In a dramatic cliffhanger during Monday's premiere episode, 33-year-old Joey Essex was unveiled as the series' first bombshell on Love Island. The reveal sparked mixed reactions among fans—some celebrated it as iconic, while others argued that the dating show should feature normal people rather than celebrities.
In an interview with The Sun, Joey clarified that he had applied to join the show on his own and had not been approached by the producers. Following his announcement, several major betting firms quickly tipped him as the favorite to win the series, which will air over the next eight weeks.
Who is Joey Essex?
Joey first rose to fame in 2011 on *The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE)*, becoming known for his catchphrase "reem" and his occasional lack of general knowledge. He has since appeared on various reality shows, including *Dancing on Ice*, *Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins*, and *I'm A Celeb*.
This isn’t Joey’s first venture into reality dating shows—he has also been on *Celebrity Ex on the Beach*, *Celebs Go Dating*, and its spin-off *Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion*. In 2021, he produced a BBC documentary exploring grief, influenced by the loss of his mother when he was ten.
Joey has been rumored to have had high-profile relationships with celebrities like Rita Ora and former Love Islander Maura Higgins. He was engaged twice to TOWIE co-star Sam Faiers but currently describes himself as "extremely single."
Upon entering the Mallorca villa, Joey declared himself the "king of Essex" ready to find his "queen," warning the boys towatch out" as he was "coming for [their] girls.
Monday's episode kicked off the eleventh series of Love Island, following an All Stars edition earlier this year. Although viewership has declined since its peak between 2017 and 2019, with the finale drawing just over 1 million viewers last year, ITV reports that Monday’s opener garnered the show's best ratings in two years with approximately 2 million viewers.
A social media ban has been reinstated for this series, prohibiting islanders' friends and family from posting on their behalf. This rule also applies to Joey, who boasts 1.8 million followers on Instagram and nearly 3 million on X, with his accounts currently paused.
conic' Bombshell?
Former Love Island contestants have reacted to Joey’s entry. Kai Fagan, winner of last year's winter edition, called it "madness," while Joshua Ritchie, from the 2015 series and this year's All Stars, said the other lads in the villa "had zero chance" against Joey. Series eight islander Tasha Ghouri described the announcement as "iconic."
The new series also introduced a twist in how couples were matched. Instead of picking who they found most attractive, contestants ranked each other based on who they thought was the most boyfriend/girlfriend material. They were then paired with the person ranked in the same position.
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