Maya Jama denies accusations that Love Island producers are heavily involved in steering Islanders' actions in the villa as she insists 'it has to be real because it's reality'

Daily Mail​

02-07-2025

Maya Jama has played down the level of involvement that Love Island producers have in steering narratives in the villa, insisting the show 'has to real, because it's reality'.
The TV star, 30, has presented nine seasons since taking over as host in 2023, and gave fans an insight into the behind-the-scenes process of making the ITV2 show.
And she has insisted that the romances and drama are authentic, denying mounting speculation that the production team secretly guide the outcomes.
There have been many conflicting reports concerning the level of involvement that producers have on the Islanders' actions in the villa and overall authenticity of the series.
Fans and former stars have frequently accused the show of rigging results, telling contestants what to do or say, and even staging scenes to drive storylines.
However, in an appearance on her pal Chunkz's podcast, The Chunkz Show, Maya insisted that while producers may 'encourage' conversations, everything that is shown happens organically.
There have been many conflicting reports concerning the level of involvement that producers have on the Islanders' actions in the villa and overall authenticity of the series
She said: 'I don't know if it's like illegal or what, but they're not allowed to tell them what to do.
'The most they can do is encourage them to have a little chat. But it has to be real because it's reality.'
While she added that she even bans the production team from telling her who will be dumped ahead of time, to ensure she doesn't give the game away accidentally, saying: 'Literally as I say it I find out, one second before everybody else'.
Maya explained: 'I do this technique where I don't let them tell me who is going until I'm literally stood in front of them in my ear, because I don't want to stare at them or give it away.
'I've never said the wrong name or something but like there is cameras constantly around and they like the dramatic pauses. There is a lot of me saying something and then it waits.
She also insisted that she herself couldn't engage much with the contestants, while on the show, explaining that she only could speak to them properly after they'd been dumped from the villa.
She said: 'I can't really [talk to them between scenes]. It's only on Aftersun after they've been dumped that I can actually chat to them properly.
'But in between takes and stuff when I'm in there I will try and be like "are you okay?" or like check in, but you won't see those bits.'
The debate over how heavily producer-led Love Island is has raged for years, but the show has always vehemently denied the accusations and stating the show is 'a combination of reality and produced elements.'
In response to allegations in the past, they previously issued a statement that read: '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.'
However, a string of former participants have alleged that the programme-makers are heavily involved in contriving storylines, romances and even fights.
Malin Andersson, who took part in the second series of Love Island, previously told Metro that producers would tell Islanders who to chat to and what about to stir drama.
She explained: 'If something's been said, producers can tell you to go speak to specific people and have a chat about a certain topic. That'll happen quite often. Especially if there wasn't enough content.
'I mean, we all got on really well… If things weren't juicy enough they would literally just tell you to go and talk certain people and give you a topic.'
Fellow ex-Islander Tyla Carr has also claimed that contestants were sometimes asked to redo dramatic scenes.
She said: 'They tell you what they want you to talk about, and who with. You have to tell the producers on site if you are planning to have an important chat or do something. Liv Attwood had to dump Sam Gowland twice last year, which was embarrassing for both of them.'
When asked if the show was real or staged by Grazia, Sophie Piper - who appeared on the 2020 series and last year's All Stars - admitted: 'A bit of both, but it's not massively staged. Producers might suggest, 'Why don't you talk about this and that?'
While season four star Laura Anderson also maintained that producers would subtly steer stars to be more dramatic during conversations, recalling: 'I'd say, I really don't care.
'But then they'd be like, "Are you sure you don't care? Because you said this and you looked like this...".'
In perhaps the most serious accusation, season two star Zara Holland previously claimed to MailOnline that she was 'brainwashed' and her every move dictated by producers.
She said: 'Two producers lived in the basement throughout the show. They would say things like, 'Right, Zara. We want you to focus on so-and-so.' You trust them.
'You think you're on a summer holiday and you might find love, but you are in a posh prison where you don't know what time it is and a voice in a wall tells you what to do. I honestly believe I was brainwashed.'
And in 2019, a number of whistleblowers from the show told The Mail on Sunday that producers went so far as to give contestants lines to parrot and tell them who they should choose to couple up with.
One former star insisted: 'People don't realise how scripted it is, how much the producers influence it.
'It is completely disingenuous and a lot of the time very, very fake. It isn't fair to mislead the audience like that.
'The producers don't care what they're doing to people as long as they're making their ratings. We were treated like performing animals and the current cast are still.'
A second ex-contestant from 2017 claimed she overheard producers instructing the boys what to say ahead of recoupling.
She said: 'We heard them learning their scripts off by heart. They were going over and over what they were going to say. Nobody would have had to practise so long if it was genuine. We were kept away so they had time to do it.'
While another previous cast member claimed that bosses often asked them to recreate conversations for the camera or tell them who to talk to.
They said: 'If producers hear a juicy conversation going on, they'll ask you to say it again. They want you to come across more b****y, or in way that will create drama.
'At other times the producers would tell us to go and have a chat with such and such a person during the day. You don't get to choose who you talk to. Or they will put together a storyline and tell contestants how to behave to ensure that it happens.
'They would prompt you, or tell you about conversations other people had had about you, so you react – to stoke up drama. The reality is that it's not reality. It's acting.'