RIP Love Island 2014-2019: The show is officially dead

Love Island has died an unfortunate death. There, I said it. This year’s show has lost everything that once made it great and you can feel it in the air. It’s not as funny, there’s no sex and it doesn’t seem authentic anymore. How have we got to a point that conversations about Love Island are far more entertaining than the show itself?

But it wasn't always like this. Years ago, Love Island left us open mouthed, it would make us laugh, the people were more relatable and it wasn't so heavily produced. This bred natural, classic moments like Chris saying "Does anyone want me to rap?" and Jonny calling Theo a "gigantic bellend".

Every show reaches its downfall when it gets too big for its boots – and Love Island is doing just that. Say your goodbyes, because these are the reasons that the show is well and truly dead:

No one is having sex

Let's be honest here. No one is shagging because the people on it clearly don't want to ruin their career before its even started.

The contestants are all far more aware they're being filmed than in previous seasons, and the lack of sex is emblematic of that. Even Maura, our resident horny feminist queen, hasn't had sex.

It's reached a point where it's so unrealistic – because you know they'd all be shagging in real life – that it's actually starting to break the fourth wall.

Remember when Emma and Terry had sex on top of the covers? Or when Kem and Amber literally ran around the villa looking for a new location to shag? That was prime Love Island content and we've lost it.

The cast is full of influencers

I hate being THAT person but Love Island is literally propped up by influencers the producers have scouted at this point. The people on the show used to be normal, slightly-fitter-than-average people that you could see on the street. Or probably at a VIP booth in an Essex club. But either way – they weren't already going in with hundreds of thousands of Insta followers and secret fortunes.

The show was better when the people were a bit weird, less concerned with their image and kept forgetting they were on a show. Which brings us to:

They're all too self aware

Part of the reason this series has been so underwhelming is because this year's contestants care way too much about what the public thinks.

The show has become so big that no one forgets they're on TV anymore. It's not sincere, it's a game of "Who can keep me in" that gets very boring very fast.

Think about Michael recoupling with Joanna after Casa Amor because he clearly hated that the public had been calling him "whipped". Or how he flip flopped between Joanna and Amber based on who was most likely to keep him in and get him to the final. Or how Jordan left Anna as soon as he found out the public didn't rate them as a couple.

The smoking was genuinely a pillar of the series

Smoking is bad, okay. I'm not saying smoking is good or should be encouraged. But the culture that surrounded smoking in series one to three was hilarious.

The bitchy chats that were had as they all sat around having fags were an absolute highlight in Love Island history. You just knew if a group of them were sat smoking on the decking, they were about to say something good.

The rules are too stringent now

Obviously the rules are in place for good reason. They're also increasingly necessary considering how big the show is getting. Having four million viewers watching contestants chain smoking every night isn't exactly promoting a healthy lifestyle.

But – they're making it far less enjoyable. The Islanders are kept on such a tight leash, it's not fun for them or us. Let them get drunk one night, or let them talk about the outside world more, or even have a cheeky bit of contact with the world outside the villa. Remember when Stormzy facetimed Chris and Kem? Those were the good old days.

It has become a money making machine and that's all it is

It was announced this week there’ll now be two series of Love Island per year. Plus, the amount of brand deals the show has is getting ridiculous

Even First Look alone has two sponsors. That's two adverts before you can watch a two or three minute video. And I can't even name all of the brand partnerships for the actual show.

At this point, they're running it because of the sheer amount of money it makes, even though the content isn't anything near as good as it used to be. The scale and worth of the show is eclipsing what it used to be about: shagging, fighting, falling in love and forgetting you're on TV.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Love Island confirms there will be two series EVERY YEAR!!!

• Love Island Gossip Column: Amber and Greg’s date was FAKED??! Plus Tom wins worst sponsored post ever

• I got to the penultimate stage of Love Island auditions: This is what happens