Love Island 2025: A Winter-Summer of Drama, Romance, and Reality TV’s Most Unpredictable Show. But Has Love Island Outgrown Itself?

Maicey Navarro Griffiths on 11 March 2025

Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu is the standout Queen of Love Island All Stars 2025. Whilst we all enjoy the drama, has Love Island lost its original entertainment value after so many seasons?


Ekin-Su is cementing herself as the undeniable queen of the villa once again. While Ekin-Su is undoubtedly a master at creating chaos, what truly sets her apart from other contestants on Love Island is her ability to think strategically. She’s not just playing for a potential romance; she’s playing the long game. Her gameplay is calculated, but it’s also sprinkled with moments of authenticity—whether it’s her emotional moments in private chats or the genuine connection she shares with Curtis Pritchard and the girls.

Has Love Island gone on for too long?

As the UK’s most notorious reality TV dating show, Love Island has earned its place in the pop culture hall of fame. Whether you’re watching it for the drama, the romance, or the utterly ridiculous moments, Love Island continues to hold its audience captive season after season. But in 2025, with the second season of Love Island All Stars, the show has reached a new level of excitement, reuniting some of the franchise’s most iconic contestants. With the likes of returning fan-favourite contestants Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Curtis Pritchard, Casey O’Gorman, Gabby Allen, Kaz Crossley, Elma Pazar and Luca Bish it has been a good season, but with its 12 th season overall has Love Island simply been going for too long?


Love Island arguably reached its peak on season 5 – aka Molly Mae’s season. Molly Mae emerged as the most successful of all love islanders, with multiple companies, a docuseries and a net worth of 6 million and counting. Many girls have eagerly followed her path in hopes of her level of fame, and whilst girls like Ekin-Su, Molly Smith, Maura Higgins and Millie Court have done very well post-love Island, none have done as well as Molly Mae. An issue with Love Island in recent years is the increasing number of people going on for fame, and therefore are too aware of the cameras, and wanting to avoid a bad rep and thus damage their chances of money and fame, they become staged. The dramas of the earlier seasons cannot be recaptured. The drama is still entertaining but lacks a feeling of genuineness.


Love Island is a battle for fame, followers, and long-term relevance. Arguably with Love Islanders returning the race for clout, it is more intense. Though according to Ekin-Su on Sunday 9 th ’s episode “I don’t need clout”. The contestants finding “true love” seems almost secondary to their desire to stay relevant and famous, a second grab for fame. Some feel a bit too aware of the cameras, trying to become meme-worthy or likeable, which detracts from the authenticity that made the show so compelling in its earlier seasons. Ekin-Su creates some much-needed excitement, but it’s hard not to wonder if the formula has grown stale. For those still invested in the drama, it remains unmissable television, but years of controversies have dampened it. The show has faced repeated scrutiny over its portrayal of relationships, body image, lack of diversity and mental health. Despite its efforts to address these issues in recent years—through casting some more diverse contestants and increasing psychological support for its stars, there is still far to go.

Love Island All Stars 2025

Watching Ekin-Su re-enter the villa, it’s impossible not to appreciate her evolution as both a reality TV star and a social media powerhouse. She is playing the game like a seasoned pro. Ekin-Su is a name that has become synonymous with Love Island after her unforgettable appearance and eventual winner of the 2022 season. Her fiery personalityand unapologetic attitude made her a standout figure. Let’s be real—Ekin-Su was never shy about stirring the pot and arguably made season 8 and now All Stars season 2 what it is. Between her sneaky moves and explosive confrontations, she is always at the heart of the drama.


