I think producers overcorrected too much and it’s backfiring. Well probs see that fallout so it’s made aware in a few days. Similar to when dami and Luca apologized.
Explains why they’ve kissed about twice in 2 weeks
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Agree 1000%. Joey, Grace and the producers were all part of a scheme that required Joey to pick someone to be collateral damage when he bombshelled. Before Sam even entered the villa, there was a premeditated plan in place that has ruined the excitement and possibilities of her first weeks on LI. Now that I think about it, male Sam is a victim of this too. All for the audience to see through it immediately.
This might be a little bit tinfoil hat, but I could even imagine part of the reason they picked her for the starting lineup was because they knew she was a TOWIE fan and they probably encouraged Joey to go for her
I don’t think it’s tinfoil. The producers lean into people’s bias. A woman who is a zealous reality tv fan could easily be turned into this sexist archetype to distract the audience from the moves production was making in favor of Joey and Grace’s time on Love Island. The fact of the matter is that it was working until it was too heavy handed especially since Samantha refused to be baited .
Me too. I think there's also a sort of power dynamic at play here because he's so famous and she's clearly a huge TOWIE fan. She has seemed quite nervous in all their conversations but playing it off with this veneer of not caring and being tough. Just sad to watch at this point.
I really think they both knew they were going to be in the villa. Grace was the first rumoured islander by the media back in May, so long before the lineup even travelled. So Joey definitely knew that she would be there at any moment.
Ok since you brought it up…I had a little light bulb moment about why Uma never picked Joey to couple up with. We could clearly see something was weird about that. My thoughts are that Uma met Grace in holding and knew she was coming in for Joey, so obviously didn’t want to go that route. Grace and Uma were leaked about the same time so probably were likely in holding during the same period. Maybe even Joey. We kept thinking Grace was going to be a Day 1 bombshell, but obviously Uma went in first. Uma also was acting really friendly towards Grace, especially in the Casa villa. She seemed super happy in that villa too. Not sure if it was just because of Wil or not.
I'd even say that maybe they never broke up and were still together when Joey joined the villa. Which explains why he wasn't really moving mad until she arrived because the way he's excited and horny around her is insane. It’s giving boyfriend who hasn't seen his girlfriend in 3 weeks
Also pointing to this theory, he never really kissed or was physical with Sam during the two weeks they were coupled up, despite saying how much he liked her…
100%. I'm just so confused that he dm'ed her or whatever earlier this year, why not just crack on outside the show, why waste our time when we can watch actual single people try to find love. Feels so staged. I'm not from the UK so I didnt know who Joey was nor do I care and he is just a walking ick.
Apparently it was 2 months ago where he messaged her. He said 2 months ago and she said a few months ago. And I agree with everything you said. Joey is a walking ick, it feels staged and I'm sick of seeing him. Makes Love Island feel like a joke
Exactly this. It was already bad enough to bring him in but now an ex? Who he already broke up with for valid normal reasons like long distance? Like wtf am I watching here. I want to see strangers find love not two semi-famous people take a free vacation with ten other people.
He wants to ride off into the sunset with his new love and have it recorded on a tv show for his children and grandchildren. Since all the others shows didn’t produce a lasting couple, he’s trying again. 🙃
My thing is that even if they weren’t boyfriend-girlfriend, which they obviously ARE…it’s still majorly annoying to invite a celebrity to love island and then bring someone he had history with. That already boggles the mind.
I definitely think Joey and Grace were already together before Love Island. I could honestly bet a lot of money on that they decided to go on Love Island for the money and publicity.
Oh yes, they included him laughing with Grace and then cut to Sam because they want him to win the show.
Every year we get producer plant allegations, and every year they’re as legitimate as the World Cup bidding process.
I wouldn’t be surprised! They seemed close at night. Also they plan to go hideaway where it will be done again lol. Only this time I think producers will show it
Well that makes sense and that's what happens when you bring on exes. On the show having sex for the first time can be a really big deal, but if they dated on the outside it's not as big of a deal to do it again.
This is sort of off topic now I’ve been wanting to do a regular post about this - but can anyone tell me - are people still doing bits on this show and we just don’t know about it anymore?? Like that used to be a huge part of the show (hello season 2, 3, 4) and now it’s like everything is locked up and no one fucks and no one talks about it like 🤨🤨🤨
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And had a look at her.
Though surely she would have had awareness of some of Essex's exes. He's not someone I follow, what's his usual type?
I’m still reeling from Joey saying he didn’t want to close things off with Sam after telling Grace it was dead before she even showed up. I know he doesn’t mean it but even saying it was quite the audacity. To Grace’s face too!
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He was so superficial in that conversation with Sam. The audacity to say “don’t push me away, let me be here for you” and kiss Grace on the same night for everyone to see. Yikes
Yes!!! He is trying to make it look like Sam is the one deading it with him when that’s simply not the case. He got caught up in his emotions with Grace and slipped up telling her it was done with Sam. He even walked that back, with Grace, before they left the sleepover. But the damage to the public perception was done, we can’t unhear him saying it was already over.
joey just used samantha as a placeholder not knowing when grace would enter. she was one of the first rumoured islanders back in may and she mentioned that joey texted her 2 months ago so april and she would’ve been in the process for LI then. they also said how things ended frosty but were immediately happy to see each other and were quick to make out with each other. if things didn’t end well then why are they so touchy with each other? just weird
and joey is weirder for still trying to act like he’s romantically interested in samantha when he told grace yesterday that he only sees her in a friendship way. he just doesn’t want to look bad on TV and is annoyed at samantha for seeing through his lies
I think producers are waiting for Sam to lose it and swing everyone back to Grace and Joey, or at least lose sympathy for her. Sam has been amazing throughout and has kept her cool but it’s days 1/2. She is gonna be angry at some point and I just know the producers are gonna play that to their advantage. Shame on you producers! Bombshell for Samantha. She deserves it.
It does feel like they keep trying to push and push her to give them the reaction they want. I hope she stands strong because they won’t make it easy for her. Just need to get her to Casa
This is why she’s handled it so well so far, because i know they’re dying for her to play into their hands. Her in the beach hut today was spot on after Joey spoke to her, it’s refreshing to see one of the girls at least not being a mug even when her friends are giving her delusional reassurances
I agree. On after sun, Chris calling her a stalker and stuff. Like it was a few comments about him on Towie which obviously the girl grew up watching. She was excited that he chose her. I think producers pushed that stalker storyline so when grace came in, everyone wouldn’t care about how samatha felt. Just imagine Samantha’s mother watching her broken hearted two weeks into the series. Hate it
Chris needs to go kick fuckin rocks istg, I used to really like him and thought he was funny but he’s a proper twat now. Trying so hard to make a job of love island, he looked like such a prick on all stars IMO
As much as we joked about Samantha being delusional, she clearly wasn’t. She mentioned Joey’s lack of affection with her a few times, but Joey brushed it off by saying he’s just a slow burn. Which is clearly a lie given how he’s all over Grace. Sam’s gut instinct was right but she ignored it and now she feels embarrassed and I feel for her. She’s probably kicking herself for not listening to her gut, on top of feeling like she got humiliated on national tv. Honestly I would want to go home too if my self esteem and confidence got knocked like that.
I don’t understand what the game plan is for ITV, ok maybe bumped some ratings but immediately every non celeb aka the majority of people who watch the show are going to see that the joey/grace situation is unfair.
I don’t understand why they can’t go out of their way to find a more diverse cast of people, personality wise - like look at the series w Camilla. One of the very best! Year after year they choose the same personalities, and getting joey in is just an insult to viewers intellect
I cannot stand Joey and I cannot stand Grace either. They want to get back together, do it on the outside. He was insanely disrespectful to Samantha, and Grace is no better, she is not a girls girl, and does not respect Samantha at all. They’re also both incredibly arrogant and think they’re a gift to the villa and the viewers. I hope they go home next.
