Love Island is back and the first ten islanders have been announced to the press. The show starts its summer run on Monday evening and I’m here with the lowdown and initial thoughts on the cast based solely on what they’ve said in the Press Pack…
Love Island Odds 2023 – Top Man
- Mitchel Taylor – 11/4
- Andre Furtado – 10/3
- George Fensom – 7/2
- Tyrique Hyde – 4/1
- Mehdi Edno – 9/2
We’ll start with the boys and 26-year-old gas engineer Mitchel from Sheffield is the early favourite with us here at Betfred. This makes a lot of sense. The ‘pretty’ boys have rarely gone all the way in the villa and a man with a proper job has every chance of doing well. He says he thrives on being a gentleman, well we’ll see about that but he wants to find a woman he can marry and have kids with. Ambitious.
Next up is 21-year-old Andre from Dudley who owns his own business. He can speak Spanish and Portuguese, which should be a boost but he isn’t the only boy who can speak multiple languages. His ideal first date is to go strawberry picking where he’d have a field spelt out in her name and then ask her to be his girlfriend. Bit full on for a first date if you ask me that. He does admit he falls in love too quickly. I sense he’ll be central to several storylines.
George is 24 and from Bedford and he wants Anne Hegerty from The Chase to be with him in the villa. Genuinely. He says he wouldn’t crack on with her but would have a laugh. In a way I too would like to see Anne there only for her withering one-liners about the people around her. He doesn’t believe it is physically possible to have more banter than him. Yeah…
Tyrique is best mates with Toby Aromolaran who was on the show a couple of years back. Both of them are semi-professional footballers with this 24-year-old playing for the mighty Lewes FC. He is deaf in one ear and won’t sit on the fence. Very little in the Press Pack gives anything away about him bar the usual vibes and goes after what he wants. Bit of a mystery heading into the villa.
The outsider of the original five boys is 26 year-old Mehdi who is from Bordeaux and London. He has a Masters degree and likes to speak French to girls to get them interested. Looks are important but they aren’t everything apparently. Well that is original and he also likes to be with a girl who has a good sense of humour and up for adventure. Got to be more original than that to go far.
Love Island Odds 2023 – Top Woman
- Ella Thomas – 11/4
- Molly Marsh – 11/4
- Catherine Agbaje – 4/1
- Ruchee Gurung – 9/2
- Jess Harding – 9/2
We have joint favourites as the betting market opens when we look at the girls and we’ll start with 23-year-old model Ella from Glasgow. Not short of confidence as according to her, she has the whole package. What the whole package is surely changes from person to person, my whole package would include someone who knows how to make Krispy Kreme donuts at home to save me £20 a week but I digress. Apparently she’s wifey material and doesn’t want to be played with. Also she’s been in a Headie One and Burna Burna Boy music video. I have no idea who they are. I’m old. I’m 40 before Love Island 2023 finishes.
You can back Molly Marsh at the same price as the 21-year-old from Doncaster has a famous mum. Well I say famous mum, I saw in the newspaper that she was in Coronation Street so I looked it up and she was a bit part character on three separate occasions over a decade ago. Clearly someone who has been scouted as she’s been to the Majorca and South Africa villas before. She doesn’t go out and party though which is an eyebrow raiser. Maybe she’s genuinely looking for love and not to make money on the club circuit.
Every year someone in this show is a real estate agent and this year 22-year-old Catherine from Dublin gets to fulfil that role. She has two degrees, which should be a big tick in anyone’s box but she says she’s always happy and always laughing. Apparently we’ll always see her with a smile on her face. Remember the cameras are rolling 24 hours a day so I’m going to bet that she doesn’t always smile.
Beautician Ruchee from Sutton is one of the two outsiders among the original five girls heading into the villa. This 24-year-old says that if she goes on a date with someone who isn’t wearing something that she likes, she would go home. Harsh. That has happened to me so it isn’t just a line. White jeans and red trainers is also a bad mix for her. She likes to give gifts in a relationship, can she get Krispy Kreme donuts into the villa? If so, big tick.
22-year-old Jess from London is also out at 9/2 and honestly, her answers to the what gives you the ick question are probably why she’s the outsider. Apparently men running for the train but missing it gives her the ick and people that bring lunch boxes to work. The former has happened to most of us in our lives and the latter is just being prudent in this cost of living crisis. A Tesco Meal Deal isn’t as cheap as it used to be! The aesthetics practitioner says that every boy is giving her the ick at the moment. Well there are no trains to run for and no lunches to be packed in the villa so she has every chance.
I’ll be around throughout the show chiming in as the show goes on and the market moves. Remember you can bet on Love Island with Betfred and New Customers get £30 in Free Bets after their first bet of £10 or more is settled. Terms & Conditions Apply.
