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The hit ITV2 series Love Island has been top-rated among fans. While the show's popularity drives thousands of contestants to audition, it also receives immense criticism for many reasons.
Season 8 of the series has attracted some exciting participants, but the season has also received 781 complaints in four weeks.
Love Island, which premiered on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 9.00 pm on the television network, saw 11 islanders enter the villa to find love and a suitable partner to spend the rest of their lives with. Initially, these contestants were paired with different islanders to get a sense of who they matched well with. However, those who remained single after the coupling were eliminated from the show.
ITV2 series Love Island receives criticism from fans
Since its launch last month, the hit series has received 781 complaints from U.K. media regulator Ofcom. An official spokesperson from the company confirmed the same to Variety and said:
“So far we have received a total of 781 complaints about the current season of ‘Love Island.'"
According to Ofcom, viewers were concerned about several aspects of the show, including bullying, ignorance towards the contestants' well-being, mental health, and much more. Improper distribution of screen time also became a prominent issue where fans felt certain contestants were favored in that respect. The age gap between the contestants was also frowned upon.
Gemma Owen is one of Love Island's more prominently shown, featured contestants. Viewers criticized the show for alloting more screen time to her because she was the daughter of former England soccer star Michael Owen. At one point on Twitter, the series was named "The Gemma Show."
At 19, Gemma is the youngest Love Island contestant and was paired with Davide Sanclimenti (27) before both were recoupled with other existing contestants on the show.
However, the complaints made this year aren't even close to last year when just one episode drew a record of 25K complaints after couple Teddy Soares and Faye Winter had an intense argument. Most of the complaints were related to the latter's unruly behavior.
The hit dating series came under immense scrutiny after two former contestants and former host Caroline Flack died by suicide. However, the show retains its audience as this season's premiere episode garnered a massive 2.4 million views. On Monday, July 4, it recorded its biggest audience of season 8, with 3 million viewers across all devices.
A look back at a previous episode of Love Island
Episode 29 of Love Island aired on July 5, 2022, at 9.00 pm ET. The episode saw six new girls entering the villa to shake things up.
Jay Younger set his sights on Chyna as the duo bonded. While at Casa, new cast member George confessed to Ekin-Su that she was "on top of his list." In a confessional, she revealed that she was open to getting to know him.
However, Ekin-Su's connection Davide Sanclimenti was seen flirting with Coco back in the villa. Meanwhile, Jacques told Mollie that Paige Thorne was like his "best friend" and revealed that he wasn't entirely sure about her. However, he confessed that he wouldn't mind sharing a bed with Mollie or Cheyanne.
Both the villas took part in a series of challenges as part of the Raunchy Race, where the emotions of several contestants got the better of them. Dami confessed to Jacques and Davide that although he had a great connection with Indiyah, he was open to exploring more.
As the evening progressed, connections formed between Josh and Danica; Jay and Chyna; Dami and Summer; and Coco with Davide and Andrew. By the end of the episode, Dami and Luca got into an argument, with the former calling out Luca for being "fake."
As per ITV, the show has been streamed 130 million times on the network's digital platforms. Although there have been issues with the show and complaints raised about the same, it continues to be one of the most popular and widely watched reality content on television.
Catch new episodes of Love Island every Sunday to Friday at 9.00 pm ET on ITV2.
