Once upon a time, Love Island contestants were completely new to the world of reality TV and showbiz, but the fame game has certainly changed since the days of Love Island 2015 and Love Island 2016 when the likes of Hannah Elizabeth and Olivia Bowen were thrust into the spotlight.
In 2024, it’s not unusual for producers to pick contestants who already have tens of thousands of followers on social media or are pals with people who have been on the show before.
Just look at Love Island 2024 OG Ayo Odukoya. He’s a model and footballer from east London who already moves in the same circles as several former Islanders.
Speaking about his connection to two VERY famous faces from the show, Ayo revealed, “I know a few people, like Toby [Aromolaran] is someone I played football with back in the day.
“So, that’s someone I knew, and Tyrique [Hyde] was, and his little brother – I know him.”
Toby and Tyrique did very well for themselves on the show, both making it to the final (two in Toby's case) and keeping us entertained with their turbulent relationships with the likes of Chloe Burrows, Georgia Steel and Ella Thomas, so let's hope Ayo brings the same energy to the villa.
Ayo went on to say that he’s also had brushes with some female Islanders, too. He explained, “I’ve been to a couple of events and seen some girls out, but nothing has come from it. There was no chat or no interaction, just I could see them from afar. That was pretty much it."
But despite knowing a few people that have been in previous villas, Ayo admitted he never watched the show before being scouted by producers - which is WILD, if you ask us. Then again, we are heatworld, so this show is basically our love language.
“For me, I haven’t watched the show. I’m not so into the mix of the show and what’s going on,” he said.
“I’ve, of course, had a look at a few seasons as I was going through the process, just to have a look.”
Explaining how he got tapped up by Love Island execs, Ayo added, “I got approached, they've come to me and said they wanted me on the show.
“So I've just been going by every process and it's been amazing. The team's unreal, so I've had great experience so far.”
It’s alright for some, isn’t it?