My Jasmine Lorenzo prediction didn’t come to fruition for Love Island 2026 as Jasmine and Cavan have reconnected after the Charlene, Casa Amour test drama and appear out of the edit as Scot Ellie Chadwick and Welshman Finlay Maddock take over the narrative going at it hammer and tongs. Jasmine, whilst a bit emotional at first soon got her crying under control, set her boundaries and got Cavan to bin off Charlene in a dramatic twist that left her exiled from the villa and Jas and Cav cut out of the action. Falling is love clearly not really the object of the exercise as Lola and Sean coupled up from the start, leave the villa after coming out bottom of the public vote. It’s brutal out there.
We are used to triangles on Love Island, when two people are fighting over the same boy or girl, the format lends itself to the explosions as loved up girls get to see up close and personal how clueless boys cannot help themselves when it comes to a pretty face in a bikini.
We all thought Finlay was different as Ellie and Finlay became the bookies favourites to scoop the £50K until bombshell Elicia was thrown into the grey to mix things up.
They (men) all want more than one. It’s biological. They cannot help it. Cake and eat it, and how they navigate that desire or not is what causes all the upset for the women, who also seem unskilled and inexperienced at managing their emotions when boys will be boys.
Blonde, Ellie Chadwick who wears her heart on her sleeve has become the publics favourite and the people’s champion throughout the series, voted favourite girl as she has navigated heartbreak at every turn, punched it directly between the eyes until her handsome prince Finlay appeared as a gallivant knight on a white charger, or so she thought.
Before Finlay it was Aiden, then his younger brother Kav (before he moved onto Jasmine) then it was Tommy Murphy before he moved on to bombshell Halle Brown only coming back to Ellie after she was dumped from the villa.
When Finlay appeared the couple appeared to be a match made in heaven. Movie night we saw the couple cement their connection as Ellie confused to the girls how deeply she had fallen for Finlay. He publicly reciprocated the affection and connection in front of the group, bowled over by her declaration of deep feelings.
Until Elicia Bailey a 23 year old Yorkshire railway worker turned Finlay’s head and Ellie went nuclear.
It made me think about the format, what producers are looking for when deciding on who they place is there and what they asking them to do. Elicia has gone from being the vixen, dropped in the coup to to befriend the hens, she’s a girls girl, she says, to angry and crying when Finlay says his priority is Ellie after kissing her on a date.
Ellie is giving producers TV gold as her fish wife has emerged, f ing and blinding after Finlay explores things with Elicia, saying he owes it to himself to make the most of his Love Island experience.
Even Lorenzo has become the villa agony aunt dishing out common sense life coaching on the terrace, the newly designated therapy area where usually participants go for a smooch in semi private.
He seems the most able to manoeuvre between women by laying his cards out on the table to begin with, holding back and openly admitting his likes to have fun over being tied down in a relationship something he has never succumbed to on the outside. Even gorgeous clever witty Julia, with her Polish, tough girl Eastern European education when it comes to love hasn’t been able to really break him down thus far and if anyone can then she can, he says she’s his type and has even conceded to making her a cup of coffee in the morning, an expected act of service for the women from their partners.
The biggest thing for me is how absolutely clueless and inexperienced Finley Maddock is when it comes to handling the opposite sex.
Girls take note. Ellie Chadwick has proven, shouting and screaming, ranting and raving only gives the TV executives exactly what they want, explosive television content.
The lesson for us all, soon as you’ve realised the boy you like is off exploring elsewhere right in front of you, crying doesn’t help the situation. It just makes you look more like the idiot you are actually angry he’s made you look like for not showing you respect.
Finlay hasn’t made a fool of Ellie or Elicia, tasked with the mandate of shaking things up by stealing a boy from someone else.
He’s the one who’s going to end up with no one. Then and only then will he work hard to win the girl back, probably in this case Ellie, look at Simba and Angie; now declaring his undying love after she quietly refused to tolerate his laddish borderline sleasy behaviour.
Interestingly the men, in this situation when Ethan pinched Priya from Aidan take things a lot better. Instead of throwing a wobbly, they, in this case Aidan is making more effort, but not with Priya, with Ellie, giving weight to the saying, treat them mean and keep them keen, ladies. Even Ellie is going back down that road.
I would like to see Ellie get really smart, calm down and quietly and firmly let Finlay know, he’s just not good enough for her.
And mean it. Because while ever Finlay believe Ellie is mad about him, the truth behind why she’s so upset and cannot control her emotions and language, it isn’t making the slightest difference to his behaviour.
Cut him dead Ellie and watch him come running.
There’s a lesson here in self esteem for every female looking for love.
As Ivana Trump once said in her iconic appearance in First Wives Club “Don’t get mad, get everything.”