On Monday morning, I was put in mind of Al Pacino in The Godfather III. This does not, I should stress, happen often. But when I saw the cast members for the upcoming ITV2 show Love Island: All Stars – which will feature now-famous former islanders I found myself uttering Michael Corleone’s immortal words: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
Despite the fact that as a long-suffering Love Island fan (and commentator), I finally gave up on paying much attention to new iterations of the show about a year ago, I will be tuning in to All Stars. This is because I am compelled by the personalities involved, rather than by Love Island itself.
The islanders brought back will include beloved friends – Kaz Kamwi and Liberty Poole, from season seven – as well as season four’s Georgia “Loyal” Steel, and Chris Taylor of season five fame, who has forged a path outside of the show so unique that it led him to a role in Barbie. It’ll be interesting to see who has changed and who is as we remember them – because truly, what Love Island is crying out for by 2024 is a bit of intrigue.
The decision to roll out an All Stars version is a smart one. The Love Island format is flailing: the figures for 2023’s summer launch were down by a full million on the previous year, at only 1.3 million. Way back in 2019, 3.3 million watched that year’s first episode. By bringing back popular ex-Islanders, fans who’d left their Love Island habits behind may well be tempted back – including me.
I stopped watching Love Island because by 2023 even I had to admit the series had grown so boring – and the casting so rote – that I could no longer justify all the time I spent on it. I wasn’t alone: alongside the mental health controversies linked with the show, this staleness, plus the fatigue of two seasons a year, was enough to turn many off entirely.
Those who did keep watching, however, will note that one of Love Island’s best curveballs in recent years has involved cashing in on its kingmaker status. The series is known as Britain’s foremost creator of influencers – so much so that it’s now noted with an eye-roll that people enter Love Island hoping for a million followers and brand deals. Adam Collard, originally from the fourth season of the show, was brought back for season eight (though his return was controversial due to the complaints of gaslighting that plagued his first appearance). Season 10, which took place last summer, marked the return of Kady McDermott, who had initially appeared on season two. Both were stars who made a big impact during their original stints on the show, but who also, crucially, had built large followings afterwards.
The move to add them back in was good fun, because it was novel to see how those who’d already played the game might approach it a second time. Re-introducing old cast members was an interesting way to add something new back into a formula that desperately needed refreshing.
The All Stars season of the show, therefore, appeals not because I am desperate for my Love Island fix – I could honestly recite the show’s week-by-week happenings in my sleep – but more because I’m interested, once again, in the new social dynamics that might play out.
This series, for the first time in a while, will pose new questions: how will the experience of fame change islanders’ behaviour and expectations? Does the fact that the islanders are older now mean that they will treat the experience differently? And ultimately, is there any reinvigorating a show like Love Island?
It remains to be seen, but like Michael Corleone before me, I’ll be dragged back into the fray regardless.
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