Love Island 2024 dumps first Islander in Joey Essex twist

They had to get over their surprise quickly, however, with host Maya Jama laying the ground rules regarding his arrival. She revealed that the star would have 24 hours to get to know the girls before deciding on a coupling – but the twists weren’t over.

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Maya revealed that after the decision was made, the single boy would be immediately and ungraciously dumped from the island, leaving the six lads nervous about their fate.

After a day of seeking connections, the moment of truth came as the group gathered around the fire pit, with Joey opting to couple up with Samantha after saying they had the most “flirtatious chat” across the first day.

This meant that Sam Taylor was dumped from the villa after a single day, with the star receiving an instant text telling him to pack his bags. Despite sharing that he had “mixed emotions”, he wished his fellow Islanders well as he departed.

“I’m disappointed to be leaving so soon, as I wanted to work my magic and get to know everyone a bit better,” said Sam following his exit. “When Joey walked in, I had a feeling I might be in trouble. Samantha is a stunning girl, and I knew that they would get on.

Related: Love Island 2024 confirms major coupling-up twist in series first

“We were all buzzing – it was so nice to meet him. He’s such a big character; it was great getting to know him. Ultimately, he had to do what he had to do, which didn’t work in my favour, but no hard feelings.

“All the lads were amazing. We got on so well from the get-go. The friendship was strong straight away; all the girls were lovely, too. They are all lovely people, so everyone deserves a place in the final in my eyes.”

Love Island airs on ITV2 and streams on ITVX.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.