Ekin-Su, who is arguably the best known from this year’s line-up, walked in as the first night bombshell, with a dazzling pearl dress, and immediately got to pick 3 newly coupled up men to triple date with. True Ekin-Su fashion. If you watched Love Island on the 3rd of February, aka- the infamous heart rate challenge, you would have seen Ekin-Su wow the audience and fellow love islanders alike. Saving the best for last, she entered the fire pit, dressed in a fiery red devil costume, she recreated her season 8 balcony crawl. Whilst all the women performed impressive and sexy dances, Ekin-Su was arguably the standout and certainly put in the most effort out of the girls. However, it was Curtis who won the challenge, raising 6 out of 8 of the girl’s heart rates. The two of them are certainly this year’s dramatic power couple. This heart-rate challenge additionally caused more drama than in previous years, with Ekin-Su kissing Sammy – Elma’s partner, despite saying she would not kiss him at Elma’s request. This caused some arguments, but she did apologise in the end. Where would Love Island be without a bit of drama anyway?


Whether you love her or love to hate her, Ekin-Su’s time on Love Island All Stars 2025 has provided plenty of explosive moments, undeniable chemistry, and, of course, drama that only a star like her can deliver. Moments such as kissing Curtis mid-argument, swirling her drink at him and her love triangle with Curtis and Danielle. Plus, who can forget the drama over the kissing challenge with Curtis announcing ‘I haven’t kissed this girl’ after every kiss, have held us to the screen. While Ekin-Su’s fiery nature and Curtis’s suave, smooth-talking demeanour seem like an unexpected match, their dynamic has quickly become one of the most intriguing storylines of the season. Curtis has always had a more laid-back persona compared to Ekin-Su’s fiery presence has complemented each other well.

Highlights of the season

At first glance, Ekin-Su and Curtis might seem like an unlikely pairing. However, Curtis, who competed on Love Island 2019,  known for his dancing, romance with Amy Hart and Maura Higgins, and his coffee making, provided the same level of drama himself. But as the season progresses, it becomes clear that their chemistry is more than just surface-level, there’s an undeniable spark between them. What makes their connection even more intriguing is the fact that both Ekin-Su and Curtis are seasoned Love Island veterans—meaning they’re aware of the public scrutiny and the game mechanics at play. But despite the strategic element, it’s clear that their relationship, at least for now, feels more authentic than expected, with her crying after Elma took the pie challenge too far and Curtis rushed to her defense, Ekin-Su and Curtis became a pairing we didn’t know we needed. Though I have doubts about their ability to stay together in the long term, they make for good TV.


Another surprising couple to come out of this year are Casey O’Gorman and Gabby Allen. With this being Casey’s third winter love island in a row, he finally seems to have grown up.

When Casey O’Gorman first entered the Love Island villa in 2023, he was one of the most talked-about contestants of the season—not just because of his good looks, but due to his infamous “playboy” persona and flirtatious ways. Flash forward to Love Island All Stars 2025, and Casey, now a three-time Love Island contestant, is showing a side of himself that viewers have never seen before. What makes the pair so compelling is how much Casey have evolved since his previous stints. Known for being somewhat immature and entangled in a few dramatic love triangles, his third season feels different. No longer the man-child who plays the field, Casey has shown a level of maturity and introspection that adds depth to his relationship with Gabby. Gone are the shallow flirtations and self-centred antics of the past. Instead, we’re seeing a more grounded, thoughtful version of Casey—someone who’s
ready to settle down and is now closed-off and, perhaps more surprisingly, is genuinely connecting with Gabby on an emotional level. Gabby and Casey to win!


Plus, Luca Bish’s emotional side seems to have been drawn out this winter too, being more open, raw and honest. During his 2022 stint, Luca was often perceived as being somewhat emotionally guarded and was criticised for his rude persona at times. He was the “cool” guy who kept his emotions in check, which at times made him hard to read. He’s done something that very few male reality TV stars are willing to do—he’s cried on camera twice. 
A season full of Love Island’s signature drama and romance has kept us entertained, but with a sense that the show is starting to wear thin. Still, fans of the series won’t want to miss the chaos and chemistry that only Love Island offers.

“More of the Universe, more time with you”: Doctor Who’s same-sex storyline and seeing myself in fiction

Willow Arlett on 29 March 2022

This year, during the New Year’s special of Doctor Who, companion Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill), or ‘Yaz’ to her friends, came out as gay. This gave the first female iteration of ‘The Doctor’ (Jodie Whittaker) a female love interest, the first time in the show’s history of the iconic character .

