Words by Maibh Shiels
What do Michael and Amber, Josh and Georgia, and Callum and Shaughna all have in common?
They’re just handful of Love Island couples who’ve been laid to rest by the infamous Casa Amor ‘relationship test’ over the years, with all three girls remaining loyal while their partners chose to recouple during a mini lads’ holiday.
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Casa Amor represents a crucial stage within the life cycle of a Love Island couple; it sees the boys and girls split into separate villas without warning, and presented with a new cohort of ‘bombshells’ – aka ridiculously attractive members of the opposite sex – to see if they’ll remain loyal.
But this year’s recoupling may just be the most dramatic yet, as Thursday night’s episode saw both groups reunited to face the music and fans watched the ‘pure carnage’ play out in screen.
In excruciating scenes, we saw formerly loved-up couples Andrew and Tasha and Indiyah and Dami split, while Paige and Ekin-Su were told exactly what their boys had been up to while they were away.
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With so much betrayal and heartbreak in the air, fans can’t help wondering: is this really what happens on a lads’ holiday?
“All Casa Amor amor has shown me is that you cannot trust men on a lads’ holiday,” one tweeted.
“Feel like all the guys treated Casa Amor like a lads’ holiday," another said.
"Self-care is not watching any of the Casa Amor episodes when you know your boyfriend is going on holiday with the lads next month," one added.
It’s fair to say those watching at home have been well and truly spooked at the sheer volume of boys happily ‘cracking on’ with new girls this year – some of them clearly under the impression that what happens on holiday, stays on holiday.
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Of course, it wasn’t only the boys who dabbled in holiday romances this year; Tasha and Danica both shared kisses with the new boys, and things appeared to get pretty steamy between Ekin-Su and George.
But the sheer volume of betrayal in the boys’ camp is what’s really lit up Love Island Twitter this week.
And this clearly wasn’t lost on Indiyah, who was later seen telling former partner Dami: “I might be a heartbreaker but I’m not disrespectful,” after finding out exactly what he’d been up to while he was away.
Former contestant Chloe Burrows echoed this sentiment on Twitter, asking, “Can someone tell me if this is how boys’ holidays actually go down?”
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One fan replied: “It is… my boyfriend of five years cheated on me on his first lads’ holiday.”
It's easy to see why people are concerned. But dating expert Jasmine Diaz insists that those in a secure relationship shouldn’t have to worry when their boyfriend goes on a lads’ holiday: “Peer pressure or a desire to ‘have fun’ with your friends will not automatically lead someone to cheat,” she tells Tyla.
“A partner who decides to cheat while on holiday is clearly at odds with their relationship. Temptation might exacerbate feelings already there, but… it certainly does not mean one is destined to cheat because they have freedom.”
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Jasmine suggests that if someone cheats while away on holiday, it likely wasn’t working to begin with – and perhaps the same can be said for the couples in the Love Island villa.
After all, none of them had proclaimed themselves ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ or had the infamous ‘are we exclusive?’ chat.
Jasmine insists a partner won’t cheat just because they’re on holiday; so if you’re watching Love Island and fretting about your boyfriend’s trip away, you can sleep easy tonight.
But she does caution that anyone who is worried about it happening might want to reflect on their relationship: “If you're concerned about whether your partner will cheat while on holiday with friends, it's time to do some soul searching. It could be a sign to walk away or have some critical conversations with your partner.”
Love Island continues on weekdays at 9:00pm on ITV2
Featured Image Credit: ITV2Topics: Love Island, ITV, TV And Film, Sex and Relationships