Who is Joey Essex? A Celebrity Bombshell Enters the ‘Love Island UK’ Villa

If there is one thing to be guaranteed on Love Island, it is that audiences should expect the unexpected. The series has been full of shocking reveals, exciting truth-bombs, and some unexpected decisions throughout the course of its 11 seasons to date. However, the British series recently experience a new development that quickly changed the landscape for both the participants on the show and the viewers at home: a celebrity cast member.

What Happened in the First Episode of Love Island UK?

The eleventh season of Love Island premiered on June 3rd on ITV2, and on June 8th on Hulu here in the States. In the beginning, viewers were introduced to twelve sexy singles that were hoping to find love or, failing that, plain old lust. At first, everything seemed to be normal (or, at least as normal as Love Island can be). However, the bombshell that changed everything did not reveal itself until the end of the first day, after the first round of coupling was complete. Towards the end of the day, and the end of the episode, the cast found out that someone new would be joining the villa, but not just anyone old someone. Rather, UK reality star Joey Essex joined Love Island as a new contestant on this series, not just this singular episode. It is the first time in Love Island UK history that a celebrity has been a contestant, which means this season will have uncharted territory for all parties involved.

Who is Joey Essex?

Some American fans of the series may have been a bit confused by Essex’s appearance. Specifically, many American might not know who he was or why his presence matters. This confusion is understandable, considering Essex has mostly worked in Britain and would pretty much only be considered a celebrity to British audiences.

Essex got his start on the reality series The Only Way is Essex, which centered on various people that live in the county of Essex. From there, he competed in the celebrity diving competition series, Splash!. He also competed in the figure skating competition Dancing On Ice, where he got second place, and the celebrity winter sports competition, The Jump, which he won. Other reality series that Essex has appeared on include the popular series I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, and more. Basically, if it was a British reality series with celebrities, Essex was there. He even had his own reality series, Educating Joey Essex, where he traveled across the world to learn more about different cultures. With all of this experience, it seems that something like Love Island was only a matter of time.

What Will Essex Do This Season?

The eleventh season of Love Island is now in full swing and everyone is making moves and looking for love, including Essex. Soon after his arrival, Essex had his sights set on make-up artist Samantha Kenny. From what has been shown on screen, it looks like those feelings may be mutual. However, it’s Love Island, which means drama in these types of relationships is inevitable. Considering all of the previous reality series that Essex has been on, specifically ones related to dating, can he really be trusted? He may have a bit of a reputation as just another dumb reality star, but could Love Island change that perception? Perhaps, all the series is doing is introducing that reputation to a wider audience.

So far, this season of Love Island is full of heat and it certainly will be one to remember.