From now on, Love Island episodes will be shown daily, except Wednesdays. On those days, we will provide a summary of the week’s events for you to catch up!
Despite all the build-up and excitement, after a week in the villa, things appear fairly unchanged, even with four new arrivals and two departures. Huda and Jeremiah’s relationship seems to be hanging by a thread. Chelley and Ace continue their relationships with others but seem to have eyes only for each other. Olandria and Taylor’s status remains undetermined. Nic continues to be annoying, while Belle-A still doesn’t make much of an impact (Rest in Peace). I spent too much time on Yulissa last week, as she has since left the villa with little explanation from the show; we now know it was due to racist comments. The only significant change is that I find Ace more repulsive than Austin, which is quite an achievement.
In simpler terms, most of the drama unfolds due to Nic, as he quickly loses interest in Belle-A when another woman, Cierra, who’s eager to kiss him, arrives at the villa. Cierra spends her first night in the hideaway with whoever she chooses, and she picked Nic. By the time of the mini-recoupling, it’s not surprising that she chooses to be paired with him, leaving Belle-A without a partner. On the other hand, Charlie, another arrival on the first night, doesn’t have as much luck. He tries to win over Chelley, but she’s clearly uninterested, regardless of his efforts and a daring attempt to kiss her when the stars supposedly align. Unfortunately, no one else seems interested in him either.
As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but wonder if Nic would be taken aback to discover there’s an outside observer jotting down thoughts about the “Madonna/Whore dynamic” in his love triangle between Belle-A and Cierra. If this knowledge brings any solace to Cierra, who often finds herself anxious upon learning that she has the highest number of romantic entanglements compared to her rival, Belle-A, it’s worth noting.
The fact that their complicated relationships seem to fit so neatly into a sexist stereotype is not a fault of any of the three characters – Nic isn’t immune to oversimplifying human connections, after all. However, Belle-A has finally come to understand that portraying herself as Jessica Simpson while casting Cierra as Christina Aguilera isn’t doing her any favors in the grand scheme of things.
In the Run the Bases contest, Belle-A chooses to initiate kissing the male participants. This event is similar to the antics on Love Island, with a tenuous connection to baseball, featuring unconventional activities such as retrieving baseballs from buttered popcorn, covering each other in ketchup, sharing a Popsicle, and so forth. The girls assign boys to bases based on their individual preferences. Many assume Belle-A will abstain from the messy kissing that is optional within the game’s rules. However, she surprises everyone by starting with a passionate kiss for each boy in her lineup, earning an approving comment from Olandria: “Our little one is growing up!” This bold move even causes Nic to reconsider his preferences, splitting his affections equally between Cierra and Belle-A.
After her workout, Belle-A feels strong but not fully confident to be upset when Nic informs her that he has feelings for both her and Cierra. This boosts her spirit, and they share a genuine kiss in Soul Ties, under the neon sign. However, their moment is short-lived as later, Nic passionately kisses Cierra in the photo booth, their favorite spot.
The situation at the recoupling is intense for Nic as he must make a decision between Belle-A and Cierra, because whomever he doesn’t pick will be instantly eliminated from the island. He opts for Cierra, mentioning their memorable moment in the photo booth during his speech, which unfortunately brings an end to Belle-A’s stay at the villa. Huda and Chelley are visibly upset, with Chelley even shedding her makeup tears. However, it is Belle-A who comes out on top because she has learned to express her feelings directly to Nic in a way he can’t ignore. Afterward, Nic complains that he wishes things didn’t have to turn out this way. Belle-A retorts, “You made it this way.” Indeed, Belle-A, but why wasn’t this assertiveness shown when Nic was leading you on?
Except when it comes to Maura “Are You Pulling My Leg?”, men rarely face consequences for their poor conduct on this series. This is likely why, despite Olandria exposing Nic and Belle-A’s Soul Ties incident to Cierra, she can barely sustain her anger towards Nic for 24 hours. Ace and Taylor might feign indifference about Nic’s actions; however, it’s precisely such behavior that keeps the audience hooked on this show.
To be frank, let’s not act like Ace truly embodies the emotionally mature king he appears to believe himself to be. Honestly, Ace is pushing my patience to the limit lately. Over the last week, while Chelley has been paired with Austin, Ace has been engaging her in suggestive conversations and bestowing kisses on her forehead, leading everyone to assume that he’s going to choose her during the recoupling. Unfortunately, just as things seemed set, two new contestants, Hannah and Amaya, entered the picture at the end of the Run the Bases challenge. This seems to have given Ace the green light to start his own manipulations. As a result, an unusual love quadrangle has arisen between Amaya, Austin, Ace, and Chelley – though this dynamic may shift over time.
Chelsey has expressed to Austin that she feels a stronger platonic bond between them, but Austin harbors romantic feelings and persists in the hope of transitioning from friends to lovers. If that doesn’t work out, he is also drawn to Amaya. Amaya invites him to meditate with her in the morning, and they share a kiss (!), and remarkably, she manages not to laugh at his goofy sun hat. (It’s worth considering whether Amaya is aware of what we learned about Austin during the State Your Case game the previous day. Essentially, Austin boasted that he has sent countless explicit images, which suggests that many of these pictures were unsolicited, making it a hard pass for me.)
Unfortunately, similar to other residents of this villa, Amaya also seems drawn to Ace. To be honest, Ace appears to reciprocate these feelings towards many, including Amaya, although his romantic connection with Chelley is quite evident. Their interactions feel genuine and engaging, unlike the typical first-date questioning. However, in a move reminiscent of his spontaneous kiss with Huda during the Blindfold Challenge, Ace selects Amaya during the recoupling, despite her flirtatious style being more compatible with Austin. This decision leaves everyone stuck with their secondary matches, and it seems to me that Ace may have intentionally made this choice.