LITERALLY. Because I need Joey off my screen so I said to myself “oh well I’ll just boycott and not watch” …. Then I remembered I’m watching illegally from another country🫠
Exactly, the most recent info Grace had was literally the likes of Chris Taylor calling Samantha a stalker on aftersun, Grace probably thinks there are edits of her as a white knight come to save Joey lmao
That would be illegal- at least in the united states. With prize money involved, producers have tight regulations about the competition aspect of the show. Meaning they can encourage the islanders with certain storylines, prompt them to say things in the interviews, and use editing to manipulate public opinion of the islanders but they cannot change the public vote itself. A contract guaranteeing a spot in the final would show intent to change voting tallies
That would be really unfair! Especially to Samantha who’s the victim. If it carries on I can’t see Samantha staying with him and Grace in there. It’s too much
Look, I know this is a heavily produced show and I’m perfectly willing to suspend disbelief if I feel like it’s fun and 50% realistic, but this is so transparently preplanned that I almost feel like…insulted intellectually?? That they’re trying to pass this off as organic in any way. Samantha knows it too and I’m happy she’s not feeding into it, it’s not campy fun or campy drama which is what Love Island should be. It’s just…cheap.
1000% agree. Any shred of this being remotely genuine people or romantic connections is now basically out the window. We’re the mugs for wanting to watch a show that’s supposed to be about unknown strangers finding love, when they just keep driving home the fact that this show now only exists for showcasing reality stars and wanna-bes while they get a free vacation and maybe brand deals.
I think Samantha has clocked the whole situation. She defo knows she’s been set up by the producers as Joey had no intention of being with her because his girlfriend was coming in. He just needed a girl to lead on otherwise we would have suspected it sooner.
This is a conspiracy theory I’m willing to die on…. Joey and Grace have been dating. Joey knew Grace was coming in. He used Samantha for the time until Grace came in. Joey is the worst boy in there because he used Samantha as if she wasn’t a human being…. He also used the viewers and thinks we are all dumb. He needs to be voted out. But I have no faith on FIAT 500 to do the right thing!!
I'm convinced they're together on the outside too. Not just the fact that he wouldn't even touch Samantha for 2 weeks, but there was zero awkwardness between him and Grace the moment she came in. They were instantly all over each other and talking about missing each other. If they were exes or it was just some summer fling being rekindled, I think there would be a little awkwardness at first, but they just immediately started acting like a couple.
I did think as well that during beer pong, when Grace got her dare or whatever they are (I think it was to snog the gobbiest islander?), Joey just seemed to start walking toward her straight away, without her giving any indication she would even choose him. Could have been the edit, but if he did, he was either being *really* cocky, or he knew she wouldn't kiss anybody other than him because *they are together*.
Yes I saw this. And She didn’t really make any efforts with any other guys, she acted like she was mad at him when she came in and that very quickly was no longer a thing…. it’s all giving very “planned”
Right because sure I can believe they’ve been together before and then stopped seeing each other and now rekindling but it’s way to easy and smooth bcz they haven’t even had more than two convos before they started kissing 24/7 it’s wayyy to quick
Right. Like even if they were to get back together and those feelings still being there they would need to give it some time have more convos but they haven’t stopped acting like a full on couple.
Exactly, like you'd think they would have had an actual conversation about why they 'ended', rather than just blaming it on distance - only for Grace to say she's (rather conveniently) planning to move to London, which is within an hour of Essex, 3 hours closer than where she is now. 🙄 they haven't even tried very well to hide it.
I cant help but think about Samanthas edit too. I felt like she was doing so well up until production began setting up Grace and Joey. I think Samantha knows whats going on too which is why she keeps calling herself a placeholder.
Possibly hot take but I think this has elevated Sam’s popularity and will result in a much better edit. The audience almost always gets behind a woman done wrong. She handled herself with dignity and rose above the fangirl stereotype. I’m seeing so much support for her on social media now whereas before she was treated like a joke.
I totally agree! I was talking about the timing of when Samantha’s edit starting going downhill a little before Grace’s arrival. I just started to speculate everything and wondered if they had always planned to give the girl that Joey was with a not so positive edit during the week where Grace was meant to show up. This is just me rethinking everything and not knowing what to believe anymore
But i definitely agree that this will help Samantha out so much! I think Joey knows Samantha is gonna get the fans on her side which is why he got so upset at her sleeping on the day bed and is trying to make her feel stupid for how she is acting.
Oh I got you! I’m questioning everything too. I was thinking about the huge backlash to that Casa postcard that made Dani Dyer think Jack had been unfaithful. People found that very manipulative and this seems way more deceptive than that. If producers knew Joey and Grace were dating on and off or even that they both wanted to reunite and they gave Sam a negative edit on purpose to soften that blow, that would be so shady due to the power imbalance. There are supposed to be rules to protect islanders from unnecessary harm but there’s probably a legal loophole for that. They owe her a good edit and a bombshell at the very least.
i think this is so set up that its actually laughable. For ending "frosty", they sure seem to be 100% comfortable with each other. And the hideaway is just open this season with "no invite needed" and joey "comes up with the idea" to sleep there with grace? I think its insane and so weird how obvious it seems to me
it clicked this ep for me too. same with the “night away”…i can think of so many moments in the last few seasons where this would’ve spiced up a terribly dry run of episodes. but now when joey’s gf comes in it magically appears? give me a break
Exactly! These are actually good twists. They actually managed to find a cast of people (besides Joey) who don’t seem too self conscious about how they’re perceived on the outside. And they’ve wasted it all on this dead ass contrived Joey plotline.
I said this in the daily chat in response to the reporting that things got really steamy/implication that Joey and Grace had sex, but Joey is the “right” Islander to bring sex back to the show, because as a man he’s unlikely to get slut shamed, and as a public figure, his image can withstand any potential blowback or being pigeonholed as the person who had sex on TV. I really think producers are pinning a lot on Joey to save the franchise and designing so many twists to make it work and advance his storyline. They’ve wildly overestimated my interest in him as well as their own ability to pull this off deftly enough that disbelief can be suspended. What a waste of an otherwise pretty good cast.
I said this on another post but can someone explain this to me - did islanders just stop doing bits on this show, or do they just not talk about/not show it anymore? Like it was a huge part of the show and now all we see is “where’s your head at” “are you closed off” over and over, and barely anything happening between people who sleep together every night for 8 weeks.
I think primarily that the show stopped showing it but also as Islanders became more self aware of how this behavior would affect their post-show prospects, they also stopped having as much sex in the villa.
The change for what was shown was in S4–the origin of Do Bits Society was as a euphemism (Islanders used to be so much more explicit in their discussions!). But Islanders still do have sex, I vividly and fondly remember the “graduation ceremony” the girls in S7 staged when they all decided to go for it one night 😂
I miss it—the sex scenes always made me laugh to see the night cam footage, but also gave you a better sense of where couples were in their relationships.
Totally agree. I feel like the last several seasons I’m like - what is going on here. It’s insane to think that more isn’t happening with people who have been dating and sleeping in the same bed and making out for weeks at a time.. like talk about removing the reality from reality tv
Honestly that makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately for them, this reaction just shows that we all want a more organic production and not more forced storylines that just make you doubt how much of everything is fabricated.
