Everything you need to know about episode 17 of Love Island summer 2023.
After the cliffhanger ending of episode 16, Love Island summer 2023 continued to turn up the pressure in episode 17 as the batch of newly-single islanders were whisked away for dates with the two new bombshells.
After voting for the least compatible couples, the four islanders that are now single and can’t recouple with each other in the next recoupling are Jess Harding and Sammy Root, and friendship couple Mitchel Taylor and Leah Taylor.
Sammy was clearly not happy about the decision in the previous night’s episode, stating that Scott van der Sluis isn’t physically attracted to Catherine Agbaje because he doesn’t see them being “touchy” with one another.
Tensions aside, the four islanders went off on their dates with bombshells Mal Nicol and Montel McKenzie.
If you didn’t manage to catch last night’s episode, then RadioTimes.com’s handy recap video (which you can watch above) should help.
You can also read on to find out exactly what happened during the 17th instalment of this year’s summer Love Island…
What happened on Love Island summer 2023 last night? Episode 17 recap
Mitch and Sammy had individual dates with Mal, while Montel enjoyed the company of Jess and Leah. But were sparks flying?
While the dates went relatively well – albeit after Leah’s drink went flying off the table on her date with Montel – the islanders left in the villa were keen to meet the bombshells and find out who they actually had their eyes on.
The girls sat around the firepit with Mal, and Montel debriefed the boys on where his own head is at. Mitchel confessed that he had a really nice date with Mal and Sammy also said that his “type on paper is Mal”, stating that he’s going to be open to getting to know her.
During the girls’ chat, Jess broke down in tears, stating that she thinks that a lot of people around her are “fake” and that she thought people would vote for others as least compatible. Will the villa manage to recover from the shock decision?
Later in the changing room, Jess also stated thats she thinks her and Sammy are more compatible than Catherine and Scott, and Whitney and Mehdi.
As the next morning got underway, there was palpable tension in the bedroom as the islanders awoke and Jess confided in Molly and Ella about her feelings. Zachariah and Tyrique also took Sammy to one side and spoke about what he was feeling towards everyone.
He described it as an “absolute f**king joke”, and meanwhile, Whitney said she didn’t like the comments Sammy made, which makes him look bitter.
As the day got underway properly, Mal and Montel pulled islanders for chats to see if there was any chemistry in the air – with Montel and Catherine sharing some flirty banter and getting on very well.
But Scott also used the day as an opportunity to confront Sammy about his words around a physical attraction towards Catherine. Although Scott said he’s always gravitated towards her, Sammy’s opinion couldn’t be changed and he remained stuck in his opinion that the two aren’t that compatible.
!["Jess]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/06/loveislandsr10ep17sammyjess-7608e11.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"©ITV")
Not agreeing with his opinion from the night before either, Catherine and Whitney spoke to Sammy about his choice of words. Although Catherine broke down in tears, Sammy only apologised for his words coming across the wrong way but didn’t apologise for what he actually said.
It’s safe to say that all eyes were on Sammy this episode as he was not only navigating drama aplenty with the other islanders, but also later confessed to Jess that he was going to get to know Mal and see where things go. Jess admitted: “I’d like to think that’s reciprocated… You’ve got to do what’s right for you.”
But with Mitch admitting his feelings for Jess and the fact that the pair aren’t “just friends”, will Jess actually become more open to getting to know her villa bestie on a deeper level?
Elsewhere, although Scott admitted to Leah that he doesn’t want to stop getting to know her, he pulled Catherine for a chat up on the terrace. Of course, the terrace can only mean one thing – and the couple shared their first kiss.
But after just seeming to get on the same page with Leah, how will she feel about Scott and Catherine’s new development?
Love Island airs on ITV2 at 9pm. You can watch all previous seasons of Love Island on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.