Are Love Island UK 2025 episodes pre-recorded? Details explored

Love Island UK season 12 premiered on ITV on June 9. The reality dating show introduced a new batch of UK-based and international single contestants trying to explore different connections in the process of finding their ideal partner.

With the episode airing every day, fans might have wondered if Love Island UK seasons are pre-recorded before they start premiering on the ITV network.

While the episodes are not typically broadcast live as things take place in the villa, they are rather aired with a one-to-two-day delay. This time frame allows the producer to scour through hours of footage to take out a one-hour episode's worth of content.

The episodes are then edited to create cohesive storylines, add dramatic elements, and maintain pace before airing them as a finished product on TV.

The show also includes viewer interaction by allowing them to vote for their favorite couple and unanimously decide who they want out of the villa. The results of the voting are then reflected in the coming days.

While most episodes aren't broadcast live, recent seasons have concluded with a live finale, during which both the contestants and viewers find out who received the most votes and won the show. This tradition is expected to continue with the Love Island UK season 12 finale, likely airing in the first week of August 2025.

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Is Love Island UK scripted?

Many reality TV shows face difficulty in creating drama and sometimes use scripted segments and storylines to raise the stakes and entertain fans.

Like many popular reality shows, Love Island UK has often faced speculation about being scripted. However, the producers have consistently denied these claims, maintaining that the show remains true to its reality TV format as originally marketed.

In a 2022 statement provided by Metro, one of the producers claimed that the show was a combination of reality and produced elements that are based on things that are happening in the villa. He emphasized that the opinions that the contestants have and the relationships they form are completely in their control.

"As anyone who watches the show regularly would know, Love Island is a combination of reality and produced elements that are reflective of what’s happening in the villa, and is a fair and accurate representation of villa life," the statement read.

The producer's statement continued:

"It is absolutely untrue to suggest that Love Island is fake, staged or scripted. The opinions they have and the relationships formed are completely within the control of the Islanders themselves."

Some of the past contestants have come forward to confirm that Love Island UK wasn't completely scripted. However, they also shared that sometimes the producers get involved to steer conversations or suggest that contestants have certain confrontations.

Season 6 contestant Sophie Piper said in a February 2020 interview with Garzia that the reality show was a combination of reality and direction.

"A bit of both, but it’s not massively staged. [Producers] might suggest, “Why don’t you speak about this and that?” A lot of stuff happened naturally. People think it’s more staged than it actually is," she said.

Meanwhile, the 2017 season star Tyla Carr shared in a July 2018 interview with Daily Star that contestants had to inform the on-site producers if they were planning to have an important chat or do something. This allowed them to make sure the microphones pick it up and the cameras get it.

The Love Island UK star added that if any islander forgets to inform the production team, then they would be called in and asked to film the conversation or the segment again.

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Love Island UK season 12 episodes premiere every day on ITV2 and ITVX.