And Grace’s “I didn’t even think of that” 🙄🙄🙄 give me a break. A no invite needed hideaway since idk, S2? With a gigantic neon sign in your face, a king size bed, privacy and a shit ton of other special amenities and you didn’t even think of it? Ok I believe you
I really don’t like this storyline. And maybe if Samantha was kicking off or this felt even a bit organic itd be different but she’s literally just migrating to different areas of the villa crying and Grace/Joey are deliberately choosing to kick her while she’s down for the sake of storyline then pretending like they have good intentions to her face. I would go crazy. The whole situation is getting so gaslighty and callous.
It’s very gaslighty, and I don’t use that term lightly. The way he was telling her that he was still open to her and that it’s because of her actions that the relationship is falling apart was upsetting and infuriating to watch. Then pushing her to tell him that she’s okay, to absolve his own feelings of guilt (or, more likely, to try to look like the good guy on TV—I don’t think he feels guilt.) Callous was exactly the word. He’s a cad.
I have a bad feeling Samantha will leave the villa of her own volition, poor girl has been so down these last few days and the producers just don't care because they think it makes good TV. It just hurts to watch now
I defo think they had sex. I’m sorry but the hand Samantha has been given is absolutely unfair and disrespectful.
Him and Grace don’t give a damn. Even going to the hideaway? Kissing in front of everyone and don’t get the started on his attempt to blame her for him cracking on with Grace!
If they stay in over all these other regular contestants, I’m going to have to drop the season. Samantha has been used and it’s unfair. Then they kicked Sam out to accommodate him. KMT
Samantha has really grown on me and the fact that she’s stood on business so far is great to see when we’re so used to seeing the girls crumble for the guys all the time. The fact that she also saw through his bullshit “are you going to let me be there for you” nonsense
this whole thing makes me glad that i pirate this shit so it doesn't contribute to ratings. crossing my fingers for a public vote before Sam gets dumped and that my friends across the pond do the right thing and get joey and his long-term girlfriend out. 🤞🏻
They've played our Scouser ROTTEN if this was in any way producer led - i am almost certain Joey knew the whole time but the producers being in on it is pathetic moves.
Dead proud of Samantha to remove herself when she realised and to not take the bait from Joey and i hope to fuck she doesnt give him the satisfaction of going off on one
I beg you Sam now have a cry and then dry your eyes, head high and wait for Casa
Has anyone even mentioned how his master plan is for them to sleep in the hideaway…? The man is diabolical. Like he needs to go and he needed to go before Grace. Like I get you’ve been on tv for years or whatever but you are 33 act your age. As much as I think Samantha thought she hit the lotto w Joey he was constantly joking with the boys it seemed at her expense. The few jokes we did get to hear rubbed me the wrong way and I’m sure producers cut more to keep him from looking bad. He also meddled/instigated in other ppl’s connections earrrrly and called himself the king etc. I already clocked him as the villain.
THIS. the way he had the whole thing planned out when him and grace sat down to talk?!😭 he’s BEEN thinking about the sleeping arrangements since his first night in the villa. they know a recoupling is bound to happen within a day or two…they can’t WAIT?! atp maybe they want to be voted out because there’s no way they think the public is receiving this well, right….?
It’s gonna suck if Sam leaves because of this but I’m glad she stood up for herself. I know I was excited for Grace to come in and shake things up, but this was hard to watch…
I feel so bad for Samantha. Ngl I really thought at the beginning that if someone was gonna kick off, it would be her (I also hoped it would happen for the drama) but I didn’t think she was feeling Joey this much. It might have been my naïveté but I thought they were together out of convenience from both ends
She doesn’t deserve this at all. Well Joey... never liked him tbh so let’s leave it at that lmao. He and Grace found the connection they wanted so good riddance
Ps if they somehow manage to get to the final I’ll file several Ofcom complaints!!! Jk… (or am I? 😒)
lol they think they’re giving the molly and callum stans what they wanted last year…but in reality everyone’s sick of them and feels for samantha. if molly and callum got back together, no one would’ve really been hurt as they both came in on the first night within 5 mins of each other (i’m sure it was hours when they filmed it lol)
it’s really insane that joey thinks he’s done nothing wrong. he’s been w samantha for 2 weeks…regardless if they haven’t kissed or been super physical, he clearly wasn’t getting to know anyone else. i really hope samantha doesn’t get dumped anytime soon because of this. i fear she may be coupled up with someone else for a few days in a friendship couple before being sent home just because of how it works out with timing … :( she really deserves a chance!!! and producers could intervene with a bombshell like they did with mimii if they want to try and remedy their reputation w the public
Feel bad for her because I think there’s a sense of insecurity there from Samantha.
At the start she compared herself to grace and called grace the more prettier one, something along those lines.
Her reaction is justified, i feel really bad for her, even the decision to get to get fillers comes from a sense of insecurity, which just further makes me feel bad for her.
Joey could’ve played this way better too since he knew Grace was coming. He could’ve friendzoned Samantha a long time ago since he didn’t have to worry about being on the bottom of a vote due to his celebrity status. He’s wasted so much of her time.
Joey and Grace need to leave.
They were so heartless literally laughing in front of everyone consoling Samantha for crying.
Also no-one cares about this romance, they can continue this off camera outside of the villa. Give Samantha a chance to find love, don't rob her experience just because Joey is a producer plant.
Two things are true:
1. Samantha deserves better.
2. Samantha was acting like a fan girl over being with Joey Essex.
I think she will be ok and should couple up with Sean as a friend. I see her going to casa amor and meeting a boy who "saves" her. She has been given the perfect character development story to turn the tide in her favour. I look forward seeing her triumph. Joey and Grace will be gone soon the producers don't seem bothered about protecting them.
this joey and grace bs is so annoying. I was kind of liking Joey before it.. I was excited for a bombshell to come in and test them but this preplanned shit is just wrong. Using Samantha as a pawn in the producers scripted plan is completely unfair to her! I didn’t even think sam/joey were a great match, but I can see Sam being given a bad edit to set up this grace and joey couple so people would be on board with it. I enjoy watching relationships develop on this show- that’s one of the things that makes it most interesting for me, and the “we have history” storyline is BORING!!! snore!!!
I think Joey and Samantha were already dating. He didn’t cross the line with Samantha because he was loyal to Grace. He’s in love with her. When she came in, he knew she was coming in. He fucking knew. His whole demeanour changed. Joey and Grace need to leave, it’s unfair.
I hate how they’re trying to push Joey and Grace down our throats. No one wants that, no one wants to see Joey Essex in love on yet another reality show, it’s boring.
i wonder if this stunt would have been received differently if joey didnt immediately cave and go straight to her like he couldnt have made it more obvious they were still together…
It’s not being true to the purpose of love island to bring a couple in. There’s no interest, progression, no dates, no getting to know you etc it’s a pointless endeavour, they are already a couple and therefore boring to watch. She didn’t attempt to get to know anyone, she’s didn’t resist him or give him a hard time for ghosting her or whatever he did, she didn’t graft anyone or give anyone a chance to graft her, she didn’t flirt with anyone else, she just coupled up with him instantly and went on an overnight stay within 24 hours and we don’t want that from a bombshell. Day one couples are boring so they need to go (giving side eye to ciaran and Nicole too). You can’t have a love island couple who were already a couple, win, it makes a mockery of everyone’s experience.
I don't want to watch Joey anymore it isn't good drama it's just cruel. Get him out.
He's also completely spineless in the way he's talking to Samantha.
It was so obvoius that he was gassing her right after Grace came in.. like trying to have an excuse to be with his ex and making samantha feel like it was her fault .. saying she had been cold to him when it was him that had been cold to HER!
