Love Island's First Black Win Is a Proud Moment, but Is It Too Late?

Originally published in Popsugar UK: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/ent...

It's taken 11 seasons and an All Stars spin-off , but Love Island has finally crowned its first Black winning couple. Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan took home the £50k cash prize on Monday, defying the odds and beating the bookies' favourites Nicole Samuel and Ciaran Davies to the top spot.

The couple's connection and win marks a historic and proud moment for Love Island fans like myself (I'd been rooting for Mimii since the beginning). It's the first time a Black couple has won, specifically a darker-skinned couple — which also happened on the USA version of the show soon after.

Considering Love Island hasn't had the best track record for Black romance in previous seasons, the change in the usual, tiring narrative is refreshing. Recall the experience of Samira Mighty, who was given barely any airtime and was constantly at risk of being dumped because there weren't any boys for her to couple up with. Yewande Biala faced racialised renaming in the villa and was unfairly labelled the 'Angry Black Girl' and called 'spiteful' and 'nasty' for standing up for herself after her partner Danny Williams recoupled with Arabella Chi.

Obviously, this win is a welcome change from the past. But is it enough?

According to analyst Tania Dash, the show has "continually failed to view Black women as desirable, attractive, sexy, and most importantly brand-worthy." She previously told PS UK that a lack of visibility and airtime was detrimental to Black women, which student, Zarah Yesufu, echoed: "There is a blatant dismissal of Black female islanders as viable romantic partners. This speaks to the major issue of Love Island. They push an idea of beauty which Black women aren't allowed to buy into."

We've since seen some progress, following the love stories of couples like Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki; Dami Hope and Indiyah Polack; Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad; as well as the recent winners Ngulube and Oyinsan, but viewership has dwindled for the 11th season as once-loyal viewers tune out. It begs the question: is this win too little, too late?

Many former viewers took to X to share their frustration as they had stopped watching the show and missed out on Ngulube and Oyinsan's win. One wrote: "The one Love Island season I don't watch the Black people win. Ok." A second added: "The black people won Love Island UK? First year I haven't watched! What a shame for me but defo congrats to them!!"

"It's taken 11 seasons to have a Black couple win the show, whereas Love Island USA had their first Black winning couple in season two."

Another expanded on why they stopped watching the show, pointing out the underrepresentation in the original line-up and the mistreatment of Black women in earlier seasons. "I actually stopped watching Love Island this year after seeing just one black girl in the OG line-up. I thought it was going to be the same rubbish narrative being painted on TV but we won. So happy for Mimi and Josh! The first ever black couple to win," they put on X.

Similarly, some viewers have switched over to Love Island USA as they believe it offers a better representation of Black women and their relationships on the show. "I am glad I stopped watching Love Island UK, too much bad vibes for my Black girls. The only Love Island I'd watch is Love Island USA and Love Island Games ."

Psychotherapist Tasha Bailey can relate to the exasperation these viewers are feeling. "During each season of Love Island UK, we have watched Black female islanders in particular be overlooked and disrespected time and time again," she tells PS UK. "This can feel so frustrating to watch, especially as it often mirrors the current dating scene for Black British women. Research tells us how Black British men are most likely to date outside of their race, which can in turn make dating challenging for Black women."

"It's the representation of Black love that we've waited a long time to see on British reality TV."

When mono-racial Black couples do end up on the show, they aren't always portrayed in the best light. "They are often represented as toxic or in destruction after the drama of Casa Amor (e.g Tanya and Shaq, Indiyah and Dami). It's painful to watch as a Black viewer and its left so many of us to stop watching mid-season and some Black viewers stopped watching many seasons ago."

She also agrees that timing plays a factor in viewers' disillusionment. "It's taken 11 seasons to have a Black couple win the show, whereas Love Island USA had their first Black winning couple in season two. For the first time on the show, we are seeing a Black couple who are tender, compassionate and emotionally available to each other within such a short time, and it's the representation of Black love that we've waited a long time to see on British reality TV."

Although I'm not as big a fan as I used to be of Love Island, Ngulube and Oyinsan's momental win is exactly what we've been looking for and is the breath of fresh air the show desperately needed. It's still early days but I hope these positive representations and narratives continue in upcoming seasons, and isn't as rare an event as it has been.