I was on Love Island – here’s how producers create tension in final episode and cringe reason my date was cut from TV
WE'RE just hours away from discovering the winners of Love Island 2022.
Season eight has seen its fair share of drama with sneaky snogs, the return of a former contestant and of course, the 'boob-gate' scandal.
Either Davide and Ekin-Su, Andrew and Tasha, Dami and Indiyah or Luca and Gemma will take home the £50,000 prize money - unless, one of them steals the lot.
It's a stressful time for the finalists and one man who knows that pressure more than most is former Love Island star, Jamie Jewitt.
He was a runner-up with now-wife Camilla Thurlow, who he has two daughters with, in Season Three back in 2017.
Now Jamie reveals the sneaky ways producers spice up the final few episodes, gives his verdict on the Love Islanders and explains the hilarious reason his date was interrupted by editors.
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‘Lovebomb probe and napping no-no’
With £50,000 up for grabs, many would expect the tension to be high in the Love Island villa.
But according to Jamie, the final week is the least stressful of the entire series because there are fewer people, which means less drama.
To keep fans engaged, he claims producers “create tension” by asking probing questions about each couple's relationship status.
Jamie, an ambassador for , said: “They asked things like, ‘Would you make her your girlfriend and be official?’ and ‘Would you say you love them?’
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“They try to find out where you’re at in the relationship and give you a little push in the right direction.”
He added: “There was so much downtime, everyone was knackered and you’re all tired but weirdly excited too.
"They are using their last bits of energy to try to talk, it’s tiring. We were told off for napping in our final episodes.”
‘Producers pray for £50,000 cash grab’
Most Love Islanders go on the show in search of long-lasting love, but as the final draws other closers, there's always the fear their other half could be playing a game.
Last week, we reported about Ekin-Su's text to a pal claiming she would “be tempted” to steal the prize money.
She wrote: “It’s a game show at the end of the day, it’s business. If it’s not genuine I’d be tempted.”
Whether the 27-year-old will make good on her threat is yet to be seen, but Jamie believes it would be a dangerous move.
He said: “I know for a fact that producers are praying that happens and let’s face it, the public wants it too because crazy events like that make good television.
“I don’t know anyone who would genuinely have the moral compass to pull it off, it would be so evil.
“It's not only taking the money but the fact that they have been playing a game since day one and spent weeks trying to pull it off.
“It would be such an injustice if that happened and if anyone did they would need seriously thick skin to survive the hate from trolls.”
Predictions for Love Island couples
Jamie was lucky to find love on the show, but claims the real test comes for couples when they return to reality.
He said: “It’s a bubble in the villa, you’re basically on a holiday having a fun time, you’re care-free and have no life pressures like work or how far apart you live."
Jamie believes Davide and Ekin-Su have a “really good chance” of being a long-term couple.
“She’s a firecracker and he’s placid and says it how it is. Although they bicker and know how to push each other’s buttons, things never go too far,” he said.
While Luca and Gemma rowed after the Mile High challenge, Jamie thinks they “are on the same level” and “show they care about each other”.
Currently, Jamie’s favourite couple is Dami and Indiyah because they are a "good match” and have “great, positive attitudes”.
He added: “They are very comfortable with each other and have worked through their ups and downs. I believe they will be the runners-up.”
Producers stepped in over high-brow chat
Jamie entered the Love Island villa as a 'bombshell' on Day 32 and quickly caught the eye of future wife Camilla.
But, while getting to know each other on their first date, producers interrupted their chatter because it was “too boring”.
“Cam and I hit it off straight away, we were talking about politics and the books we were reading,” Jamie said.
“Then producers came over and said, ‘This is lovely but you don’t want to bore the life out of viewers’ and asked us to have more generic conversations.
“Things like, do you like each other? And all the basic stuff they need to build a storyline rather than geopolitics.
“They weren’t rude, it was kind of funny! They just said they needed to get some basic content and couldn’t have us just talking about politics or the outside world.”
Baby number two
The Love Island couple welcome their second daughter Nora in May and haven’t ruled out having more kids down the line.
“We’ve got two under two, which we were told is an absolute nightmare," Jamie said.
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"So far we’ve done well, but I’m sure when Nora’s crawling it will be a lot more difficult.
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“We both want three or four kids, but haven’t got immediate plans yet because we’re fully occupied currently.”
Jamie Jewitt is an ambassador for Lucky Block - a nonfungible token (NFT) platform where players earn rewards and can enter competitions. For more information .