There are six versions of Willow Arlett that sit down to watch the events of ‘Eve of the Daleks’ unfold on New Year’s Day: six versions of Willow Arlett that are overwhelmed with enough emotion to fill an entire TARDIS.

The first curls up in the same position on the sofa as she does in 2018. She is three episodes into Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the elusive timelord when Yaz and The Doctor are asked: “Are you two seeing each other?” and something inside her shifts. When The Doctor herself is confused by the question and must clarify it with her companion, who panickedly denies anything of the sort, Willow’s hit with a wave of curiosity. Are the writers making a passing joke or is this a hint at something more? She’s not sure if there’s a point in rooting for this pairing yet, but nevertheless, she’s hopeful. When Yaz is asked by Dan (John Bishop) this episode “Have you told her? […] How you feel about her?” and Yaz’s first response is “Is it that obvious?”, she smiles. In this instance, curiosity didn’t kill the cat.

The second Willow walks into the viewing party exhausted, collapsing into her seat with a heart that’s sunken 10ft underground. She joins us after a study period that, instead of working, has been spent in the sixth form common area, stringing together stolen moments from the past two series of Doctor Who – that could be interpreted as romantic, if her friends could just see what she’s seeing – only for the discussion to fall on deaf ears. “Don’t get your hopes up” and “it’s probably just the actresses’ chemistry you’re seeing” are ringing in her mind and she’s fed up. The spark of hope glows a little less bright, but she refuses to convince herself she’s delusional; especially when Aisling Bea, the special’s guest star, mentions “good-hearted weirdos are always the keepers” and Yaz looks over at the Thirteenth Doctor as if she’s hung the moon and the stars. She almost yells “I told you so!” into thin air when 10 minutes later she’s met with a confessional.

The third Willow emerges from the height of the 2020 lockdown and sits quietly in the corner. After spending so much time alone the past few months, she’s come to the realisation that she’s bisexual. She’s come from such a loving and accepting family, she’d never even thought about labels or her identity before the world stopped. She doesn’t know how to feel. When Mandip Gill, with the most grace and sensitivity, acts out the words “I haven’t told anyone, not even myself”, this version of Willow breaks down with tears of relief. One of her favourite characters also took a while to realise her identity and is still figuring it out, she feels much less alone.

Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill as The Doctor and Yaz (Image Credit: Radiotimes/BBC)

The fourth Willow, halfway through her first year of university, sits in the middle, feeling quite lost. She’s grown up in a world of linear thinkers, and it makes her feel out of place. The people around her all dress the same way, all listen to the same style of music, all seem to follow the zeitgeist of being a ‘typical Leeds student’. Her confidence has been knocked down by half, but she’s determined to step back into her little flat and battle this monotonous crowd. She nods as the Doctor says “come on you brilliant humans! We go again until we win.” The embers of self-assurance she once had before the pandemic rekindling.

The fifth Willow swings her legs into the latter’s lap to get more comfortable. This variant is slowly realising that it’s important to stand up for what you believe in and challenge the opinions of others. She may not always have the confidence for big strides, but she’s trying damn well hard to make second year the year of being her true authentic self: petticoats, DM boots and all. The main reason she loves Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is that she’s unapologetically quirky, clever, and kind. After four years of saying that she’ll channel this energy, the past semester is proof that,  this time, those truly aren’t just empty words, even if she does still doubt herself occasionally.

The sixth, and final, Willow is the one writing this article. She’s the one who got to witness the first female doctor look at a woman with all the love and loss in the universe. Happiness and love fizz away inside of her, filling her up from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. As her phone buzzes away, racking up excited texts from close friends, she sits with the widest smile on her face. She’s so glad she sat up a little straighter when Yaz proclaimed: “I want more. More of the universe, more time with you” on the TARDIS all those years ago. She’s so proud of how far she’s come.   

Image Credit: BBC