Newbies Ella Barnes and Josh Brocklebank had a big decision to make.
It was a dramatic episode on Love Island last night, as new bombshells Ella Barnes and Josh Brocklebank had to decide who they wanted to couple up with, leaving one girl and boy single.
There was also a little tension between OG Ella Thomas and Ella B, following Ella B’s comments that there would be a “Battle of the Ellas”.
Didn’t get to tune into Love Island last night? Don’t fret! We have a full video recap above, as well as detailed breakdown of all the events.
Here’s what happened on episode 40.
What happened on Love Island summer 2023 last night? Episode 40 recap
Following Ella B’s comments from earlier in the day, Ella T warned Tyrique Hyde to “dead” things with the new bombshell. Ella T then ended up having a conversation with Ella in the dressing room.
“First of all, do you babe, I get it, you came in for yourself and you need to talk to everyone, but why is my name even in your mouth when you’re talking about yourself…you’re trying to plant doubt in his mind,” Ella T said.
Ella B then responded: “Babe, obviously we are going to chat. I’ve known him for so many years…”
To which Ella T said: “Do you babe, come in on your own energy, you don’t need to mention other Ella, there’s never going to be a battle. I would never go head to head with a girl for a man, so the talk of battles is not me. Leave it out.”
Ouch!
After the disagreement, Ella B headed into the garden and pulled Scott van der Sluis for a chat. At the time Abi and Mitchel Taylor were talking, when she accused him of watching Ella B as she asked another guy to talk.
That evening, Abi called things off with Scott to focus on things with Mitch.
The islanders then received a text, asking them to gather around the fire pit. Ella B and Josh were then asked who they wanted to couple up with.
Ella was first to give her speech, as she admitted she wanted to couple up with this boy because he had made her feel welcomed since arriving in the villa, and she could see things working on the outside. She then revealed that she wanted to couple up with Mitch, leaving Abi upset.
Josh was next and decided to steal Jess Harding from Sammy Root, which didn’t go down too well. As soon as their decisions were made, Sammy stormed off with all the boys, leaving Josh on his own.
Calling Sammy “disrespectful”, Jess then went to keep Josh company and told him he hadn’t done anything wrong by choosing her.
Jess then spoke to Sammy and he wasn’t pleased with the decision. Nevertheless, Jess admitted she’d be getting to know the both of them.
Mitch and Abi had a chat, during which he told her she’d have to sit back and watch Ella B “graft” him like he had to watch her with Scott. Abi didn’t understand why she had to go through with this and told Mitch that he could end up losing her.
That night, singletons Abi and Sammy slept in the lounge while all the other Love Island 2023 contestants shared beds in the main bedroom. During the night, Ella B and Mitchel got a little close as they spooned in bed.
The next morning, Sammy and Abi came to the bedroom to say good morning to everyone. Abi went over to give Mitch a hug and a kiss, but he pulled back when she went in for the kiss. He later told the boys that she was giving him the “ick”.
News got back to Whitney Adebayo via Lochan Nowacki that Mitch was beginning to feel “icked” out by Abi, and Whitney tried to give Abi some advice later that evening, telling her to be “cool” about the situation. Abi mentioned that she might try things with Scott again, at which point all the girls warned her against it as she only locked things off with him the day before.
!["Ella]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/07/Ella-B-and-Mitch-0579dcb.gif?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Ella-B-and-Mitch\"")
That evening the islanders were getting ready when Abi asked Ella B about Mitch spooning her in bed. Abi said Mitch told her he was half asleep and didn’t realise he’d hugged her, but Ella B insisted that Mitch was well aware of what he was doing… awkward!
Ella T asked if Mitch was someone Ella B would go for on the outside, and the bombshell said she didn’t have a “type”.
Ella T then said that she thought Ella B has said Tyrique and Ouzy See were her type, to which Ella B hit back that only she knows what she likes – feisty!
Abi decided to pull Mitch for a chat to talk about things. Watching from afar, Tyrique and Sammy convinced Ella B to go over and interrupt the chat as she thought they’d been talking for too long.
Ella B then walked over and asked if she could speak to Mitchel, but Abi said they were still talking.
Once Ella B was gone, Abi told Mitch that she’d never interrupted his conversations like that. Their chat ended with Mitch walking away and Abi asking for a hug, which he gave half heartedly. Is it officially over for these two?
Love Island airs on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm. You can watch all previous seasons of Love Island on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
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