A considered ranking of every Love Island series from worst to best

If you disagree, we can’t be friends


Love Island returned to our screens last week, and let’s not beat around the bush, it’s been a pretty dead series so far. If we were going to factor this series into the ranking, it’s safe to say it wouldn’t do well.

From dumping the most attractive islander after only three days (#justice for Shannon), to the constant mentions of Jake’s foot fetish, it’s safe to say the show is not living up to how it used to be.

Cast your mind back to previous years, when for two months every summer, the entire UK population was glued to their TVs for real romances, savage re-couplings and not just awkward Islanders desperate to score a Boohoo clothing contract when they leave the villa.

However, not all series of the show were created equally, which is why we have definitively ranked them from worst to best. And if you don’t agree with this ranking, we can’t be friends.

6. Series one

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Hannah wearing a choker as Jon proposes= peak 2015 fashion

First the worst? No questions asked. The show launched in 2015 and it’s safe to say it took a few years to become the drama-filled phenomenon we all know and love. It had an average of 570,000 viewers, and most of the contestants were just there to increase their Instagram followers. The boys were unattractive, the girls were all models and diversity was essentially non-existent.

The only real OMG moment came from Essex boy Jon Clark proposing to former Playboy model Hannah Elizabeth, but they broke up shortly after the series ended, and Jon went on to date Chloe Crowhurst from series three for a bit before she appeared on the show.

The series did however produce the first ever Love Island baby, with the now-separated Cally Jane Beech and Luis Morrison welcoming daughter Vienna in 2017.

5. Series six

Congrats, hun

After the success of series five (more on that later), ITV got a bit too excited and decided to unnecessarily commission a Winter Love Island in 2020. This was the first series hosted by current presenter Laura Whitmore, and its cast featured Rochelle’s Humes’ sister, Lewis Capaldi’s ex and the first set of female twins who we could barely tell apart until one was dumped from the Villa.

However, this series was simply too predictable, with many Islanders clearly playing a game and knowing how to act up to the public to appear favourably.

Many of the series’ couples are still together now, including winners Paige Turley and Finley Tapp, and second place Siannise Fudge and Luke Trotman. A special mention has to go Shaughna Phillips, who delivered the iconic line, “congrats, hun,” after being savagely dumped by Callum Jones, and thus took the crown as the ultimate queen of Winter Love Island.

4. Series four

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Muggy Megan was the sex-positive icon we didn’t know we needed

Now we start on the good ones. Series four was brilliant from the get-go, as we watched Danny Dyer’s daughter Dani Dyer couple up with pen salesman Jack Fincham.

Despite producers sending in Jack’s ex to try and throw a spanner in the works, prompting over 2,500 complaints from viewers to Ofcom when scenes of Dani sobbing at the news were aired, their love remained true and the couple continued to date for nine months after leaving the villa.

However, they weren’t the only ones we cared about that series. Hayley Hughes asked the big questions about Brexit. Eyal Booker was like “Rah”. Adam Collard was the ultimate bad boy, going from Kendall to Rosie to Zara to Darylle to Zara again.

Georgia Steel was “loyal babes”. Dr Alex was pied many, many times. Wes started the do-bits society. Jack Fowler became Oluwa Jack. Ellie Brown called Georgia an ugly see-you-next-tuesday.

Laura Anderson snagged cool Paul the model from a Britney music video. And Megan Barton Hanson ensured that all shit hit the fan.

Overall, a pretty iconic cast, and an even more iconic series.

3. Series two

Nathan and Cara walked so Jack and Dani could run

When Love Island was renewed for a second series, many sceptics were unsure whether it would be a success. But the beauty of series two was the lack of expectations around it.

It had adorable couples like Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey, the first “couple since day one,” who, after winning the show, got married and have had two kids. We also saw the epic coupling of Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland who have also since tied the knot, and the series even had the first -and only- bisexual couple of Katie Salmon with the late Sophie Gradon.

But if this season will be remembered for anything, it’s that it had so much sex. Tom Powell and Sophie did bits in a wardrobe. Zara Holland was dethroned as Miss Great Britain after giving oral sex to Alex, whose future wife Olivia slept with Rykard Jenkins whilst his love interest Rachel Fenton slept in the next bed.

Terry Walsh slept with Emma-Jane Woodham on top of the covers for all to see, just a few days after he’d vowed to remain loyal to dumped Islander Malin Andersson (who he’d also had sex with in the communal bedroom, as they were cheered on by other Islanders). Oh and apparently Olivia and Alex had sex 30 times whilst in the villa.

2. Series five

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Has anyone in the history of Love Island ever put their foot in it more than Tom with Maura? Probably not

The 2019 edition of the show was packed with so many classic moments that it’s not hard to see why it deserved second place. There were iconic quotes like “message!” and “fanny flutters.”

There was a bad boy trio in Jordan Hames, Danny Williams and Michael Griffiths and more fights than a Shakespeare tragedy. Amy Hart screamed at Curtis Pritchard, Belle Hassan screamed at Anton Danyluk and Anna Vakili screamed at Jordan.

However, the series was made by three women: Amber Gill, Molly-Mae Hague and Maura Higgins. Amber basically won the show herself after being mugged off by Michael, and the nation was captivated as we watched Molly-Mae fall for boxer Tommy Fury- if you didn’t cry as she re-entered the villa after Casa Amor to find him waiting for her with Elly-Belly, you’re lying.

However, Maura provided us with the best moment in Love Island history when she caught Tom saying, “It’ll be interesting to see if she’s all mouth,” prompting her to tell him to go fuck himself for slut-shaming her positive attitude towards sex.

1. Series three

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Were you even a boy on Love Island if you didn’t wear white jeans at some point?

We have a winner!! Series three is the undisputed best series of Love Island there has ever been. This year transformed the programme from a casual dating show on ITV2  to a phenomenon that gripped the nation for an entire summer. The girls were gorgeous, the guys were gorgeous and the villa had a complete glow-up.

There were couples we were actually invested in, like Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt (remember that LaLa Land inspired final date?!).

There was the introduction of the essential Casa Amor and even the re-entering of dumped Islanders, which they need to bring back in the current series. I still want justice for Shannon.

The best thing about this series though? We saw our very first bromance- Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay. This best friend duo could’ve coupled up and won the show themselves, and they probably should’ve done, considering neither of their relationships lasted long in the outside world.

They shaved each other’s initials into their pubes, they wrote a song with Marcel Somerville (didn’t you know he used to be in the Blazin’ Squad?) which charted at no.15 in the UK and they even spoke to Stormzy on the show.

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