Love Island viewers stunned as celebrity makes unexpected appearance in the villa
Love Island made its highly anticipated return to our screens last night - and that means that summer is well and truly here.
Seasoned fans of the reality dating series will know how the first episode usually goes, host Maya Jama welcomes 12 new singletons looking to find the love of their life into the Majorcan villa.
The episode usually ends with a bombshell arrival as well, with a new boy or girl looking to cause havoc amongst the newly established couples.
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And this series was no different in following their well-known formula - with the biggest surprise coming as a 'who' instead of a 'what'.
However, it's looking like 'expect the unexpected' might be the motto of the newest series of Love Island.
A the end of the episode, Maya told the contestants they'd be getting a new arrival - and what a bombshell entrance it was.
Enter Joey Essex, of The Only Way Is Essex fame - yes, you read that correctly.
Confirming the news of Joey's bombshell arrival on X, the official Love Island account shared a photo of the reality star alongside the caption: "The only way is… Essex. The #LoveIsland Villa just got a bit more ‘reem’ as Joey Essex has arrived to find his future wife."
"I am the king of Essex, and i'm looking to find my queen," Joey said in his entrance clip.
Love Island fans are no stranger to seeing celebrities make guest appearances in the villa, usually to promote their latest song at the annual beach party, or returning cast members looking for a second shot at love.
But never has a pre-established celebrity entered the villa as a contestant, with the surprise move leaving fans shocked.
And many were quick to share their reactions on social media, with the general consensus among fans being aptly summarised with the word 'what'.
"I wasn’t ready to hear to word “reem” being used in the year 2024," one fan wrote, referencing Joey's infamous TOWIE catchphrase.
"I’m just creasing at the American viewers seeing this in a couple weeks with no context," a second person added.
A third said: "Joey essex coming in as a bombshell in love island was not on my 2024 bingo card."
Ahead of his bombshell entrance, Joey had spoken to The Sun about the decision, revealing that getting to the villa undetected felt like a 'military operation'.
"I got on the plane to Ibiza. I made sure I wore my mask when I went out for dinner and then we got the boat over to Majorca to a villa hidden in the mountains in the middle of nowhere," he said, joking that he felt like 'Joey Bond' at the time.
Guess we better get used to hearing 'reem' on our screens again.
Topics: Love Island, TV
Brenna Cooper