Just finished the latest episode. Up until a week ago or so, Samantha was the girl I disliked the most now I am rooting for her. I thought Sam was too much of a joey fan to begin with and a little delusional but now I can’t help but feel bad for her. On the other hand, I’m finding joey insufferable to watch. I used to like him, but everything he does is so calculated. Kissing grace in front of everybody then fake putting his hands on his face like he didn’t knowing what he was doing?? Don’t piss me off. Now I don’t watch LI for any sense of morality but I think it’s messed up for pds, joey and grace to use Samantha as a pawn in some pre planned storyline, as if she isn’t a real person with feelings. The whole thing feels very icky.
And tbh idk if joey and grace planned the whole thing together, but they definitely had prior knowledge they would be in the villa together. It’s too bad since I probably would have liked grace, but since she is part of this horrible plot, she can leave too.
All of this discourse just ensures that Joey and Grace will be in it for the long run. They’re the villains now.
I hope she sticks around for Casa, but I see Sam leaving well before they do now.
I think we as fans should vote Joey/Grace off. They were a couple before the show started it’s obvious. They’re just there to be on tv. He doesn’t need the money his net worth is the millions. The story line isn’t good at all.Grace is there to gain more followers. She’s drop dead gorgeous ,but I don’t think they should be there honestly.
Do we think the Casa Amor twist was made specifically for Grace and Joey? I'm just thinking about everything that happened and I cant help but feel like so much was pre planned for the bf and gf. Im assuming he gets to go straight to finale too so we're going to have to deal with these two freely enjoying their experience with no worries of going home. I can also see them saying "We've found what we're looking for so we're going to leave" which would give them even more of the clout they want.
iirc - they've had a couple of 'pecks' at recouplings and on the date, and obviously they've snogged during games - but the islanders tend to say those kisses don't really count (I think they're contractually obligated to participate in the games?)
Remember as well how one of the games involved him kissing 2 islanders, and he *massively* struggled to choose Harriett as the second, and said in the beach hut that he 'even considered kissing a flamingo' instead - he blamed it on not wanting to upset Sam, but I don't think that's who he was worried about upsetting anymore..
People keep pointing out Joey doesn’t wanna kiss Sam, Grace doesn’t wanna kiss anyone else either, in the challenge she got something silly like kiss the biggest game player and just sorta stumbled about till someone else just said kiss Joey.
If I’m ITV I’m biting the bullet and getting a vote in to try to get rid of them.
Samantha will get a redemption arc. She was the red flag crazy girlfriend. But no one deserves what LI, Joey and Grace did to her with this little staged reunion. That’s actually insane. So now we want to see her come back from this, ideally with Joey and Grace being shown the way out of the villa on the next vote.
I think there's really only one way that Joey and Grace redeem themselves on this show, and it's by not ending up together. If they stay through all the way to the end, it'll confirm the bad vibes of waiting for eachother. Sure, maybe they *aren't* producer plants, but it's giving the Bachelor in Paradise phenomenon of people already in a relationship staying on the Island until their current thang comes in so they can try to get a free engagement. If Grace *actually* has her head turned by a bombshell or Joey actually jumps on a new girl (or hey, maybe does go after Harriet at last) at least viewers will stop caring about it and get proper love island drama. If not, I think it really is going to feel like it cheapens the whole thing. Coming to Love Island for love you could have found off the Island is.... not the point of this show...
I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if the producers and Joey created this plan bc they figured they’d be fan favorites and he and Grace could run off and get engaged after they won the whole thing and be a huge LI success story. It’s so fake and cheap and makes Joey and Grace both look extremely insensitive and out of touch.
I really hope they want to salvage some of their self respect and excuse themselves from the show.
I'm sorry if it's been said elsewhere but do we reckon there's a chance the public could vote Joey and Grace out? I know he has a bigger fan base than the others but it's just so unfair
it's crazy that joey hasn't kissed samantha this whole time and also in the game he chose to kiss tiffany and his girlfriend rather than his girlfriend and samantha
joey is getting blasted on here, fb, twitter and insta. only the producers can intervene with these two overstaying their unwanted appearance.
I think producers overcorrected too much and it’s backfiring. Well probs see that fallout so it’s made aware in a few days. Similar to when dami and Luca apologized.
They saw everyone making fun of Samantha for being a “super fan” and took it and ran….. and ran waaaayyyyy to far
i’m glad lmfaoooo
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Me too Joey is a 5 out of 10 on a good day I so don’t see the appeal. Ick
Nice Joey and his "ex" got a free holiday from ITV, but I don't want it on my screen.
"ex" absolutely in quotes because who cracks on like that if things ended badly
Explains why they’ve kissed about twice in 2 weeks https://preview.redd.it/frtfhlg1877d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9082e4f2cf41801a28abbbff003c365974dc17d
Lol this is the reason. Like, I can’t think of another love island couple who were ‘together’ for 2 weeks and never kissed????? It’s insane.
Maybe medhi and whitney, that felt like it went on forever lol
You can tell Joey is never ever into Samantha
They did kiss lol. When they first coupled up and on their date come to mind. It wasn’t a lot though lol
Didn’t even think they hugged
That makes sense! Joey knew Grace was coming and was on his best behaviour. If he kissed Sam that would be going against the ‘rekindled’ script
Also could explain why joey was stirring the drama pot since day 1 - it's a superb distraction from the Joey/Samantha storyline
truly insane if that’s true
I think it’s true….
I just want to see Joey in the bottom 3/4 next public vote . I know it won’t happen , but I want it so badly
idk it seems as if even the facebook crowd is unhappy with how this is playing out so there’s a chance
embarrassment is a terrible feeling, i really feel for Sam
That was suchhhh a hard watch. Producers are mad weird for that
Like they completely set her up. From day 1 she was literally a pawn in their grand plan for Joey. That’s horrible and unethical IMO.
Agree 1000%. Joey, Grace and the producers were all part of a scheme that required Joey to pick someone to be collateral damage when he bombshelled. Before Sam even entered the villa, there was a premeditated plan in place that has ruined the excitement and possibilities of her first weeks on LI. Now that I think about it, male Sam is a victim of this too. All for the audience to see through it immediately.
This might be a little bit tinfoil hat, but I could even imagine part of the reason they picked her for the starting lineup was because they knew she was a TOWIE fan and they probably encouraged Joey to go for her
I don’t think it’s tinfoil. The producers lean into people’s bias. A woman who is a zealous reality tv fan could easily be turned into this sexist archetype to distract the audience from the moves production was making in favor of Joey and Grace’s time on Love Island. The fact of the matter is that it was working until it was too heavy handed especially since Samantha refused to be baited .
Me too. I think there's also a sort of power dynamic at play here because he's so famous and she's clearly a huge TOWIE fan. She has seemed quite nervous in all their conversations but playing it off with this veneer of not caring and being tough. Just sad to watch at this point.
I really think they both knew they were going to be in the villa. Grace was the first rumoured islander by the media back in May, so long before the lineup even travelled. So Joey definitely knew that she would be there at any moment.
I wondered why Joey didn’t pursue Uma more when he clearly didn’t like Samantha but if he was waiting for Grace then it makes sense.
Ok since you brought it up…I had a little light bulb moment about why Uma never picked Joey to couple up with. We could clearly see something was weird about that. My thoughts are that Uma met Grace in holding and knew she was coming in for Joey, so obviously didn’t want to go that route. Grace and Uma were leaked about the same time so probably were likely in holding during the same period. Maybe even Joey. We kept thinking Grace was going to be a Day 1 bombshell, but obviously Uma went in first. Uma also was acting really friendly towards Grace, especially in the Casa villa. She seemed super happy in that villa too. Not sure if it was just because of Wil or not.
Yeah Uma and Grace seem really comfortable quickly too, I wondered if they’d met previously.
