Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Love Island, Joey Essex, Reality TV
Kya Buller
The arrival of Joey Essex into the Love Island villa shocked fans last night and now has them looking back on his jam-packed TV history.
The 33-year-old reality TV veteran cut his teeth on ITV's The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) back in 2011, when he was just 20-years-old.
At that time, he was introduced as a supporting cast member during the second season, but his popularity was immediate and by the time the third season aired, he was among the main cast.
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He went on to deliver a number of iconic reality TV moments, including making the word "reem" part of everyone's vocabulary in 2012.
If you've forgotten, it was Joey's very own word for cool or attractive. Maybe it's due a comeback?
Ultimately, Joey left TOWIE in 2013, but that was just the beginning of his illustrious career as a television personality.
The same year that he wrapped his stint on TOWIE, Joey went on to star in Splash!, which showed a series of celebrities learning how to dive, and I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here!
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Joey then proved he's no one trick pony and rather than signing up for another show as a cast member, he starred in his very own TV show.
Educating Joey Essex poked fun at the public image of Joey not being the sharpest tool in the box - if you catch my drift.
The show lasted for two seasons on ITV and showed Joey learning about football, fashion, aliens and the general election.
A quick glimpse at Joey's Wikipedia page shows he hasn't been out of work from reality TV for a single year since his 2011 TOWIE debut.
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That is seriously impressive.
His next gigs included Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and *deep breath* Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion.
Then even more followed, including a documentary he presented about the loss of his mother to suicide when he was just 10-years-old, Joey Essex: Grief and Me.
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So, it's safe to say Joey has earned his place as a well-respected television personality and become a household name.
To date, he's been on a whopping 17 reality shows - and that's without counting his guest appearances.
His current appearance on Love Island is a move nobody saw coming - he is the show's first ever celebrity bombshell, after all.
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And while many are ecstatic to have Joey back on our screens, many are gobsmacked by just how much he's managed to fit in over the last 13 years.
One person tweeted: "Joey Essex’s agent never stops… he has literally been on every reality show in the UK."
Another said: "Joey Essex collecting reality tv shows like infinity rings".
A third chimed: "Not gonna lie, I’m secretly excited about what Joey Essex is going to come out with for the duration he’s there. The stuff that comes out of that guys mouth is comedy gold."
We just can't wait to see what manages to squeeze in next.