As we prepare to bid adieu to winter Love Island 2023, one question still remains—just which Love Island UK is the best season of all time? We admit it's a pretty subjective question, so we thought we'd share our definitive rankings, including the very first season to the current 2023 series.
It's fair to say that the winter 2023 Love Island cast has definitely provided us with some serious entertainment over its eight-week run, but season 9 has some major contenders to compete against for the title of best Love Island UK season of all time. The previous series, Love Island 2022, for example, was a season that really didn't disappoint, with flings and fights galore that had us yelling "Liar! Actress!" for weeks afterwards (defiantly one of our favorite Love Island quotes of all time).
Whether you're a hardcore fan who's despairing over the idea of Love Island-free spring or you just want to reminisce over some of your favorite pairings, what better time to recap on the hit show's previous seasons? After all, many of the past installments have served up some of the most memorable Love Island moments ever—and in the process, generated some of the best Love Island memes of all time.
But which are the best Love Island UK seasons? While we're aware this subject is very much up for debate, allows us to share My Imperfect Life's ranking of the best seasons to date and why. After all, a lot has changed since the show first aired back in 2015 (including how many Love Island couples are still together) and it's no secret that some installments were *ahem* more entertaining than others...
The best Love Island UK seasons, ranked from worst to our type on paper
In 9th place: 'Love Island' Season nine (winter 2023)
We're not throwing any shade at the latest series of Love Island; it's brought more than its fair share of tense moments, awkward betrayals, and sweet confessions of love so far!
However—in our opinion, of course—it just hasn't held a candle to previous seasons. While the boys definitely gave us a dramatic Casa Amor recoupling to rival 2022's (and 2021's for that matter), this series felt like it was lacking that main love story. There was no enemies-to-lovers arc like that of Ekin-Su and Davide's, nor a swoon-worthy reunion to match up to Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury's from season five.
Instead, we saw a lot of tears, mad moves and friendship breakdowns—which is great for the in-the-moment drama, but not so much for a nostalgic rewatch...sorry Winter Love Island 2023.
In 8th place: 'Love Island' Season six (2020)
Season six was when the Love Island bosses decided to shake things up. It was the show's first winter edition, and it just felt a little off from the get-go. Not only was the Love Island location changed to a villa in South Africa, rather than the usual Mallorca villa, but something about watching our favorite summer show in the peak of winter missed the mark for many viewers. That said, the format definitely worked better during the second edition of Winter Love Island...
Plus, respectfully, most of the Islanders from the season were pretty forgettable—which admittedly is probably because the world went into lockdown as soon as the show ended, meaning we didn't connect much with them outside of the villa. Aside from our in-sync dancing duo Luke T and Siânnise (who have now sadly split up), and eventual winners Paige Turley and Finley Tapp, it felt like there weren't many meaningful connections seen on screen, either.
In 7th place: 'Love Island' Season seven (2021)
Something about the first post-pandemic summer season just didn't seem to resonate with the public. In fact, many people thought the Love Island frenzy might have even run its course. The Islanders just didn't seem to have as much chemistry as the groups from previous seasons, and none of the couples really gave us a love story worth shouting about.
While Millie and Liam successfully navigated fallout from Casa Amor to ultimately be crowned the winners (though have sadly since split), and Kaz and Liberty's friendship provided a cute sprinkle of wholesomeness, sadly the season was so uneventful that Faye's brown lipstick became one of the biggest talking points. Not exactly the explosive drama we're used to...
In 6th place: 'Love Island' Season eight (2022)
Last year's summer series had its fair share of seriously jaw-dropping moments; not least Ekin-Su's sneaky balcony kiss, her and Davide's incredibly entertaining arguments, an excruciating post-Casa Amor recoupling, the surprise arrival of former contestant Adam Collard, the shock exit of Jacques and the awkward post-Casa Amor reckoning between Andrew, Tasha, and Coco—to just name a few of the dramatic events.
Despite this, the series got off to a slightly slow start, and we were initially left wondering if any of the Islanders would actually form meaningful connections, which is why it's not higher in our ranking. This season was also marred by accusations of gaslighting and abusive traits from the boys (though we'd argue this unfortunately happens in most seasons)—which is another important reason it doesn't sit higher on our list.
In 5th place: 'Love Island' Season one (2015)
The first seasons of a show are often the best, and OG's will know that the very first rebooted season (the original series of the show aired in 2005—yes, the show as we know it now is technically a reboot!) was no exception! There were arguments aplenty, couples falling in love all over the place, and it was interesting to get stuck into a brand new(ish) show which had a really exciting concept once more.
