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The new Love Island villa is the biggest ever – boasting an infinity pool, huge bedrooms, and panoramic views of Mallorca.
But it’s bad news for former England striker Michael Owen, 42, because this year’s lineup of dating hopefuls, which includes his daughter Gemma, 19, WILL be shown having sex after last year’s series’ blackout.
Love Island producers confirmed to MailOnline that while food-eating challenges have been scrapped, sex is still on the menu, and they will assess each moment of pleasure between the Islanders on a case-by-case basis.
Luxe! The new Love Island villa is the biggest ever, boasting an infinity pool, huge bedrooms, and panoramic views of Mallorca
Asked by MailOnline if the 2022 series will show sex scenes unlike last year, executive producer Mike Spencer admitted there was no black out ban in place.
He said: ‘We don’t decide anything in advance. You just don’t know until you see the footage, genuinely, we are so reactive we are cutting around the clock.
‘If something happens, we are cutting it overnight so until you see something it is hard to make a judgment and you just have to go with what is right.
‘The show does get it right, it’s suggestive and funny, music is a massive thing, and we will continue to do that but until we see it it’s difficult to tell and it depends on who it is.’
Look away now! It’s bad news for former England striker Michael Owen because this year’s lineup of dating hopefuls, which includes his daughter Gemma WILL be shown having sex after last year’s series’ blackout
Amping up the drama: The fire pit area, where contestants couple up and are dumped from the villa, has been extended and a runway has been installed to intensify the drama
In March, Gemma told MailOnline that her famous father would be ‘unhappy’ if she signed up for the dating series, after describing him as a protective dad.
She said: ‘I watch Love Island every summer but right now it’s not something I would consider doing because I am not looking for love at the moment.
‘Some of the challenges on Love Island, they’re quite out there. I’m not sure I would be able to kiss 10 boys in a row but I do think it’s a great show.
‘But boys aren’t on the cards right now and my dad wouldn’t be very happy at all if I came back and said ‘I’m going on Love Island.’
‘I would need to wait until I’ve moved out!’
Fancy a dip? The villa boasts a lavish infinity pool for the contestants to cool off in during their long, hot summer
Producers have binned food eating challenges, and their collaborations with fast fashion brands such as Pretty Little Thing, as they strive to become more sustainably aware.
Mike added: ‘We always try to be better as a conscious, environmentally friendly production and we try our best to do that.
‘We shouldn’t be wasting food in this day and age. I like the mouth-to-mouth transfer challenges; I still think they’re fun, but the viewers think they’re gross.’
The new villa, which is Love Island’s third, is located just 10 minutes from last year’s base but bosses were keen to give the show a ‘glow up’ ahead of its eighth series.
And the emphasis is on size, with bigger bedrooms, and more outdoor space, giving the 12 hopefuls lots of opportunity for romance to blossom.
Kitted out: Islanders this year have been spoilt with an array of beauty products in the bathroom and the girls’ dressing room, including makeup, which has been specially matched to each one of their skin tones for picture-perfect selfies
Bigger is better: The new villa has an emphasis on size, with bigger bedrooms, and more outdoor space, giving the 12 hopefuls lots of opportunity for romance to blossom
Mike said: ‘We decided we wanted to have a new summer. We have a new designer on board called Patrick Watson and we viewed quite a few villas and this one was by far the best.
‘We want the viewers to tune in and know it’s Love Island but with a glow up. We started construction two months’ ago and the villa still isn’t finished.’
The fire pit area, where contestants couple up and are dumped from the villa, has been extended and a runway has been installed to intensify the drama.
Laura Whitmore, 37, who presents the series while her husband Iain Sterling, 34, narrates, will meet the Islanders for the first time around the fire pit, before the first coupling up ceremony gets underway.
While the bedroom and sleeping area is larger than in previous years, the beds now face each other, giving contestants hardly any privacy.
Views: The iconic terrace couldn’t be scrapped, with an all new one complete with a couch and a day bed in the new villa
Level up: The new villa, which is Love Island’s third, is located just 10 minutes from last year’s base but bosses were keen to give the show a ‘glow up’ ahead of its eighth series
Final touches: ‘We want the viewers to tune in and know it’s Love Island but with a glow up. We started construction two months’ ago and the villa still isn’t finished,’ said producer Mike
Islanders this year have been spoilt with an array of beauty products in the bathroom and the girls’ dressing room, including makeup, which has been specially matched to each one of their skin tones for picture-perfect selfies.
The wardrobe is full of summer outfits that have been styled by eBay, who are dressing this year’s Islanders in pre-loved clothing.
A bigger villa means even more security after the show has become a target to intruders over the years.
Producer Mike said: ‘There are new security measures. We are very conscious of security and we have got a lot of things in place, plus the villa is bigger in size therefore we have more security.’
The biggest question is, are this year’s cast, which includes microbiologist Dami Hope, 26, the show’s first deaf contestant Tasha Ghouri, 23, and paramedic Paige Thorne, 24, serious about finding love?
Parched? The outdoor kitchen looks chic with a grey marble design – ready for the islanders to fill up their iconic waterbottles
Secure: Producer Mike said: ‘There are new security measures. We are very conscious of security and we have got a lot of things in place, plus the villa is bigger in size therefore we have more security’
Producers predict there will be more romance than ever after they claim to have carefully matched up the lineup according to their type following hours’ worth of interviews during the audition process.
Mike said: ‘We have worked really hard to match make this year.
‘I can’t make any predictions but I am hoping there’s someone for everyone. We have done well with types.
‘We have a good group of people and I know we have ticked off their types in the list. Over the years we have tried to do our best work.
‘We ask the contestants as many questions as possible when we first meet them, which is in January.
Switch up: Producer Mike explained ‘We have a new designer on board called Patrick Watson and we viewed quite a few villas and this one was by far the best’
Gains: And of course, the villa comes kitted out with an outdoor gym for the singletons to work up a sweat
‘We ask about historic exes, what they’re looking for now, and everyone does the whole casting process so hopefully we have someone for everyone.
‘All we can do is keeping trying, it’s a dating show at the end of the day and you can never predict who’s going to have a spark but we can try and find as many people as we can who fancy each other.’
This year’s cast also includes nanny Amber Beckford, 24, waitress Indiyah Polack, 23, and masters student Liam Llewellyn, 22.
Viewers can also expect to see Italian-born Davide Sanclimenti, 27, and Ikenna Ekwonna, 23, who works in pharmaceutical sales.
Saucy: Some cheeky neon signs have been added around the villa too, as one reads ‘lick me’
The 2021 series was won by Millie Court, 25, and Liam Reardon, 22, while Amber Gill, 24, Greg O’Shea, 27 scooped the title in 2019.
Love Island was shelved in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and this year strict protocols are in place to protect the Islanders from possible infection.
On Saturday, former stars of the show Camilla Thurlow, 32, and Jamie Jewitt, also 32, welcomed their second baby together, a daughter called Nora.
Olivia, 28, and Alex Bowen, 31, who rose to fame on the 2016 series, are expecting their first baby together this year.
Off we go: The villa has been kitted out for the islanders arrival next week, with Love Island returning to screens on June 6
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