The most controversial contestants from the Love Island franchise
Love Island is one of the most popular reality TV shows around the world, and it hasn’t taken long for it to become a cultural juggernaut of sorts. The juicy format of the show, which combines elements of a dating show and a Big Brother-like social experiment by isolating contestants in a luxury villa to foster connections, has proven to be an addictive form of entertainment. Arguably, though, it is the Islanders who further take it up a notch to make it an attention-wielding popcorn television. With a string of scandals looming over season 7 of Love Island USA, we dig deeper into the reality show’s history to look at the most controversial Love Island contestants from across the franchise.
While reality shows have always been popular, social media has further propelled them into a massive phenomenon, with TikTok creators milking every controversy on Love Island to create memes, hot takes and more. Season 7 of Love Island USA, which kicked off on June 3, has turned out to be one of the most scandalous ones with dramatic cast exits of Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar, and of course, the emergence of what many are calling the best TV villain, Huda Mustafa. The removal of Ortega and Escobar from the show, owing to their racism row, has also sparked conversations about the hiring process of the reality show, with the producers allegedly looking to change the casting process and put more focus on the past social media presence of potential contestants.
Notably, as Love Island season 7 is rocked with scandals, it’s not the first time that the franchise has had to deal with problematic cast members. First popularised as the British dating show, Love Island UK has also had their fair share of headline-gabbing participants. Amid the ongoing season 12 of Love Island UK and the recently wrapped season 7 of the USA version, meet some of the most controversial Love Island contestants from the franchise’s history.
The most controversial Love Island contestants of USA & UK versions
Cierra Ortega – Love Island USA season 7
Love Island USA contestant Cierra Ortega was abruptly removed from the villa during an episode that aired on July 6, 2025. The shocking twist was announced by the narrator, Iain Stirling, during the initial few minutes of the episode, citing that it was “due to a personal situation.” Of course, it is now well-known that Ortega’s surprise exit came on the heels of the discovery of her past social media posts that contained racist language. Earlier this month, Love Island USA viewers came across a social media post shared by Ortega in which she spoke about the cosmetic work she had done, and used a racial slur in the same, leading netizens to demand her removal from the show.
The 25-year-old who found herself swept up in the controversy while she was still on the isolated island has now apologised for her comments. Days after being kicked off the show, Ortega took to social media and apologised for using the racial slur, saying, “I am deeply, truly, honestly so sorry. I had no idea that the word held as much pain as much harm, and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it.”
Amid the already delicate political situation in the US with ICE raids and deportation, Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, said she and her loved ones are being harassed online over her racism row. She noted that abusive netizens have been issuing death threats to her family and further claimed that they had ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) called on them.
Before her exit from the show, Cierra was coupled up with Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old registered nurse and model from Jacksonville, Florida.
Yulissa Escobar – Love Island USA season 7
Like we said, the new season of Love Island USA has been laden with controversies, and before Ortega’s exit, another contestant who was also removed from the show due to a racism controversy was Yulissa Escobar. Her unceremonious exit from episode 2 came with little explanation at first, but it was later discovered that it was owing to resurfaced videos of her using racial slurs in two separate podcast appearances. While she issued a public apology in the days following her exit, since leaving the island, Yulissa has also shared a TikTok video describing the events leading up to her exit.
Recalling her last day on set, Escobar revealed that while she thought she was being called to shoot a confessional, she was met by the producers who informed her about a video that resurfaced on the internet. She also captioned her TikTok as, “Plot twist: I wasn’t dragged out in the dark. I walked out in broad daylight, head high, lashes on.”
More recently, after learning about Cierra’s removal from the show due to similar reasons, Escobar has come in support of her and called out the online abuse incurred by both of them amid the controversy. Stating that she’s not justifying their mistakes, Escobar asked fans to steer away from cyberbullying in an emotional plea.
Huda Mustafa – Love Island USA season 7
For those who have been following the eventful season 7, Huda Mustafa is arguably one of the most polarising contestants to have featured on it. Netizens formed a love-hate relationship with her, given how her journey on the show has been riddled with controversies. The 24-year-old Palestinian-American fitness influencer and single mom will go down in reality TV history for her drama-filled stint on the show that has birthed memes, sparked social media debates and even wedged a divide between friends and families supporting/bashing her.
