Love Island bosses have denied accusations of meddling, after tabloids claimed a show dossier revealed the show relied on “fakery.”
The report claimed that producers pulled the strings on the show – including deciding who would get booted off.
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It accused show bosses of meddling with voting, including establishing a safety net to ensure preferred contestants were safe.
It claimed that certain characters were steered into certain pairings during recouplings, and protecting controversial contestants who cause the most drama.
The report also accused producers of supplying excessive amounts of alcohol to ensure plenty of drama, directing the islanders in fake conversations, and faking the texts that are read out on the show.
There were claims that Love Island was breeching viewer trust and predicted an investigation by consumer watchdogs at Ofcom.
But representatives for the show have denied the claims, saying the tabloids have “chosen to pursue a ‘fakery’ line which simply isn’t true.”
When asked for a comment on the report, they responded with a statement refuting the claims.
“Love Island is not fixed. The audience ultimately decide the winner of Love Island as the winner is chosen solely by public vote.
“As anyone who watches the show regularly would know, Love Island has always been a combination of reality and produced elements that are reactive to what’s happening in the villa, and we have always been completely transparent about this and the way the show is produced.
“This is often acknowledged in the voice over by Iain Stirling.”
While they acknowledged that some elements of the show are arranged by producers, they claimed that they do not attempt to control or influence the decisions of the islanders, and that they’ve always been open about the degree of producer control.
“It is absolutely untrue to suggest that Love Island is fake. The opinions they have and the relationships formed are completely within the control of the Islanders themselves.”
The reps pointed to comments given my commission editor Amanda Stavri to the Radio Times ahead of the 2016 season regarding how the show is put together.
“We feel that’s fine as long as you’re open about it. I think that’s what viewers expect these days, it’s what they want,” she said.
They refuted the claims that texts were fake, claiming that they are read out to ensure that everyone has the information they contain.
While some viewers had called out the show for being fixed after Alex George and Alexandra Cane remained on the show despite being voted out by their fellow islanders.
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After the islander vote was counted, it was announced that viewer voting would determine who left the Villa.
Love Island’s reps claimed that this combination voting is often part of the show – pointing out that they used the same system last series.
“We said to the Islanders each couple will secretly vote for one other couple they think should be dumped from the island.
“The couples with the most votes face being dumped from the Island. 3 couples received votes from their Islanders and they now face the public vote to decide who goes. (NB we did exactly the same thing last year).”
Love Island is set to concluded tomorrow night.
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