Love Island UK just wrapped up its eighth season early in August. The show is chock full of content, as it's on six nights a week for roughly six weeks. With so many episodes per season, the show is bound to have its cringe-worthy moments.
Looking back on all eight seasons of the show, there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments worth revisiting. The islanders are not perfect people, so they're bound to slip up in very human ways. That said, seeing their awkwardness play out on an international scale gives viewers that unmistakable shiver-down-the-spine cringe.
Begging To Stay
When it comes time for the recoupling, sometimes a guy or a girl is left without a match, which often means they get dumped from the villa. Not only are the men and women hoping to find love, but in the end, the show is a competition as there's £50,000 on the line as well.
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In season 2, the girls got their first chance to choose a boy with whom to couple up, and in the moments before the official ceremony, Javi begged Zara to choose him. Redditor only1Scrappy-Doo commented, "That was one of the most cringe moments ever on the show imo." It's tough thinking it may be the end for some contestants, but for viewers, this was unacceptably cringey.
Blatantly Rude
Due to the nature of the show, not everyone who is coupled up is compatible as partners, but typically Islanders try to keep a level of respect for who they're coupled up with even if they know it isn't going anywhere. It can be a tough spot for some participants who want to make it clear that they're not interested, however, sometimes it's taken too far. In season 1, Chris and Zoe were coupled up which Zoe seemed excited about the day before their date.
Redditor ahabaner0 wrote, "When Chris was massaging Zoe and she’s like 'Ew massages, they’re even worse when the person massaging you isn’t your type.' I died for him." It seemed that Zoe was making a point that she suddenly wasn't interested in Chris but went about it in a soul-crushing way.
The Photoshoot
In season 4, Megan and Rosie decide to do a photoshoot. What makes this scene so cringey is the commentary from Adam saying how offputting it is. The girls think it's going to impress the guys and, whether or not they looked good, Adam saying it was offputting made this scene extra cringeworthy.
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Redditor MEC3273 said, "I still have nightmares about that photoshoot. It honestly might be the most cringe thing to happen on that show." The cringe was felt everywhere as multiple news outlets covered the scene, including The Daily Mirror (UK), calling it the "cringiest moment yet" to happen on Love Island.
Tasha's Talent
Fans of Love Island are well aware of the talent show portion of the show. Without fail, these scenes produce some of the most cringe-worthy moments due to the fact that, just because these men and women are looking for love, doesn't mean they have a show-ready talent. In season 8, first-ever deaf contest Tasha did a cute number from the movie Pitch Perfect, however, not every viewer was impressed.
Redditor swiftofeye said, "I just can't buy into Tasha as genuine, sorry. Or do people think it is her genuine talent, or simply producer led prompting maybe." Some viewers felt like Tasha's "talent" was a ploy to get sympathy, but instead, it came off as a little disingenuous. However, that hasn't stopped her from being one of the most popular Love Island islanders of season 8.
Charlie's Heart Rate Challenge
In the latest season during the heart rate challenge, poor contestant Charlie couldn't muster up the moves, resulting in perhaps one of the most awkward moments to ever happen on Love Island. To make matters worse were the reactions from the fellow islanders. It was clear that Charlie was uncomfortable so it's hard to put him down, but the girls' faces and the boys' laughter really put this scene over the edge.
About the moment, Foxyleopatra wrote, "Just rewatched the heart race/dance episode and Charlie's entire existence is making me cringe so hard man. The secondhand embarrassment I got was unbearable." While it was unbearable for many viewers, it's hard not to feel bad for the guy as well. His performance will definitely not make anyone's sexiest Love Island heart rate challenge list.
Shouldn't Have Stayed In The Villa
In season 4, Georgia and Sam were a Love Island couple that split up but both decided to stay in the villa, making for an incredibly awkward viewing for fans. While the Islanders are also playing for money, with a show about finding love, it's hard to watch two people who were together have to skirt around each other after splitting up.
Redditor Maddiever10 said, "I had to turn off the tv and stop watching when Sam and Georgia were split and decided to stay in the villa. It’s so cringe!" It's hard to blame the two for not wanting to leave, but as a viewer, it made for awkward TV.
Honeybuns
Everyone has different ways of approaching romance, but it seems there are some universally understood no-no's when it comes to what to do and more importantly, what not to do. In season 8, Paige had a penchant for using her catchphrases no matter the situation, but for certain viewers, there's a time and place.
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Redditor Direct_bunch_8031 said, "I actually really like Paige but I think saying ‘hey honey buns’ to Adam Collard whilst approaching for a kiss is the first deadly sin. I visibly cringed. Even Margot Robbie couldn't pull that one off."
Ditch The American Accent
A common thing throughout the seasons of Love Island is the Islanders using American accents randomly in a conversation. Neasalikestrees from Reddit said, "They're used when islanders aren't comfortable with what they're saying or a situation and seem to be used as a kind of a safety blanket for some reason."
This quirk that some of the Islanders seem to share is noticeable to many viewers with some saying it's just something they try to ignore at this point. It appears to happen during a high-intensity situation, like a conversation that isn't easy to have and is an attempt to break the tension.
Quit The Guessing Game
When meeting someone for the first time, it's common for the conversation to drift to what the other does for a living. This is one question that is asked without fail on Love Island. But for some reason, season 7 contestant Priya wanted Teddy to guess what she did, out of the thousands of careers out there.
Priya seemed genuine in wanting him to guess correctly, but from a viewer's standpoint, it almost seemed like she was fishing for compliments. Self-propelledflower said, "I was just cringing at Priya making Teddy guess that she’s a medical student." Suffice it to say, they were not a long-lasting Love Island couple.
The Rapper Who Couldn't Stop Talking About It
Season three contestant Marcel wanted everyone in the villa to know that he was a rapper and that he used to be a part of a rap group in his youth called Blazin' Squad. It was one of the first things he mentioned when trying to get to know everyone.
His being part of Blazin' Squad wasn't the awkward part, it was the way he told it like it was a big reveal only for the person he was talking to not know what it was. Not only that, but he started rapping one of the first nights in the villa, leading Swiftofeye to say, "Cringe is the word, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me," during his performance.
Next: 10 Loudest Fights Of All Time On Love Island UK