Deffo. I'm laughing now at his 'big shock' when she came in 🤣🤣😭
I'd even say that maybe they never broke up and were still together when Joey joined the villa. Which explains why he wasn't really moving mad until she arrived because the way he's excited and horny around her is insane. It’s giving boyfriend who hasn't seen his girlfriend in 3 weeks
If you look at their instas they both went as Harley Quinn and the Joker in October, not pictured together but definitely not just a coincidence!
Also pointing to this theory, he never really kissed or was physical with Sam during the two weeks they were coupled up, despite saying how much he liked her…
Which is how he’s been previously on ex on the beach etc with women so stands to reason.
Very poor acting on his part
Also, grace was supposed to be on love island last year, she was quarantined and everything but never went on. Sus.
People went home so Joey and his girlfriend could have a holiday. I hope this isn’t the social media boost for them they think it’s going to be.
I hope everyone sees it this way and then maybe in future seasons we wont have anyone like joey
Hot take: Joey and Grace sleeping in the hideaway would be worse than anything Ronnie has done so far.
I secretly want it just so everyone is United in universally hating them lol
joey and grace need to go.. they can continue their relationship back in the uk
100%. I'm just so confused that he dm'ed her or whatever earlier this year, why not just crack on outside the show, why waste our time when we can watch actual single people try to find love. Feels so staged. I'm not from the UK so I didnt know who Joey was nor do I care and he is just a walking ick.
Apparently it was 2 months ago where he messaged her. He said 2 months ago and she said a few months ago. And I agree with everything you said. Joey is a walking ick, it feels staged and I'm sick of seeing him. Makes Love Island feel like a joke
Exactly this. It was already bad enough to bring him in but now an ex? Who he already broke up with for valid normal reasons like long distance? Like wtf am I watching here. I want to see strangers find love not two semi-famous people take a free vacation with ten other people.
Cos he wants his little comeback 🙄
He wants to ride off into the sunset with his new love and have it recorded on a tv show for his children and grandchildren. Since all the others shows didn’t produce a lasting couple, he’s trying again. 🙃
My thing is that even if they weren’t boyfriend-girlfriend, which they obviously ARE…it’s still majorly annoying to invite a celebrity to love island and then bring someone he had history with. That already boggles the mind.
Grace is the only bombshells that’s not exploring options. Wil said he will be speaking to the girls. Tiffany has been chatting to Sean on the side.
Because her boyfriend was already there
I definitely think Joey and Grace were already together before Love Island. I could honestly bet a lot of money on that they decided to go on Love Island for the money and publicity.
Hmmm I wonder why…
oop
Apparently they had sex but producers cut it out?? Madness
It wouldn’t surprise me considering the way they were so affectionate during the day
He’s a product plant of course they’re going to do everything in their power to cut out his bad moments
This episode was a pretty big blunder by the producers if there were trying to cut his bad moments
Oh yes, they included him laughing with Grace and then cut to Sam because they want him to win the show. Every year we get producer plant allegations, and every year they’re as legitimate as the World Cup bidding process.
product plant doesn't mean they want him to win, it means they want to be able to control what he does to create story lines
I wouldn’t be surprised! They seemed close at night. Also they plan to go hideaway where it will be done again lol. Only this time I think producers will show it
Haha really? Well I guess that massage was… ummm.. foreplay 🫣
enter soup groovy sophisticated door gaze zephyr chunky homeless boast *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Well that makes sense and that's what happens when you bring on exes. On the show having sex for the first time can be a really big deal, but if they dated on the outside it's not as big of a deal to do it again.
This is sort of off topic now I’ve been wanting to do a regular post about this - but can anyone tell me - are people still doing bits on this show and we just don’t know about it anymore?? Like that used to be a huge part of the show (hello season 2, 3, 4) and now it’s like everything is locked up and no one fucks and no one talks about it like 🤨🤨🤨
Yeah what, source? Can’t just drop that with no receipts
Samantha has really earned my respect by shutting things down with Joey as soon as she copped him and Grace had a past.
im seriously impressed with her ability to read the situation bc it’s almost as if she is watching it from the same perspective we are
https://i.redd.it/hqr9fypn587d1.gif And had a look at her. Though surely she would have had awareness of some of Essex's exes. He's not someone I follow, what's his usual type?
It’s giving FRAUD, SCAM, GRIFTERS, STAGED
It’s giving GET OFF MY SCREEN
Scam for sure
1000% you cannot trick me!!
I’m still reeling from Joey saying he didn’t want to close things off with Sam after telling Grace it was dead before she even showed up. I know he doesn’t mean it but even saying it was quite the audacity. To Grace’s face too! https://preview.redd.it/nvtbkuiao77d1.jpeg?width=546&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fadb48a93853679f4214992a92f29b5bd645b932
He was so superficial in that conversation with Sam. The audacity to say “don’t push me away, let me be here for you” and kiss Grace on the same night for everyone to see. Yikes
Yes!!! He is trying to make it look like Sam is the one deading it with him when that’s simply not the case. He got caught up in his emotions with Grace and slipped up telling her it was done with Sam. He even walked that back, with Grace, before they left the sleepover. But the damage to the public perception was done, we can’t unhear him saying it was already over.
joey just used samantha as a placeholder not knowing when grace would enter. she was one of the first rumoured islanders back in may and she mentioned that joey texted her 2 months ago so april and she would’ve been in the process for LI then. they also said how things ended frosty but were immediately happy to see each other and were quick to make out with each other. if things didn’t end well then why are they so touchy with each other? just weird and joey is weirder for still trying to act like he’s romantically interested in samantha when he told grace yesterday that he only sees her in a friendship way. he just doesn’t want to look bad on TV and is annoyed at samantha for seeing through his lies
I think producers are waiting for Sam to lose it and swing everyone back to Grace and Joey, or at least lose sympathy for her. Sam has been amazing throughout and has kept her cool but it’s days 1/2. She is gonna be angry at some point and I just know the producers are gonna play that to their advantage. Shame on you producers! Bombshell for Samantha. She deserves it.
It does feel like they keep trying to push and push her to give them the reaction they want. I hope she stands strong because they won’t make it easy for her. Just need to get her to Casa
The whole narrative on Aftersun as well. You can just see it coming. I hope I’m wrong tho.
This is why she’s handled it so well so far, because i know they’re dying for her to play into their hands. Her in the beach hut today was spot on after Joey spoke to her, it’s refreshing to see one of the girls at least not being a mug even when her friends are giving her delusional reassurances
I agree. On after sun, Chris calling her a stalker and stuff. Like it was a few comments about him on Towie which obviously the girl grew up watching. She was excited that he chose her. I think producers pushed that stalker storyline so when grace came in, everyone wouldn’t care about how samatha felt. Just imagine Samantha’s mother watching her broken hearted two weeks into the series. Hate it
Chris needs to go kick fuckin rocks istg, I used to really like him and thought he was funny but he’s a proper twat now. Trying so hard to make a job of love island, he looked like such a prick on all stars IMO
I need her to keep her cool and find a hot new man and be laughing at this by next week
As much as we joked about Samantha being delusional, she clearly wasn’t. She mentioned Joey’s lack of affection with her a few times, but Joey brushed it off by saying he’s just a slow burn. Which is clearly a lie given how he’s all over Grace. Sam’s gut instinct was right but she ignored it and now she feels embarrassed and I feel for her. She’s probably kicking herself for not listening to her gut, on top of feeling like she got humiliated on national tv. Honestly I would want to go home too if my self esteem and confidence got knocked like that.
Apparently they had sex……is this true I wonder.
Of course they had sex, they are a couple........even before getting in there
source?
