It's what Love Island fans have been waiting for; the return of Casa Amor, which will see six new boys and six new girls thrown into the mix with one task - to turn heads.
Casa Amor is seen as the "ultimate test", so temperatures look set to rise as the new cohort of Islanders settle in to their South African home.
In the custom, the cast of the ITV reality show is divided into two separate living quarters, with the division often being kept a secret. One group remains in the original villa while the other is relocated to Casa Amor.
READ MORE: Love Island fans say 'secret feud' is brewing between the girls
In the most recent episode of the popular ITV2 dating programme, the Islanders were greeted with an unexpected elimination at the fire pit; Ellie Spence and Jordan Odofin were ousted from the villa after the viewers made the decision to vote them out. Just the day prior, Jordan had made the decision to break things off with Tanyel Revan in favor of Ellie, leading to Tanyel's departure from the show.
On yesterday's episode, the conflict between Shaq Muhammad and Ron Hall reached new heights when we saw 24-year-old Shaq, an airport security officer, growing upset with 25-year-old financial advisor Ron, who opted to chat with his partner, Lana Jenkins, and Shaq's partner Tanya Manhenga instead of helping with the dishes along with the other male islanders.
So, who are the 2023 head turners coming to Casa Amor?
The girls
Layla Al-Momani
Layla Al-Momani is a 28-year-old Brand Managing Director from Kingston, South West London. She sees herself as a standout Islander and plans to ask the "weird questions" to get to know others.
When she was asked who she'd like to couple up with, she said: "Ron! He’s cheeky and he’s like a lad. I really fancy Will, too. My type is Louis Theroux and he just gives that vibe. I also fancy Shaq, but he seems to be unavailable!"
Sammy James
Sammy is a 27-year-old beauty buyer from Leicester who now lives in Dubai. She says she is looking for a partner who "knows exactly where he’s going in life", as well as with a big heart and a "little bit silly".
She said she is drawn to two men in particular, Casey, whos blue eyes "remind her of the ocean" and Tom "for the eye contact". Sammy added that she is "in the 5am club" and enjoys outdoor activities, such as windsurfing, and calls herself a "big manifester".
Cynthia Otseh-Taiwo
A dental receptionist and baker, Cynthia is 25 and from North London. When asked what kind of islander she would be, she said: "I’ll be a girls’ girl, but only to the girls that are my girls.
"If I have a connection with someone, I can’t stop that connection just because of what’s gone on, because that wouldn’t be fair to myself."
Like Sammy before her, she says that eye contact is an important trait, adding "when you lock the eye contact, that’s when they’re like, ‘OK...’ and they make their move. It’s worked for me in the past."
Sanam Harrinan
A 24-year-old social worker from Bedford, Sanam says she is ready to take the Island by storm with her flirtatious and bantery personality.
She is looking for a partner who can "dish banter back", who knows when she is being serious, and is on the same level as her. She has her sights set on three Islanders - Kai, who she thinks they'll connect with on a professional level, Tom, about whom she said she "loves his beard", and Casey, whom she thinks she "can have fun and banter with."
In her own words, Sanam is "very competitive" if there is a guy that she has her heart set on: "I’m excited to go in there and have some fun. I want to see whose heads I can personally turn."
Lydia Karakyriakou
Lydia, the only Scot in the new cohort, hails from Glasgow. The 22-year-old works as a retail customer assistant and says she will bring "a lot of chat and flirtiness", adding that she is known amongst her friends back home as the 'friend therapist'.
Admitting that the best way to her heart is through carbs, there's one name that's thrown out when she is asked who she wants to couple up with: "Casey, I love his personality.
"After seeing the way he spoke with Lana about their situation, I thought he was really upfront. I respect that he didn’t beat around the bush and was honest about the way he felt."
Lynda Flix
Another 22-year-old, but this time she comes from Salford and works as a singer and a healthcare assistant, saying that she "sings all the time - in the shower and even when I’m sleeping!"