During her stay on the island, Mustafa has been unafraid to show even the most unlikable sides of her personality, including her overly possessive nature toward Jeremiah Brown. Many also accused her of not being a “girl’s girl” despite saying it out loud, but never really practising it. In addition to this, Huda has also been dragged into a racism controversy since reports suggested that an old TikTok of her captured her lip-syncing a song that contains a slur.
Even though it is unclear from the video whether Huda is actually mouthing the word, her already scandalous reputation has landed her in soup. Despite this, Huda not only continued her journey on the show but also made history on the finale as she and Chris Seeley, who coupled up during the mid-season twist, decided to part ways. The duo became he first couple in franchise history to break up in the finale.
Kyle Ashman – Love Island UK season 12
While the hangover of season 7 of the USA version will remain for a while, season 12 of Love Island UK hasn’t been far too behind on delivering drama. One of the contestants of the show, Kyle Ashman, made the headlines before even entering the villa, and it wasn’t for the right reasons. Just before appearing on the show, Ashman was axed after reports emerged about his arrest from earlier this year. Ashman, 23, was due to enter the villa but was instantly dropped by the makers after The Sun reported details about his alleged involvement in a violent crime. Following his removal from the show, Ashman later clarified accusations against him, stating that he cooperated with the police investigation and had no involvement in the crime.
While the makers had cited “personal reasons” as the purpose of his exit, the real reason turned out to be his alleged misdemeanour. As Ashman’s replacement, the show then hired Conor Philips, a professional rugby player. Despite his unexpected exit, Ashman has remained hopeful about getting a chance to return to the show and suggested he join the cast as a “bombshell”; however, there has been no such confirmation made by the makers.
Malia Arkian – Love Island UK season 2
After entering the villa as a bombshell, Malia Arkian quickly earned the reputation of being one of the most chaotic contestants on season 2. Fans of the reality show will remember Arkian for being the first-ever star in the franchise who was asked to leave the villa on the same day of her arrival. She entered the villa on day 7 and was removed from the island within hours as she wreaked havoc by indulging in an altercation with fellow contestant Kady McDermott. Drama ensued after Kady accidentally spilt a drink on Malia, who then accused Kady of doing it intentionally and reacted aggressively, leading to a physical altercation.
Years after the shocking incident that unfolded on TV, Arkian spoke about being trolled relentlessly for her behaviour. Gaining a reputation as the most short-lived star on Love Island, she was banned from returning to the villa and was also excluded from attending the show’s afterparty events where Kady would be making an appearance.
Kendall Washington – Love Island USA season 6
Love Island USA star Kendall Washington came into the limelight on the season 6 finale for an unexpected reason after multiple sexually explicit videos of him leaked online. Since he was a finalist on the show, as Washington’s videos went viral on the internet, he was unable to access his phone and later defend himself over the incident after the show ended. The video leak was a major breach of privacy, and while some fans rallied behind Washington for the same, others subjected him to online harassment. The leaked videos also stirred problems between Washington and Nicole Jacky, with whom he partnered on the show.
While he initially claimed the videos were sent to an ex-girlfriend years ago, it was later revealed that he recorded them in a hotel room and sent them to someone on a dating app. The video leak heavily impacted their relationship, with Nicole expressing disappointment. The couple eventually announced their split after the season 6 reunion episode aired. Washington now returns to the Love Island universe in Love Island: Beyond the Villa.
Zara Holland – Love Island UK season 2
Generally considered a bigger contributor of reality-TV drama compared to its USA counterpart, the second season of Love Island UK witnessed a cast controversy, like no other. Plot thickened for the second season when contestant Zara Holland was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title while she was still in the villa. The former beauty queen lost her crown after she was seen sharing an intimate moment with bombshell Alex Bowen. After the duo’s intimate encounter in the hideaway was aired, Holland was informed that she was losing her title of reigning Miss Great Britain. It was later reported that, according to Miss GB executives, Holland was strictly forbidden from indulging in intimate activities on air during her time on the show. She was 20 years old at the time and ultimately left the show following a 22-day stint.
