Love Island returned for its tenth series on Monday, June 5, and fans are loving one of the twists that the show's producers have thrown into the mix!
*There are spoilers for Love Island 2023 below: if you're not caught up yet, check out our guide explaining how to watch Love Island online instead! *
Before Love Island series 10 started ITV teased that the islanders' initial meeting would be slightly different this time around. In past seasons, it's either been the girls or boys who arrived first, with the other five starting islanders entering as the first couples are formed.
For the first time ever, the Love Island team sent in a mix of five male and female islanders, before Love Island host Maya Jama revealed who the public had voted to put together ahead of the series' premiere. But that wasn't the only twist the show's team had in mind!
The episode ended with another shake-up that saw some of the girls revealing how they really felt about their starting couples. After the islanders had started to get to know one another via a game of beer pong (and some flirty challenges), Maya Jama headed back into the villa.
"Are you happy, or could you be happier?" she asked them, before daring the girls to step forward in their couples if they thought they would be happier with another partner.
Two islanders ended up taking the chance — Ruchee Gurung and Jess Harding — letting Mehdi Edno and George Fensom that things clearly weren't going to work.
Bombshell Zachariah Noble from south east London then made his big entrance to the villa. Maya then revealed that Zachariah would get to steal any of the girls in front of him in 24 hours, and not just the two who had stepped forward for him, leaving one boy single and at risk of being dumped!
Viewers were loving the extra drama this injected into the end of the show. One shocked fan wrote: "maya jama told the girls to step forward for drama!!!!!"
maya jama told the girls to step forward for drama!!!!! #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/2SnyBq7i4KJune 5, 2023
Another wrote: "Nah not maya making the girls step forward to just keep them with the guys they just dumped how awkward"
Nah not maya making the girls step forward to just keep them with the guys they just dumped how awkward 💀 #LoveIslandJune 5, 2023
A third wrote: "I like this Step forward choice if they feel they not with the right one. Good game. Stepping up the Love island game", and there were plenty more viewers who were hooked by the big twist to the format.
I like this Step forward choice if they feel they not with the right one. Good game. Stepping up the Love island game. #LoveIsland #LoveIslandUk #UKJune 5, 2023
THEY FOR REAL JUST MADE THEM STEP FORWARD TO STIR IT UP AND NO OTHER REASON YASSSS #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/7uWvsBnzNGJune 5, 2023
Maya made them step forward and there wasn’t any chance of recoupleing there and then😂😂 just airing out their business for free #LoveIslandJune 5, 2023
#LoveIsland I can’t believe Maya dared the girls to step forward, they don’t even know what’s going to happen right now 🫣 pic.twitter.com/1xIMkOs7RCJune 5, 2023
Will Zachariah be looking to get to know Ruchee or Jess? Or might he try to split one of the other couples up entirely? We'll find out when we return to the villa...
Love Island 2023 continues tonight at 9 pm on ITV2; you can catch up with all the drama so far by streaming the series premiere on ITVX.
