From garden Portaloos to a stinky Beach Hut: The most gross Love Island production secrets

I’m sorry to break it to you all: Being an Islander isn’t always that glamorous. Yes the luxury villa has a huge pool and gorgeous views, but previous Love Island contestants have shared some production secrets that can only be described as gross.

They’ve shared all about the toilet situation in the villa, how there’s a strict limit on shower time and have even said where the smelliest parts of the villa are. Delightful!

I hope you’re not having your dinner, because here is a rundown of all the most truly gross Love Island production secrets. I feel sick!

When the villa is cleaned out, the Islanders have to use a Portaloo in the garden

In a TikTok, previous winner Millie Court said when the villa is being cleaned, a Portaloo is put in the garden and all the Islanders have to use that. She said it stinks, naturally.

The villa is cleaned once a week and a cleaner will come in and do things like washing the sheets, general cleaning and the Islanders’ laundry is done for them.

There are cameras ‘watching you when you are on the toilet’

It’s previously been reported there are over 80 cameras dotted around the Love Island villa. Arabella Chi, from series five, added: “There are cameras watching you when you are on the toilet but they are cameras not for the public to see.”

The Beach Hut apparently stinks

According to 2021 Islander Brad McClellend, the Love Island villa’s Beach Hut absolutely reeks. Describing it as “disgusting”, he said: “The Beach Hut used to stink because obviously all during the day we’d been in the pool, got suncream on, or will go and do a challenge and do the horrible food challenges.

“And obviously we’re sitting on a big wicker chair and you’re wet and after a while, the cushion will be damp and they used to just have a bottle of spray and you’d go in and spray it. The Beach Hut gets used loads it’s probably the most popular place so there’s even more dirt and stuff.”

Damp wicker and cushions…gorgeous.

But then again, the whole villa apparently smells bad

Previous Love Island host Laura Whitmore has said one of the biggest, and most gross, production secrets the viewers at home will never know is that the villa pretty much smells of aftershave and farts. Lovely.

“The Love Island villa smells – that’s the one thing the audience at home never see,” she told The Times. “When you walk into a house with that many men and only two or three toilets, the smell of fake tan, the flatulence, the perfumes and aftershaves all together is like this eclectic medley.”

There are only two showers for up to 18 people

Ex-Islanders have revealed there are only two showers in the villa, which means people have to queue for ages, and getting ready in the evenings can take hours. After Casa Amor, there are sometimes up to 18 people sharing the villa, so the queue for a quick rinse can be long!

“The girls used the indoor shower and most of the boys used the one outdoors,” Amy Day said. She said there were “allocated slots” for Islanders to clean.

Last year, it became really clear that the shower situation is a bit awkward, when after a morning chat on terrace with the girls, Gemma Owen said she was “getting in the shower first”. The other girls then proceeded to shout “shotgun” to form a queue for the limited showers on offer.

And the Islanders have to shower at certain times, and have a limited time in the shower

Before Love Island 2022, the Islanders weren’t even allowed to shower in the morning! Shaughna Phillips and Sophie Piper said “time was of the essence” in the mornings and producers told them they “weren’t allowed” to shower in the morning as they were “needed” to film. Zara McDermott also said Islanders in the 2018 series were only allowed to shower in the evenings.

Shaughna has also previously said Islanders are only allowed to shower for up to 10 minutes. She added: “I suppose one show secret that a lot of people, I mean it’s not a huge secret, but a lot of people are so shocked to work out you can’t just have a shower when you want, you can’t just wash your hair whenever you want.

“So you can’t just be like ‘oh, I’m gonna go and have a shower’, like, there are set shower times, which is probably about five to ten minutes each person, and the last few people that are allowed to get in the shower, the cold water comes on because the hot water has run out, it’s really not glamorous, I assure you.”

There are hardly any toilets either

In an interview, 2020 Islander Shaughna Phillips said there are hardly any toilets, either. She said there were only two toilets in the 2020 South Africa villa, when there were up to 18 of them staying there at some points.

Sounds great!

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