Love Island Games is off to a rocky start for two former flames who are now coming face-to-face after three years apart.
At the end of the premiere episode of the spin-off series — which brings together Love Island contestants from previous seasons airing across the UK, U.S., Australia, Sweden and France who are looking for a second chance at love — Love Island USA alum Cely Vazquez got the surprise of a lifetime as she received a blindfolded kiss from her ex Johnny Middlebrooks.
Jonny’s identity was left unknown. From there, Johnny and another new bombshell entry- Love Island UK ‘s Megan Barton-Hanson — were escorted out of the villa after the lip-lock moment.
On Thursday’s episode, the Islanders will find out who the two new arrivals are. But in the meantime, take a first look at Cely and Johnny’s explosive reunion.
“So to do all that s — -, ‘Imma go [on Instagram] Live at 8:00 p.m.,’ blah blah blah,” she says to her former flame, who appears annoyed the whole time. “And then talk all this s — — about me, like, instead of calling me and talking to me.”
“I just can’t even put into words how, like, shocking it is to me that you would think that our interactions after that would be cordial or would be cool after how you left s — -.”
In the first episode of the spinoff series, which aired Wednesday, Cely was among the first group of single girls who entered the villa. After meeting all of the Islanders, the girls were tasked with the first challenge of the series: an obstacle course that they had to complete along with the help of a randomly matched boy, with whom they shared a steamy kiss at the end.
Each girl’s timing in the challenge determined the order in which they got to choose what boy they wanted to couple up with. Sweden’s Lisa Celander finished the challenge the fastest and chose to couple up with UK’s Curtis Pritchard. USA’s Imani Wheeler was next up and chose fellow American Roy Gantt, who had admitted he had his eye on her when she first entered the villa.
Cely was third to pick and coupled up with UK’s Toby Aromolaran, who she had made clear during the challenge was her first pick.
USA’s Justine Ndiba was next and chose UK’s Jack Fowler, while UK’s Liberty Poole chose Australia’s Callum Hole. Australia’s Jessica Losurdo was the last girl to couple up, and she was automatically paired with the only remaining single boy, France’s Steph Blackos.
However, going into Thursday’s episode, four of the couples are in jeopardy as the two bombshells, Johnny and Megan, will get the chance to steal one of the girls and boys, respectively, that they kissed at the end of episode one.
Johnny kissed both Cely and Imani, meaning Toby and Roy are at risk of becoming single, while Megan kissed Callum and Steph, leaving Liberty and Jessica at risk.
The spinoff series brings new challenges for the competing Islanders, who are familiar with the romantic ups and downs of the franchise, but have never been tested as physically before.
To advance in the competition and for a chance to be crowned the first-ever winner of Love Island Games, couples will have to not only connect on an emotional level, but also succeed at the various team and couples’ challenges that take place in every episode — on top of surviving the usual twist and turns that the show always brings. The winners will go home with a cash prize of a whopping $100,000.
New episodes of Love Island Games air Sunday through Friday at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