However looking back at season one now—with a further 8 seasons behind us—things do feel slightly dated. While the Islanders themselves were super entertaining, things all felt a little trial and error-ish as the show hadn't yet settled into exactly the winning format we know and love today. Plus, many people didn't actually know it was airing at the time—though we'd say it's well worth a revisit if you didn't see it first time around!
Because we absolutely got some great drama during the show's first run, including a shock proposal (who remembers that whirlwind between Hannah and Jon?), Jess' eventual romance with hottie Max, and Cally and Luis' adorable romance (which even led to their adorable daughter Vienna!
In 4th place: 'Love Island' Season two (2016)
Season two really feels like a lifetime ago now, but the second season of Love Island is the one that proved that real connections can be formed on the show. Not only are the eventual winners and Day One couple Cara and Nathan still together six years later, but they're also married with two kids. Their fellow Islanders (and besties) Olivia and Alex are also going equally as strong after getting married in 2018 and welcoming their first baby in January 2022. We love Love Island happy endings!
It really was the season of happily ever afters! But, as well as showcasing real and meaningful connections, this instalment also generated plenty of drama—who remembers Zara Holland losing her Miss GB crown after some *ahem* intimate time in The Hideaway with Alex?! It also gave us one of the most memorable Love Island moments of all time, when Rykard decided to leave the villa along with Rachel; the first time such a thing had ever happened.
In 3rd place: 'Love Island' Season four (2018)
By the time season four came around, Love Island was well and truly in the mainstream and the nation had high hopes for what the 2018 show would bring. Fortunately, ITV did not disappoint as Islanders and fans quickly became #loyal to the show and its slew of funny and entertaining new islanders, including the Do Bits Society members Wes, Josh and Jack.
The boys, or Josh in particular, also caused one of the most dramatic Casa Amor recouplings in the show's history, when he walked back into the main villa with new girl Kaz, ditching his original love interest *loyal* Georgia. Ouch! This season also brought us Megan, who ended up with Wes (though the couple split shortly after) and of course, day one couple Dani and Jack who were adorable throughout—though sadly didn't last in the outside world.
In 2nd place: Our runner-up is 'Love Island' Season three (2017)
Season three was the season that really cemented Love Island as the nation's favorite drama-filled dating show, and earned it its place in reality TV history. After a low-key start, it became—without overstating—the topic of conversation across offices, social media and nights out with friends. We all fell in love with the bromance between season favorites Kem and Chris, and there was lots of drama in the form of Chris' relationship with Olivia. And, viewers watched on in adoration as fan-favorite Camilla was finally swept off her feet by Jamie (who are also now married with two kids, by the way). There was a lot to love here.
It was also the first year we were introduced to the Casa Amor plot twist and, boy, did that cause a stir. The chaos that ensued during the reunion episode was one for the Love Island books. Plus, this series made real stars out of the cast, with the likes of Kem, Olivia and Montana still enjoying TV fame to this day. This is certainly one of Love Island UK's best seasons.
The number one best 'Love Island' season to watch: 'Love Island' season 5 (2019)
And finally, our pick of the best Love Island UK season is season five. It was honestly the gift that kept on giving, with nothing quite matching up to it since. Not only did it give us Molly-Mae and Tommy, who are still going strong as a couple and have even welcomed their first child together, but also our eventual season winner (and fan fave) Amber and her controversial love interest Michael, who gave us all the drama we needed during the post-Casa Amor episode.
Oh, and let's not forget our girl Maura, who kept us entertained with "fanny flutters" and the like from the moment she entered the villa as a bombshell—and, arguably, walked so Ekin-Su could run—not to mention our introduction to Casa Amor's (and, arguably, Love Island's) finest man ever, Ovie. What a season!
How to watch old seasons of Love Island UK
The easiest way to watch the old episodes of Love Island and catch up on some of the best Love Island UK seasons ever, is to catch up on ITV Hub, which is where all the previous seasons are available. Simply follow the below steps, depending on your region:
- Get a VPN (opens in new tab) (we recommend Express VPN (opens in new tab))
- Change your location to the UK
- Sign up to ITV Hub (opens in new tab) (it's free—and you won't need to do the above two steps if you're already in the UK)
- Start watching!
Time for a rewatch? You read our minds...
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