For Lynda, she seems to be on the lookout for someone "tall, dark and handsome", so she has her eyes on Kai and Shaq, adding that she likes Tom's eyes.
"The most important thing is humour, he needs to be funny and be able to make me laugh". she says, "I also need someone that's very energetic and exciting, he can’t be boring. If he’s boring, ‘bye!’"
The boys
Kain Reed
Hailing from Gateshead, 21-year-old Kain works as an energy consultant who says straight out the blocks that he is "going in there to turn heads", adding that 90 percent of him is "going in there for the girls" but also is keen for a bit of lad banter.
Kain warns the girls that they might get lost if they stare at his eyes for too long, adding that if he had to choose who to couple up with he would go with Samie, saying that there's a "good chance it could happen" if he gets talking to her.
"I also like Lana, she’s obviously coupled up, but in Casa Amor the other boys aren’t there so we’ll have to see what happens won’t we?!"
Ryan Weekley
Steel erector Ryan says he is set to "get grafting straight away" as soon as he enters Casa Amor.
The 22-year-old 'proud redhead' from Nottingham also adds that he has plans to "play it cool", revealing that his flirting style involves a lot of eye contact. He intends to look for someone who would be his "best friend", throwing Samie's name in the ring as the one he wants to couple up with.
"She’s great to look at and I think we have the same interests," Ryan says, "we both want to travel, so I’d love to travel around the world with her."
Frankie Davey
Another boxer looks set to join the Islanders in Casa Amor. Hailing from Ipswich, 22-year-old Frankie says he "doesn't have to do a lot of chasing" when it comes to dating, adding "so it might be a little bit of a switch up in the Villa."
"There's two girls that have caught my eye.. one would be a more difficult one to pursue", he says, playing his cards close to his chest when asked who he'd couple up with.
Although we will have to see whether his bad habit of "never passing a mirror without looking in it" becomes an annoyance or a pleasure for the Love Island girls.
Maxwell Samuda
Maxwell is a finance student and restaurant host from London, and says he will "speak his mind" which may cause some early fireworks in the Villa.
"My approach is to just talk to a girl normally, try and learn as much as I can about them and see if there is a vibe", he says, "I won’t be afraid to go after what I want or tell it as it is."
The 23-year-old has his eyes on Samie, stating that she "keeps it real" and appears to be on the same wavelength as him with her candour.
Bayley Mummery
"I’m excited, it will be good to get the girls away from the boys so I can give them some of my charm", says operations manager Bayley from Surrey.
"I’ll be very open, I’m not afraid to talk about my feelings and give others advice if they need it," the 25-year-old adds, "I’m also in there for myself, so I’m going to have to put myself first when it comes to the girls. If I tread on a few toes, so be it."
For him, it's Samie who is in the crosshairs, saying that she is his "type to a T". With so many after the same girl, it will be interesting to see how the drama unfolds.
Martin Akinola
The 27-year-old Dubliner is friends with Dami from the last series of Love Island, saying that he gave him the following advice: 'Do your thing, be yourself and everyone else will get to know you, and get to see why we're friends'.
The senior software engineer describes himself as a "winner", adding "I'm excited to go in, cause some confusion, some little problems. It's a 50/50 chance - win or lose.
As for how he dates, well, he says it's simple: "I send a rose emoji in the DMs - it works every time. The girl will say, 'Thank you...' and then the conversation just flows."
With his main selling point being his body, according to him, it seems that viewers will be seeing a lot of Martin in the upcoming episodes.
READ NEXT
- Coronation Street star marks 25-year milestone in battle with booze
- Stacey Solomon TV show Brickin' It wants Bristolians who need DIY help after dealing with dodgy builders
- Love Island contestants on 'baboon alert' as monkeys terrorise area surrounding villa
- Chris Pratt left 'so honoured' by his title role in Super Mario Bros movie
- 'Midlife' version of Love Island is taking applications for 'vibrant single parents'
