in the villa. This might explain why he and Nic and Taylor seem so skeptical towards Huda and Jeremiah.
Ace seems overly protective of his freedom as a ‘fuckboy’, which makes him a self-proclaimed critic of Huda and Jeremiah. He’s defensive to the point of being their chief hater in the villa. Additionally, he might be worried that Jeremiah could make him look less appealing. I’ve noticed this pattern before – one couple starts off strong, and another tries to disrupt them. This time, it seems like it could be effective.
At the start of the week, there’s no need for Huda or Jeremiah to officially declare themselves as villa parents because Huda has already taken on that role. They share some similar traits, but not all of them are positive. For instance, Jeremiah becomes agitated when he thinks Huda might kiss someone else during the blindfold game (which Olandria wisely identified as a warning sign). Meanwhile, Huda reacts strongly after Amaya kisses Jeremiah during the Bases challenge. Jeremiah tends to shut down other suitors, but this doesn’t deter Huda from making her feelings known towards him. She openly flirts with phrases like “Hey, baby,” or even a mere stern glance while Amaya tries talking to Jeremiah. Ace inquires if Huda understands that it’s only been four days, but Huda is unfazed because she told Jeremiah she feels like a mom, and that means something significant to her.
Jeremiah handles the unexpected development calmly, at least for a while. After all, what other options does he have? Dump her and be met with harsh criticism on social media? He’s momentarily taken aback, but tells Huda that, for now, she remains the only woman in the villa for him. They then decide to take a shower together. This is their usual pattern. They get along fine until they suddenly don’t, often due to a personal issue one of them has created in their mind, and then they’re okay again. One moment they’re enjoying their water-park date and discussing their life beyond the villa. The next, Huda is pushing Jeremiah for more commitment than he’s prepared for, and Jeremiah expresses his discomfort with Huda treating him like a child, suggesting that he’s not as relaxed about her motherly behavior as he appears to be.
It’s advantageous for Huda to have friends such as Olandria and Chelley, who conceal their reservations regarding Jeremiah’s motives. On the other hand, Ace and Nic are constantly whispering in Jeremiah’s ear about their suspicions that Huda is insincere and manipulative, even though they lack substantial proof, often used to justify their own questionable actions. I’m not implying that Huda and Jeremiah are absolutely genuine, but deliberately attempting to undermine them is unacceptable regardless of the situation.
I’d like to touch base with Olandria as she’s my preferred choice, but lately she seems to be deeply engrossed in conversations with Belle-A and Huda, often acting as their support system. Her current pairing with Taylor is moving slowly because he’s struggling to understand why he doesn’t feel a physical attraction towards her. Frankly, we’re all puzzled by this situation too.
Apart from everyone else, there’s Charlie, the least noticed British contestant on Love Island. For the majority of the week, Charlie remains relatively idle, not being chosen by any girl during the initial firepit and growing increasingly anxious leading up to the Bases challenge, where most girls have ranked him fourth. Does he face a lifetime stuck on first base? He even wonders if he’s just too British for these American women, failing to grasp that his British accent is actually his greatest asset. Fortunately for him, two new contestants are introduced at the end of the challenge, and Hannah finds herself charmed by Charlie’s accent once she discovers Austin possesses the charm of damp sand. Hannah and Charlie share a kiss during the challenge on the first night. They even exchange another kiss in the kitchen the following morning to an enthusiastic audience. It’s quite amusing, indeed. Charlie began the week as the loneliest heartthrob in Fiji. Now, he’s the only Islander who feels content and secure in his relationship.
Can I Pull You for a Chat?
• “Have you heard of Belgian waffles?” — Nic
• “You’re a goddess; you need offerings.” — Cierra
• “Damn, Nic! They say you a jezebel!” — Ace
• “Tip tip, cheerio, take my clothes off.” — Hannah
It seems like no one is properly caring for their teeth these days; instead, they’re all rushing towards keyboard usage.” (Amaya)
• “How much more exploring do you need?” — Olandria
• “Like Dora or some shit.” — Chelley
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2025-06-11 21:55