What is the Love Island lie detector test and are the results real?

LOVE Island 2021 is reaching its crucial final stages, with the final scheduled for Monday, 23 August.

But one classic villa challenge hasn't made an appearance this year - so what's happened to the Love Island lie detector, and are the results to be trusted?

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What is the Love Island lie detector test?

In 2018, the boys were strapped up to a polygraph days before the final and their partners given the opportunity to grill them.

In 2017, the girls faced the same treatment as the test switched genders each series.

The episode was a firm favourite among viewers and caused drama and chaos during the show's first four series - but it's been conspicuously missing since 2018, and isn't likely to make an appearance in the 2021 villa.

Are the Love Island lie detector tests real or fake?

The show has faced multiple claims from ex-contestants that the test is faked by producers.

Ex islander Alex Bowen called the lie detector test "as real as my new teeth" while Kady McDermott described it "as a load of crap", and alleged answers are decided by producers, who hope to cause drama.

However, a rep for Love Island told The Sun Online that the lie detector test and its results are "completely genuine."

And some former islanders do think that the dreaded machine can be trusted - 2017 winner Amber Davies sided with producers and said: "There's always speculation that the machine is fake, but I can assure you it's not."

How do lie detector tests work?

During a test a number of sensors are attached to the body in an attempt to determine whether someone is telling the truth.

Physiological changes can then be used to determine whether someone is telling the truth.

The polygraph records blood pressure, pulse, respiration and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions.

A major change in any pattern, also known as a "response conflict", is a sign a person is lying.

The test measures signs of stress including raised blood pressure, heart rate and galvanic skin response (GSR).

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As they're not considered to be 100% accurate, evidence from lie detectors is generally not accepted in criminal court in the US and most of Europe.

Why was the Love Island lie detector scrapped?

The challenge hasn't been seen since series 4 in 2018.

The test was scrapped in 2019 after The Jeremy Kyle Show was accused of causing a participant's suicide.

62-year-old Steven Dymond took his own life in May 2019 after failing a lie detector test on the controversial ITV show.

The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled shortly after and the legitimacy of lie detectors widely questioned.

Love Island bosses then decided that the test wouldn't return to the programme that year, and it hasn't been spotted on the show since.