Why do I think so? It seems Ace might be attempting to make Chelley feel more drawn to him by creating distance, which aligns with Austin’s comment that he shouldn’t force her to pursue him since she isn’t the type who chases. Regrettably, I find myself siding with Austin on this matter. There are hints supporting this theory as after pairing up, Ace chooses to inform Amaya that she should only expect the bare minimum from him. Amaya quickly recognizes this as manipulative behavior, which Ace perceives as a warning sign. This leads to a sequence of uncomfortable interactions between them, where Ace criticizes Amaya for common human expectations, such as wanting her partner to show affection, in a cold, calculated manner. It’s worth noting that Ace takes issue with Amaya calling him “babe,” even though she uses the term casually with everyone. However, Amaya has a more vocal and expressive way of confronting issues, which can make it simple for men to label her as overzealous or desperate.
As a passionate cinephile, let me rephrase this intriguing scenario: In this dramatic turn, allegiances have been formed based on gender, unveiled during the playful Pucker or Pie contest. The game’s guidelines dictate that island dwellers respond to potentially scandalous questions about each other, followed by a massive coin flip to determine whether they’ll share a kiss or a pie with their chosen companion. Taylor defends Ace by calling out Amaya for over-exerting herself, while Huda supports Amaya by suggesting Ace secretly yearns for someone more promising. Emotions run high as feelings are hurt, but Cierra seizes the moment to lock lips with Chelley, igniting a glimmer of hope that they might form a bond, escaping the clutches of their current less-than-ideal counterparts. However, tragically, Chelley appears to still harbor feelings for Ace, dashing my hopes that these two could form a romantic connection.
An alternative interpretation for Ace preferring a girl he appears to dislike over one he seems fond of could be that he’s cautious about committing too quickly. Since Ace wants to explore all potential connections while in the villa, choosing Chelley may lead him into a real relationship, which he has openly expressed his desire to avoid for now. This could explain why he, along with Nic and Taylor, seems so wary of Huda and Jeremiah. Ace is fiercely protective of his freedom as a ‘fuckboy’, and he’s taking on the role of their critic. Additionally, he might be concerned that Jeremiah could make him look bad. This kind of dynamic is not unfamiliar; there are often couples who start off looking like they’re inseparable, only for another contestant to try and disrupt them. In this case, it seems like it might be successful.
At the start of the week, there’s no need for Huda or Jeremiah to officially be called villa parents, as Huda has already taken on that role for them. They share similar intense energies, but not all of them are positive. For instance, Jeremiah becomes agitated when he sees Huda kissing someone else during the blindfold game (which Olandria rightly identified as a warning sign). Similarly, Huda reacts strongly after Amaya kisses Jeremiah during the Bases challenge. Jeremiah tends to shut down other potential suitors, but this doesn’t deter Huda from making her presence known towards him. She either sweetly calls out “Hey, baby” or even gives a disapproving look while Amaya tries to talk to him. Ace questions if Huda realizes it’s only been four days, but Huda is unfazed because she has told Jeremiah she considers herself his mother, and that holds significant meaning for her.
Jeremiah remains composed when he learns this news, at least for a while. After all, what other choice does he have? Dump her and face backlash on social media right away? He’s momentarily taken aback, but tells Huda that, at least for now, she’s the only woman in the villa for him. Then they go take a shower together. This pattern is typical: they get along fine until something happens to make them not, usually due to an internal conflict one of them has created. One moment, they’re enjoying their water-park date and discussing their future beyond the villa. The next, Huda pushes Jeremiah for a more serious commitment than he’s prepared for, and Jeremiah feels that Huda treats him like a child, suggesting he’s less relaxed about this issue than he seems.
At least Huda enjoys the support of friends such as Olandria and Chelley, who conceal their uncertainties regarding Jeremiah’s motives. Meanwhile, Ace and Nic are feeding into Jeremiah’s doubts about Huda, accusing her of being insincere and manipulative, despite lacking concrete evidence to back up these claims – a move that appears to be more about justifying their own questionable behavior. That being said, I can’t definitively confirm the authenticity of either Huda or Jeremiah, but deliberately working against them is poor sportsmanship regardless.
I’d like to catch up with Olandria as she’s my top choice, but lately she seems preoccupied with Belle-A and Huda, often helping them navigate tough times. Her progress with Taylor has been slow due to his struggle with not finding her physically appealing, a mystery we’re all trying to unravel together.
Beyond Charlie, there’s the British contestant often overlooked on Love Island. For much of the week, Charlie finds himself sidelined, untouched by any girls during the initial elimination and growing increasingly anxious by the time of the Bases challenge, where most of the women have placed him fourth. Is he destined to stay forever in the starting block? He ponders whether he’s just too quintessentially British for these American ladies, oblivious to the fact that his British accent is actually his most appealing quality. Fortunately for him, two new contestants are introduced at the end of the challenge, and Hannah finds herself drawn to Charlie’s accent once she discovers Austin possesses the charm of damp sand. Hannah and Charlie share a kiss during the challenge on their first night together. They even lock lips first thing in the morning, greeted by cheers from the kitchen crowd. Kudos to Charlie. It’s ironic, really. He started the week as the most solitary hunk in Fiji. Now, he’s the only Islander who feels neither resentful nor insecure about 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 that fewer people know proper dental care nowadays, with many opting to focus solely on using computers instead.
• “How much more exploring do you need?” — Olandria
• “Like Dora or some shit.” — Chelley
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2025-06-12 00:57