Faye Winter – Love Island UK season 7
Faye Winter is among the most famous stars of season 7 of Love Island UK, which aired in 2021. Winter’s explosive dispute with partner Teddy Soares has sealed its place in the show’s history as one of the most heated exchanges to have ever featured onscreen. Winter famously lost her cool during the “Movie Night” challenge, where she believed her then-partner, Teddy Soares, had been unfaithful to her. She was shown a clip of her partner admitting that he was attracted to another woman during his time in Casa Amor, and although he did not act on his behaviour, he had not told Faye about it. On learning this, Winter launched an explosive, foul-mouthed attack at Teddy, and the outburst became one of the most-talked-about moments of the series.
The expletive-laden response received a record 24,673 complaints from viewers and broke Ofcom records for the hit reality TV dating show. Despite the shocking blowup, Teddy and Faye were among the final three couples of the season and even continued to date outside of the show before breaking up after a year.
Johnny Middlebrooks – Love Island USA season 2
It’s impossible to talk about Love Island USA season 2 without mentioning Johnny Middlebrooks. After entering the villa with a blazing persona, Middlebrooks tackled accusations of being a playboy and ended his stint on the show as a runner-up. Admittedly, Casa Amor is designed to make waves in the Love Island villa, but in season 2, it caused ample chaos for Middlebrooks, and the spillover of this drama followed him right up to the end. Despite being coupled with Cely Vazquez, on his first night in Casa Amor, Middlbrooks stirred controversy after he went under the covers with new Islander Mercades Schell. Fans were taken aback by Johnny’s betrayal of Cely and surprised by how quickly he formed a brief romantic relationship with Schell.
While his Casa Amor shenanigans led to a rift between him and Vazquez, she eventually got over the hurt and disappointment and forgave him for his dalliance. The couple not only reconciled on the show but also continued to date after it was over. Later, the duo announced their split in January 2021. Following their breakup, the former couple once again came face-to-face in Love Island Games.
Sherif Lanre – Love Island UK season 5
Yet another Islander who had a rather short stint on Love Island UK is season 5’s Sherif Lanre. He was axed from the show in 2019 after staying in the villa for just 9 days. At the time of his exit, it was announced that Lanre had reached a mutual agreement with the producers to be removed from the show for breaking the rules. While no explanation was provided as to what rule was broken at the time, it was later reported that he was removed from the villa due to an incident with fellow contestant Molly-Mae, where he accidentally kicked her in the crotch during a play fight and also used a derogatory term. Following his exit, the 20-year-old, semi-professional rugby player expressed regret over his conduct.
Ollie Williams – Love Island UK season 6
Ollie Williams became a contentious cast member ever since he was announced as a part of season 6 of Love Island UK. Demands for the removal of Williams from the show first began after pictures of him posing alongside dead animals while on a trip to Africa emerged online. A petition was also created, which had garnered over 35,000 signatures after wildlife conservationist and activist Chris Packham suggested on Twitter that Williams had been involved in “trophy hunting” — a form of hunting where the primary goal is to obtain parts of a hunted animal. The UK’s broadcasting watchdog Ofcom also revealed that it had received over 200 complaints regarding the inclusion of Williams as a contestant.
The 23-year-old aristocrat and heir to the 2,000-acre Lanhydrock Estate in Cornwall, then dramatically quit the show in 2020 within just three days and claimed that he did so because he was still in love with someone else. During his brief time on the show, he was coupled with fellow Islander Paige Turley.
Adam Collard – Love Island UK season 4
Adam Collard is one of those Islanders who will be remembered throughout the franchise for infamously causing havoc in the villa in season 4. He swiftly came to be known as the season’s villain after he brutally dumped fellow contestants Kendall Rae Knight and Rosie Williams before coupling up with Zara McDermott. The Newcastle-raised former personal trainer earned a reputation as a heartbreaker thanks to his rapid coupling moves and his Casa Amor stint with newcomer Darylle Sargeant, not long after ending his involvement with McDermott had ended.
Among the most controversial moments of season 4 also turned out to be his ugly confrontation with Rosie when he dumped her. His toxic behaviour was also called out by a domestic abuse charity, Women’s Aid, which issued a warning about signs of gaslighting and emotional abuse after witnessing his behaviour on the show. Given how the reality show thrives on chaos, Collard was called back for another dramatic stint on season 8.
