By Charlotte Webster-
Love Island has been hit with the highest Ofcom complaints in their six-year history following their controversial Casa Amor postcard last week.
Viewers were left outraged after a misleading photo suggested to Faye that her partner Teddy had been unfaithful in the second villa. Anything that is misleading is also considered to be deceptive, especially if the misleading action is deliberate.
Teddy and Faye’s treatment during Casa Amor left viewers outraged with the way organizers have treated some of their guests. Producers included an image of the hunk snogging one of the Casa Amor girls during a game of dares.
Thousands of fans were furious about the Casa Amor postcard, which depicted boys including Teddy, Tyler Cruikshank and Liam Reardon in compromising positions, kissing and cuddling up to other girls.
Ofcom has confirmed it received 4,330 complaints for the episode on July 28, with the majority of those complaining saying the postcard ‘was misleading and caused unnecessary distress.’
Viewers had pointed out that Teddy was made to look like he had cheated on Faye in the postcard, as a picture of him kissing another girl as a dare was used.
Fans knew the kiss was in fact part of a challenge, with the boys playing Truth or Dare with the new girls.
Teddy ended up expressing his guilt over the smooch, and even slept outside in the villa garden all week while almost all of the other boys shared a bed with one of the girls.
However, Liam Reardon had kissed other girls behind partner Millie Court’s back – including two at the same time – but those pictures weren’t included at all.
Instead, a picture of him in bed with a girl was used – while fans know exactly what went down when his real actions were exposed to the entire villa by new girl Lillie Haynes.
on July 29, the episode faced 103 complaints, 56 of which were about the fallout from the postcard (while 37 viewers complained about the episode being left on a cliffhanger).
Out of 699 complaints about the episode which aired on July 30, 682 were about an alleged ‘manipulation’ of Faye and Teddy following the postcard.
On August 1, out of 117 complaints, 95 objected to the treatment of Millie Court after her dramatic split from Liam following the Casa Amor drama.
Last week, the boys left the main villa for the classic Casa Amor twist, which saw them faced with six new girls. Meanwhile, six new boys entered the main villa to try and win over the girls.
Organizers of Love Island are expected to be mindful of the psychological and potential mental effects that can arise if their guests become too upset as a result of a prank sparked by organizers which affects desirable outcomes for any of the guests.
Ofcom confirmed: “The majority of complainants considered that a postcard sent to female contestants was misleading and caused unnecessary distress.”
Love Island received a further 738 Ofcom complaints for episodes that aired later in the week with regard to the “postcard issue”.
The watchdog explained: “Viewers objected to an alleged ‘manipulation of Faye & Teddy’ following on from the Casa Amor postcard issue.”
The most complaints made in one Love Island moment has received before this is 2,644 in 2018 – when Dani Dyer received similarly misleading information about Jack Fincham when he was at Casa Amor.
On Friday, viewers were heartbroken when Teddy returned from Casa Amor single, with Faye’s beloved soft toy in hand, only to find that she’d coupled up with new boy Sam.