There aren’t too many parts of the “Love Island” formula that remain sacrosanct. Part of what makes the series (in its various country-specific iterations) so successful is its willingness to continually evolve and surprise its audience. That said, there are a few staples of the show that will probably never change, even if they’re integrated in different ways. “Love Island” will always have bombshells —  contestants thrown into the fray as the show films throughout the summer, filming in a sunny place so bikinis and unbuttoned shirts rein supreme, and introducing Casa Amor around the midpoint of every series as the ultimate relationship test. Casa Amor is what contestants and viewers call the second villa that pops up every year halfway through the season. Essentially, the producers round up either all of the women or all of the men in the main villa and send them to Casa Amor, where they will meet an entirely new crop of potential love interests. The group that remains at the main villa also play host to their own infusion of new contestants. 

In years past, producers have secretly texted one group or the other and had them sneak out to Casa without the other half of the villa noticing (sometimes they send the other half away for the day). In the most recent season of “Love Island USA,” Season 6, though, the show’s host, Ariana Maddox, offered a choice to each guy at the main villa. They could go to Casa Amor and meet new people or stay in the main villa with their current partner. It’s unclear if “Love Island USA” will employ the same tactic in Season 7, but fans will be on the edge of their seats to find out. Casa Amor is referred to as the ultimate relationship test by people on the show because countless “Love Island” couples have been broken up by Casa Amor dalliances. The question is, can your partner remain faithful to you even when you’re not around?

“Love Island USA” Season 4 contestant Deb Chubb has referred to her villa experience as “relationship bootcamp.” Indeed, contestants are put through the ringer on that show; they get very little sleep with late nights and early mornings and the producers set the date on their phones so that they can’t tell what day or time it really is. It’s like a whole other world in there, and for many contestants, these conditions allow for heightened emotionality and attachment, as well as an inability to escape painful situations and potentially gain some peace or perspective. Plus, “Love Island” contestants rarely even get to enjoy a dip in the villa’s swimming pool! Such a controlled environment means that any change can be drastic, and as such, the Casa Amor twist has served many relationship casualties throughout the seasons of “Love Island.” 

“Love Island UK” Season 5 saw an explosive end to the fan-favorite relationship between Amber Gills and Michael Griffiths after Michael happily re-coupled with a Casa Amor entrant named Joanna Chimonides. Amber and her best friend in the villa, Anna, got into an explosive fight with Michael following his return and Joanna was on edge for her short-lived time in the main villa. That same season, contestant Curtis Pritchard left for Casa Amor and returned single, only to immediately break up with his original partner, Amy Hart, who was very close to confessing feelings of love at that point. Curtis said his head was turned by another woman in Casa Amor, and Amy, rather than stay and witness him move on, chose to leave the villa of her own volition. There are countless other examples of couples that broke up for good or experienced serious stumbling blocks as a result of Casa Amor — it truly is the production team’s trump card.