Love Island UK Season 8 winners: Why did Ekin-Su and Davide’s cash prize twist disappoint fans? Reason explained

After airing for more than a month, Love Island UK has finally revealed its winner. Ekin-Su and Davide have been declared as the favorite couple of the nation and winner of the much-deserved £50,000 cash prize. However, the final episode came with a twist.

In the finale, host Laura Whitmore announced that for the first time ever, the winner of the show will not have the option to steal all the money. This year, the winning couple will have to split the cash prize with their partners.

The unexpected twist disappointed fans who had waited eagerly till the end to find out if the winning couple would split or steal the money, thereby hinting whether they were on Love Island UK for love or for money.

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What happened in the Love Island UK finale?

In the finale episode, the islanders were welcomed for a Love Island 2022 Summer Ball, where they did salsa and shared their emotional declarations with one another before host Laura Whitmore announced the winner of the show. However, before making the announcement, she revealed:

"Who will be crowned winners of Love Island 2022? The winning couple will split a huge £50,000!"

She then went on to explain the twist in the show:

“And this: year we’re not even asking them to choose between love or money, but who that winning couple will be is all down to you guys. Our couples will walk away £50,000 richer!”

In the end, host Laura declared the following results:

• Winner: Fan-favorite Ekin-Su and Davide
• Runner up: Gemma Owen and Luca Bish
• Third Place: Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope
• Fourth Place: Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page

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"NO SPLIT OR STEAL?": Cash prize twist on Love Island UK disappoints fans

The show started on June 6, 2022 on ITV2 with 36 islanders looking for love.

After eight weeks and various eliminations, fans were eagerly waiting to see who would be crowned winners and whether they would choose to split or steal the money in the finale. In light of that, the new rule proved to be a disappointment for viewers.

Here are some reactions from Twitter about the same:

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Who are Love Island UK winners Davide and Ekin-Su?

Both members of the winning couple had joined season 8 of the show in hopes of finding love. After a few initial hiccups, Italian stallion Davide found his Turkish delight Ekin-Su and the two fell for each other in the first week of the competition.

They were one of the strongest contenders on the show. Although the couple were voted the "least compatible couple" by the islanders in one of the episodes, they finally managed to emerge as winners.

27-years-old Davide is a business owner from Rome who lives in Manchester. He went on the dating show with the hope to find a “soulmate” with whom he “can actually build something in the future, grow with them, be a family."

Ekin-Su, 27, is an Essex-based actress who participated on the show “looking for the love of [her] life.” She was “not just looking for looks,” but also a “serious man” with “intelligence" and "someone who can have good chats."

Both were looking for a serious relationship on the show and they did find one. Their relationship was even approved by their respective parents after their romantic date.

Upon winning the show, the couple thanked their fans for voting for them and helping them secure the first place.