As of this moment, we ALL need to start remembering that Love Island's Joey Essex has been in the reality TV game for 13 years. 13 YEARS.
Not only was he on TOWIE, but he's signed up for virtually every reality show going ever since – including Love Island. So let's all start trying to make a conscious effort to remember that it's highly likely that Joey knows exactly what he's doing on Love Island 2024.
The reality star – who is currently coupled up with bombshell Jessy Potts, but is getting to know new girl, Lola Deluca (who, of course, he knows IRL) – knows exactly what reality telly producers want from him and the show, so don't be fooled for a minute that his impressive arsenal of showbiz knowledge is not being used to help him excel in the villa.
He knows how to get screen time, he knows how to wind people up, he knows how to create storylines and above all, he knows how to play this game. For that reason, don't be surprised if you see Joey standing up there with the last few couples come finale day – with a massive, luminescent grin on his face.
And fair play to him, to be honest. But don't take our word for it; heat recently caught up with dumped Islanders Jess White and Hugo Godfroy, and of course, we had to ask them about the man, the myth, the reem legend, and we'd like to thank Jess for summing Joey Essex up in the most perfect of words – "showman". It was on the tip of our tongue.
Speaking of Joey and his villa ex Grace Jackson, Hugo exclusively told us, "Joey one hundred percent likes pushing Grace's buttons. He knows what he's doing."
To which Jess added, "He likes pushing everyone's buttons, though. Joey's a showman. He's the best showman ever. He knows what he's doing. We're making a TV show at the end of the day. He's providing great TV entertainment when he does this. I wouldn't necessarily say it's just with Grace; Grace has just got to rise to it and bite back, so it probably just comes across that way, but Joey was doing that with everybody in the villa. He would always like to stir the pot a bit and then be like, 'Sorry about that'."
She continued, "He was really nervous for Movie Night; he was saying to all the girls, 'Just so you know, girls, I've said sorry to all of you for egging on the boys'. We were like, 'Joey, mate, you've said sorry like a hundred times now, just drop it'.
"He was literally pooing his pants for that Movie Night because he knew he was about to be exposed. He came off easy on that Movie Night challenge, I might add. I think so."
This isn't the first time dumped Islanders have spoken out on the real Joey Essex...
Casa Amor girl Diamanté Laiva recently told us about her secret connection with Joey that was never shown on TV.
Before that, Sam Taylor told us how he felt about meeting Joey on his first and last day in the villa.
WATCH: Uma and Wil on the parts of their relationship that were cut from the show
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Islandand The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