Love Island is, quite rightly, criticised for picking the same type of entrant every year. They argue about the same meaningless topics and all look as though they spend most of the day in the gym or the nail salon – they is ‘buff’ in the common terminology of the participants. So why does the TV fantasy programme manage to pull in viewers year after year?
The programme lights up social media while it’s on but it is aimed principally at those of a certain age who don’t need a phrase book to decipher the meaning of words like ‘peng’ or ‘muggy’. Let’s be honest, they aren’t many applicants from Mensa among the 100,000 who bid to appear on the show every year.
The actual location may be paradise (well, it’s actually Majorca) but I’m pretty sure I’d be swimming for nearest landfall if I had to spend more than a few minutes with most who make it onto the short-list. To be honest, I’ve seen some of the publicity photos and I’m not even sure that some of this year’s crop are actually human.
Dani Dyer is the favourite in the Top Girl betting (5/2 with Betfred) but that’s probably only because her dad is EastEnders hard man Danny (note the clever adaptation of his name) Dyer. In full view of the British public, would you want to mess her about if you were one of the boys?
Love Island Top Girl Betting
Dani Dyer 5/2
Hayley Hughes 4/1
Kendall Rae-Knight 9/2
Laura Anderson 7/1
Samira Mighty 9/1
Betting for Top Boy is much closer and with some big variations. Alex George is only 5/2 with William Hill but 11/2 with Betway.
Love Island Top Boy Betting
Eyal Booker 9/2
Adam Collard 5/1
Alex George 11/2
Jack Fincham 6/1
Niall Aslam 6/1
Wes Nelson 7/1
The show runs for eight weeks but viewing figures this year are certain to fall due to clashes with the World Cup. Putting girls and romance ahead of football – what kind of men apply to be on this show? Worse still, what self-respecting male will be watching?