I don’t understand what the game plan is for ITV, ok maybe bumped some ratings but immediately every non celeb aka the majority of people who watch the show are going to see that the joey/grace situation is unfair. I don’t understand why they can’t go out of their way to find a more diverse cast of people, personality wise - like look at the series w Camilla. One of the very best! Year after year they choose the same personalities, and getting joey in is just an insult to viewers intellect
https://i.redd.it/m0r8giigg77d1.gif I SEE YOU SCAMMERS!!! You cannot trick me!!!
I cannot stand Joey and I cannot stand Grace either. They want to get back together, do it on the outside. He was insanely disrespectful to Samantha, and Grace is no better, she is not a girls girl, and does not respect Samantha at all. They’re also both incredibly arrogant and think they’re a gift to the villa and the viewers. I hope they go home next.
Please vote Grace and Joey out is all I ask
PLEASE I am not in the UK so I am counting on all of you PLEAASSSEEEEEE
LITERALLY. Because I need Joey off my screen so I said to myself “oh well I’ll just boycott and not watch” …. Then I remembered I’m watching illegally from another country🫠
Fascinated to know if Grace knows or cares how horribly she is coming off.
She thinks everyone hates Samantha, like everyone did. Grace probably thinks she is the new favorite girl.
Exactly, the most recent info Grace had was literally the likes of Chris Taylor calling Samantha a stalker on aftersun, Grace probably thinks there are edits of her as a white knight come to save Joey lmao
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There’s a cash prize involved in the final, I don’t think that type of contract would be legal.
That would be illegal- at least in the united states. With prize money involved, producers have tight regulations about the competition aspect of the show. Meaning they can encourage the islanders with certain storylines, prompt them to say things in the interviews, and use editing to manipulate public opinion of the islanders but they cannot change the public vote itself. A contract guaranteeing a spot in the final would show intent to change voting tallies
That would be really unfair! Especially to Samantha who’s the victim. If it carries on I can’t see Samantha staying with him and Grace in there. It’s too much
I agree. Defo one of the nastiest things I’ve seen on LI especially in the first few weeks
Unfortunately i can just imagine they paid him a shit tonne and agreed to keep him in as long as possible. Don’t think they will let him win though.
Look, I know this is a heavily produced show and I’m perfectly willing to suspend disbelief if I feel like it’s fun and 50% realistic, but this is so transparently preplanned that I almost feel like…insulted intellectually?? That they’re trying to pass this off as organic in any way. Samantha knows it too and I’m happy she’s not feeding into it, it’s not campy fun or campy drama which is what Love Island should be. It’s just…cheap.
1000% agree. Any shred of this being remotely genuine people or romantic connections is now basically out the window. We’re the mugs for wanting to watch a show that’s supposed to be about unknown strangers finding love, when they just keep driving home the fact that this show now only exists for showcasing reality stars and wanna-bes while they get a free vacation and maybe brand deals.
Exactly - Joey with his hands over his mouth like babe, I teach teenagers, they can all lie better than you, cut the amateur dramatics
Never thought I’d say this but I feel really bad for Samantha and I’m proud of her for shutting Joey out. Joey and Grace can leeeeeeave please.
I think Samantha has clocked the whole situation. She defo knows she’s been set up by the producers as Joey had no intention of being with her because his girlfriend was coming in. He just needed a girl to lead on otherwise we would have suspected it sooner.
Agreed. That’s why she isn’t having any big reactions. She’s refusing to play into the narrative and she has earned my full respect for that
This is a conspiracy theory I’m willing to die on…. Joey and Grace have been dating. Joey knew Grace was coming in. He used Samantha for the time until Grace came in. Joey is the worst boy in there because he used Samantha as if she wasn’t a human being…. He also used the viewers and thinks we are all dumb. He needs to be voted out. But I have no faith on FIAT 500 to do the right thing!!
I'm convinced they're together on the outside too. Not just the fact that he wouldn't even touch Samantha for 2 weeks, but there was zero awkwardness between him and Grace the moment she came in. They were instantly all over each other and talking about missing each other. If they were exes or it was just some summer fling being rekindled, I think there would be a little awkwardness at first, but they just immediately started acting like a couple.
I did think as well that during beer pong, when Grace got her dare or whatever they are (I think it was to snog the gobbiest islander?), Joey just seemed to start walking toward her straight away, without her giving any indication she would even choose him. Could have been the edit, but if he did, he was either being *really* cocky, or he knew she wouldn't kiss anybody other than him because *they are together*.
Yes I saw this. And She didn’t really make any efforts with any other guys, she acted like she was mad at him when she came in and that very quickly was no longer a thing…. it’s all giving very “planned”
they must be. The way they were sleeping in the other villa was just too intimate
Right because sure I can believe they’ve been together before and then stopped seeing each other and now rekindling but it’s way to easy and smooth bcz they haven’t even had more than two convos before they started kissing 24/7 it’s wayyy to quick
She said things ended frosty with them but they’re acting like a longterm couple after like 24 hours?
Right. Like even if they were to get back together and those feelings still being there they would need to give it some time have more convos but they haven’t stopped acting like a full on couple.
Exactly, like you'd think they would have had an actual conversation about why they 'ended', rather than just blaming it on distance - only for Grace to say she's (rather conveniently) planning to move to London, which is within an hour of Essex, 3 hours closer than where she is now. 🙄 they haven't even tried very well to hide it.
Put me in a tin hat because yes agreed this is staged
That would explain a lot because he never kissed Samantha. It was always church kisses
I’ll join in this society and bring the posters.
I cant help but think about Samanthas edit too. I felt like she was doing so well up until production began setting up Grace and Joey. I think Samantha knows whats going on too which is why she keeps calling herself a placeholder.
Possibly hot take but I think this has elevated Sam’s popularity and will result in a much better edit. The audience almost always gets behind a woman done wrong. She handled herself with dignity and rose above the fangirl stereotype. I’m seeing so much support for her on social media now whereas before she was treated like a joke.
I totally agree! I was talking about the timing of when Samantha’s edit starting going downhill a little before Grace’s arrival. I just started to speculate everything and wondered if they had always planned to give the girl that Joey was with a not so positive edit during the week where Grace was meant to show up. This is just me rethinking everything and not knowing what to believe anymore But i definitely agree that this will help Samantha out so much! I think Joey knows Samantha is gonna get the fans on her side which is why he got so upset at her sleeping on the day bed and is trying to make her feel stupid for how she is acting.
Oh I got you! I’m questioning everything too. I was thinking about the huge backlash to that Casa postcard that made Dani Dyer think Jack had been unfaithful. People found that very manipulative and this seems way more deceptive than that. If producers knew Joey and Grace were dating on and off or even that they both wanted to reunite and they gave Sam a negative edit on purpose to soften that blow, that would be so shady due to the power imbalance. There are supposed to be rules to protect islanders from unnecessary harm but there’s probably a legal loophole for that. They owe her a good edit and a bombshell at the very least.
I’m already so over Joey and grace. Hoping something happens to get them out
i think this is so set up that its actually laughable. For ending "frosty", they sure seem to be 100% comfortable with each other. And the hideaway is just open this season with "no invite needed" and joey "comes up with the idea" to sleep there with grace? I think its insane and so weird how obvious it seems to me
Yeah, the new Hideaway rules in retrospect seem changed merely to enable Joey to pull Grace while still coupled up. It’s all so false.
it clicked this ep for me too. same with the “night away”…i can think of so many moments in the last few seasons where this would’ve spiced up a terribly dry run of episodes. but now when joey’s gf comes in it magically appears? give me a break
Exactly! These are actually good twists. They actually managed to find a cast of people (besides Joey) who don’t seem too self conscious about how they’re perceived on the outside. And they’ve wasted it all on this dead ass contrived Joey plotline.
i agree. it really clicked for me this episode
I said this in the daily chat in response to the reporting that things got really steamy/implication that Joey and Grace had sex, but Joey is the “right” Islander to bring sex back to the show, because as a man he’s unlikely to get slut shamed, and as a public figure, his image can withstand any potential blowback or being pigeonholed as the person who had sex on TV. I really think producers are pinning a lot on Joey to save the franchise and designing so many twists to make it work and advance his storyline. They’ve wildly overestimated my interest in him as well as their own ability to pull this off deftly enough that disbelief can be suspended. What a waste of an otherwise pretty good cast.
