Love Island is at its best when there are at least one or two genuine couples that get along swimmingly. But on this season so far, the chemistry between most of the men and women is definitely lacking. It seems like a lot of people in the villa are in it "to play the game," the Love Island translation of "not being there for the right reasons." It's why some fans can't stand to see friendship couples populate the fire pit — where is the romance, people?!
But facts are facts and Love Island is a game, and a ridiculous one at that, which is why Season 7's plethora of ever changing friendship couples isn't bothering me one bit. There have been a lot of them so far, and it's a great tool to use in order to remain in the villa until the very end, or at least until a whole new crop of singles wanders into Casa Amor.
Whether it's Chloe choosing Hugo off the bat in order to assess her options later (there was never going to be a spark between those two) or Aaron coupling up with Kaz after his failed attempt to match up with Lucinda (and breaking up with Sharon in order to do so), I'm very into Friend Island as long as we eventually get somewhere interesting.
Of course, viewers will never likely see the Islanders plotting to keep each other around in the villa, but it must be happening in some corner of the house in hushed tones. Aaron and Kaz, for example, seem to actually like each other, and whatever you think about him, Kaz definitely brings a necessary energy to the villa. The same goes for Sharon and Hugo, who couldn't even find time for a proper chat in the early days of their recoupling, but have now somehow found a way to put up with each other until someone more their type struts on in later in the season.
Whether or not that happens, friendship couples are sort of a fun way to break the fourth wall, where Islanders openly admit through their soppy speeches that they just aren't ready to leave yet or put someone they actually enjoy talking to over crappy iced coffee in danger of getting dumped from the island.
It's the most authentic thing about Love Island, if you believe there even can be anything authentic about a reality dating show, as friendship couples most often form between some of the original members of each season's cast. That makes sense — those first Islanders came in together and likely bond from the very beginning. Why not stay loyal to each other if nothing better has come your way?
Of course, it doesn't always end well for friendship couples or the people in them. A friendship couple is never going to be voted most compatible by the audience, after all. They save the "real" couples for that. And being in a friendship couple will eventually work against an Islander when one half's head is properly turned by a new bombshell coming into the villa. But it's not the worst way to spend the season, for the Islander and for fans who root for the contestants that are unlucky in love but fun to watch. Given the way this season as been going far in the love department, give me Kaz's beach hut confessionals and Hugo's sorry attempts at flirting with every blonde woman in the joint. It's all we got at this point.
Images: ITV