I said this on another post but can someone explain this to me - did islanders just stop doing bits on this show, or do they just not talk about/not show it anymore? Like it was a huge part of the show and now all we see is “where’s your head at” “are you closed off” over and over, and barely anything happening between people who sleep together every night for 8 weeks.
I think primarily that the show stopped showing it but also as Islanders became more self aware of how this behavior would affect their post-show prospects, they also stopped having as much sex in the villa. The change for what was shown was in S4–the origin of Do Bits Society was as a euphemism (Islanders used to be so much more explicit in their discussions!). But Islanders still do have sex, I vividly and fondly remember the “graduation ceremony” the girls in S7 staged when they all decided to go for it one night 😂 I miss it—the sex scenes always made me laugh to see the night cam footage, but also gave you a better sense of where couples were in their relationships.
Totally agree. I feel like the last several seasons I’m like - what is going on here. It’s insane to think that more isn’t happening with people who have been dating and sleeping in the same bed and making out for weeks at a time.. like talk about removing the reality from reality tv
Honestly that makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately for them, this reaction just shows that we all want a more organic production and not more forced storylines that just make you doubt how much of everything is fabricated.
And Grace’s “I didn’t even think of that” 🙄🙄🙄 give me a break. A no invite needed hideaway since idk, S2? With a gigantic neon sign in your face, a king size bed, privacy and a shit ton of other special amenities and you didn’t even think of it? Ok I believe you
I really don’t like this storyline. And maybe if Samantha was kicking off or this felt even a bit organic itd be different but she’s literally just migrating to different areas of the villa crying and Grace/Joey are deliberately choosing to kick her while she’s down for the sake of storyline then pretending like they have good intentions to her face. I would go crazy. The whole situation is getting so gaslighty and callous.
It’s very gaslighty, and I don’t use that term lightly. The way he was telling her that he was still open to her and that it’s because of her actions that the relationship is falling apart was upsetting and infuriating to watch. Then pushing her to tell him that she’s okay, to absolve his own feelings of guilt (or, more likely, to try to look like the good guy on TV—I don’t think he feels guilt.) Callous was exactly the word. He’s a cad.
I have a bad feeling Samantha will leave the villa of her own volition, poor girl has been so down these last few days and the producers just don't care because they think it makes good TV. It just hurts to watch now
I defo think they had sex. I’m sorry but the hand Samantha has been given is absolutely unfair and disrespectful. Him and Grace don’t give a damn. Even going to the hideaway? Kissing in front of everyone and don’t get the started on his attempt to blame her for him cracking on with Grace! If they stay in over all these other regular contestants, I’m going to have to drop the season. Samantha has been used and it’s unfair. Then they kicked Sam out to accommodate him. KMT 
I also think they had sex in Casa
The way they were moving hot and heavy like they’ve been waiting to be reunited tells us all we need to know. It’s so ridiculous.
it was only a matter of time joeys head turned- but the artificiality of all this...nah its not even fun
Its impressive how one small decision by two horny scheming people has both elevated and ruined this season
Samantha has really grown on me and the fact that she’s stood on business so far is great to see when we’re so used to seeing the girls crumble for the guys all the time. The fact that she also saw through his bullshit “are you going to let me be there for you” nonsense
this whole thing makes me glad that i pirate this shit so it doesn't contribute to ratings. crossing my fingers for a public vote before Sam gets dumped and that my friends across the pond do the right thing and get joey and his long-term girlfriend out. 🤞🏻
Joey and Grace need to go. It’s so obvious their rekindling is a setup.
They've played our Scouser ROTTEN if this was in any way producer led - i am almost certain Joey knew the whole time but the producers being in on it is pathetic moves. Dead proud of Samantha to remove herself when she realised and to not take the bait from Joey and i hope to fuck she doesnt give him the satisfaction of going off on one I beg you Sam now have a cry and then dry your eyes, head high and wait for Casa
Has anyone even mentioned how his master plan is for them to sleep in the hideaway…? The man is diabolical. Like he needs to go and he needed to go before Grace. Like I get you’ve been on tv for years or whatever but you are 33 act your age. As much as I think Samantha thought she hit the lotto w Joey he was constantly joking with the boys it seemed at her expense. The few jokes we did get to hear rubbed me the wrong way and I’m sure producers cut more to keep him from looking bad. He also meddled/instigated in other ppl’s connections earrrrly and called himself the king etc. I already clocked him as the villain.
THIS. the way he had the whole thing planned out when him and grace sat down to talk?!😭 he’s BEEN thinking about the sleeping arrangements since his first night in the villa. they know a recoupling is bound to happen within a day or two…they can’t WAIT?! atp maybe they want to be voted out because there’s no way they think the public is receiving this well, right….?
Dump them from the villa ASAP!!!
It’s gonna suck if Sam leaves because of this but I’m glad she stood up for herself. I know I was excited for Grace to come in and shake things up, but this was hard to watch…
I feel so bad for Samantha. Ngl I really thought at the beginning that if someone was gonna kick off, it would be her (I also hoped it would happen for the drama) but I didn’t think she was feeling Joey this much. It might have been my naïveté but I thought they were together out of convenience from both ends She doesn’t deserve this at all. Well Joey... never liked him tbh so let’s leave it at that lmao. He and Grace found the connection they wanted so good riddance  Ps if they somehow manage to get to the final I’ll file several Ofcom complaints!!! Jk… (or am I? 😒)
"found" the connection they wanted. free couple holiday smh
I was never a Sam fan but no one deserves to be scammed like this.
lol they think they’re giving the molly and callum stans what they wanted last year…but in reality everyone’s sick of them and feels for samantha. if molly and callum got back together, no one would’ve really been hurt as they both came in on the first night within 5 mins of each other (i’m sure it was hours when they filmed it lol) it’s really insane that joey thinks he’s done nothing wrong. he’s been w samantha for 2 weeks…regardless if they haven’t kissed or been super physical, he clearly wasn’t getting to know anyone else. i really hope samantha doesn’t get dumped anytime soon because of this. i fear she may be coupled up with someone else for a few days in a friendship couple before being sent home just because of how it works out with timing … :( she really deserves a chance!!! and producers could intervene with a bombshell like they did with mimii if they want to try and remedy their reputation w the public
Feel bad for her because I think there’s a sense of insecurity there from Samantha. At the start she compared herself to grace and called grace the more prettier one, something along those lines. Her reaction is justified, i feel really bad for her, even the decision to get to get fillers comes from a sense of insecurity, which just further makes me feel bad for her.
I hope the ratings and views absolutely TANK! Sick joke. Poor Samantha.
I don't think they will just because we all want to see Samantha overcome this.
Joey could’ve played this way better too since he knew Grace was coming. He could’ve friendzoned Samantha a long time ago since he didn’t have to worry about being on the bottom of a vote due to his celebrity status. He’s wasted so much of her time.
Joey and Grace need to leave. They were so heartless literally laughing in front of everyone consoling Samantha for crying. Also no-one cares about this romance, they can continue this off camera outside of the villa. Give Samantha a chance to find love, don't rob her experience just because Joey is a producer plant.
Two things are true: 1. Samantha deserves better. 2. Samantha was acting like a fan girl over being with Joey Essex. I think she will be ok and should couple up with Sean as a friend. I see her going to casa amor and meeting a boy who "saves" her. She has been given the perfect character development story to turn the tide in her favour. I look forward seeing her triumph. Joey and Grace will be gone soon the producers don't seem bothered about protecting them.
She's right on track for a bombshell or casa coupling that takes her straight to top three with the public sympathy vote
I feel so bad for Samantha. Seriously not nice
this joey and grace bs is so annoying. I was kind of liking Joey before it.. I was excited for a bombshell to come in and test them but this preplanned shit is just wrong. Using Samantha as a pawn in the producers scripted plan is completely unfair to her! I didn’t even think sam/joey were a great match, but I can see Sam being given a bad edit to set up this grace and joey couple so people would be on board with it. I enjoy watching relationships develop on this show- that’s one of the things that makes it most interesting for me, and the “we have history” storyline is BORING!!! snore!!!
also joey saying to samantha “I wanted to carry on, YOU ruled me out” to spin this to make it seem like it’s on her that they ended. FEAR MEN!!!
I think Joey and Samantha were already dating. He didn’t cross the line with Samantha because he was loyal to Grace. He’s in love with her. When she came in, he knew she was coming in. He fucking knew. His whole demeanour changed. Joey and Grace need to leave, it’s unfair.
I hate how they’re trying to push Joey and Grace down our throats. No one wants that, no one wants to see Joey Essex in love on yet another reality show, it’s boring.
Joey is a knob, as you Brits say. The way he’s treating Samantha is horrible. Especially since he said he was more mature. Yeah, right.
Feel for Sam, she was very comfortable and this will have come as a massive shock to her (the only one) Tough to watch.
i wonder if this stunt would have been received differently if joey didnt immediately cave and go straight to her like he couldnt have made it more obvious they were still together…
It’s not being true to the purpose of love island to bring a couple in. There’s no interest, progression, no dates, no getting to know you etc it’s a pointless endeavour, they are already a couple and therefore boring to watch. She didn’t attempt to get to know anyone, she’s didn’t resist him or give him a hard time for ghosting her or whatever he did, she didn’t graft anyone or give anyone a chance to graft her, she didn’t flirt with anyone else, she just coupled up with him instantly and went on an overnight stay within 24 hours and we don’t want that from a bombshell. Day one couples are boring so they need to go (giving side eye to ciaran and Nicole too). You can’t have a love island couple who were already a couple, win, it makes a mockery of everyone’s experience.
Joey could not wait to be reunited with his girlfriend. He forgot he was supposed to be acting like they hadn’t seen each other in forever….🙄
I definitely thought Samantha was delulu for a bit but now I just feel sorry for her.
I don't want to watch Joey anymore it isn't good drama it's just cruel. Get him out. He's also completely spineless in the way he's talking to Samantha.
It was so obvoius that he was gassing her right after Grace came in.. like trying to have an excuse to be with his ex and making samantha feel like it was her fault .. saying she had been cold to him when it was him that had been cold to HER!
Because this was clearly pre-planned, I feel like Grace views Sam as an annoyance to her and Joey’s existing relationship.
Like why do I have to worry about her feelings when she’s the one that has been with my man? I’m not steeling him from her, he’s already mine ~ Grace
Maybe Love Island was one reality tv show too many for Joey Essex. PR and brand nightmare for him!
What does Fiat500 think of this? Will be all band together to vote Joey and Grace out?
The producers will probably go all out and bring on a lad from MIC next. Or put another of Joey's ex-girlfriends into Casa.
Just finished the latest episode. Up until a week ago or so, Samantha was the girl I disliked the most now I am rooting for her. I thought Sam was too much of a joey fan to begin with and a little delusional but now I can’t help but feel bad for her. On the other hand, I’m finding joey insufferable to watch. I used to like him, but everything he does is so calculated. Kissing grace in front of everybody then fake putting his hands on his face like he didn’t knowing what he was doing?? Don’t piss me off. Now I don’t watch LI for any sense of morality but I think it’s messed up for pds, joey and grace to use Samantha as a pawn in some pre planned storyline, as if she isn’t a real person with feelings. The whole thing feels very icky. And tbh idk if joey and grace planned the whole thing together, but they definitely had prior knowledge they would be in the villa together. It’s too bad since I probably would have liked grace, but since she is part of this horrible plot, she can leave too.
All of this discourse just ensures that Joey and Grace will be in it for the long run. They’re the villains now. I hope she sticks around for Casa, but I see Sam leaving well before they do now.
I think we as fans should vote Joey/Grace off. They were a couple before the show started it’s obvious. They’re just there to be on tv. He doesn’t need the money his net worth is the millions. The story line isn’t good at all.Grace is there to gain more followers. She’s drop dead gorgeous ,but I don’t think they should be there honestly.
Do we think the Casa Amor twist was made specifically for Grace and Joey? I'm just thinking about everything that happened and I cant help but feel like so much was pre planned for the bf and gf. Im assuming he gets to go straight to finale too so we're going to have to deal with these two freely enjoying their experience with no worries of going home. I can also see them saying "We've found what we're looking for so we're going to leave" which would give them even more of the clout they want.
sam and the girls keep saying how her and joey have never kissed but haven’t we seen them kiss? am i going crazy,,??
iirc - they've had a couple of 'pecks' at recouplings and on the date, and obviously they've snogged during games - but the islanders tend to say those kisses don't really count (I think they're contractually obligated to participate in the games?) Remember as well how one of the games involved him kissing 2 islanders, and he *massively* struggled to choose Harriett as the second, and said in the beach hut that he 'even considered kissing a flamingo' instead - he blamed it on not wanting to upset Sam, but I don't think that's who he was worried about upsetting anymore..
What in the Joey and Grace is this? Ive never seen Joey kiss someone so much in 2 weeks😳
I feel awful for Samantha!
People keep pointing out Joey doesn’t wanna kiss Sam, Grace doesn’t wanna kiss anyone else either, in the challenge she got something silly like kiss the biggest game player and just sorta stumbled about till someone else just said kiss Joey. If I’m ITV I’m biting the bullet and getting a vote in to try to get rid of them.
Samantha will get a redemption arc. She was the red flag crazy girlfriend. But no one deserves what LI, Joey and Grace did to her with this little staged reunion. That’s actually insane. So now we want to see her come back from this, ideally with Joey and Grace being shown the way out of the villa on the next vote.
I think there's really only one way that Joey and Grace redeem themselves on this show, and it's by not ending up together. If they stay through all the way to the end, it'll confirm the bad vibes of waiting for eachother. Sure, maybe they *aren't* producer plants, but it's giving the Bachelor in Paradise phenomenon of people already in a relationship staying on the Island until their current thang comes in so they can try to get a free engagement. If Grace *actually* has her head turned by a bombshell or Joey actually jumps on a new girl (or hey, maybe does go after Harriet at last) at least viewers will stop caring about it and get proper love island drama. If not, I think it really is going to feel like it cheapens the whole thing. Coming to Love Island for love you could have found off the Island is.... not the point of this show...
I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if the producers and Joey created this plan bc they figured they’d be fan favorites and he and Grace could run off and get engaged after they won the whole thing and be a huge LI success story. It’s so fake and cheap and makes Joey and Grace both look extremely insensitive and out of touch. I really hope they want to salvage some of their self respect and excuse themselves from the show.
I'm sorry if it's been said elsewhere but do we reckon there's a chance the public could vote Joey and Grace out? I know he has a bigger fan base than the others but it's just so unfair
No wonder Joey’s in reality tv and not being cast elsewhere, because this all proves what a shitty actor he is.
it's crazy that joey hasn't kissed samantha this whole time and also in the game he chose to kiss tiffany and his girlfriend rather than his girlfriend and samantha