There are so many scandals unfolding in the Love Island universe that it’s almost hard to keep up. We just saw a contestant in the United States version of the show get kicked out of the villa for using the N-word. Meanwhile, Love Island UK producers were scrambling to replace a controversial cast member of their own.
After announcing a cast member named Kyle Ashman for Series 12 of Love Island, a report surfaced that he was arrested on suspicion of a machete attack. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, and the producers of the show had to act quickly to get swap out the two guys.
Conor Phillips will replace Kyle Ashman on Love Island UK following machete attack reports
The situation involving Kyle is a little confusing, but The Sun was the first outlet to gather all of the details. Allegedly, “masked thugs” stormed into a wake, and one of them hacked at a man with a machete. According to the report, Kyle’s dad almost lost his arm in the scuffle. One person got hit with a metal pole, and a few people got run over by a car. The outlet described it as “15 minutes of terror,” with zero context on what caused it.
Either way, Kyle was one of two men arrested on the scene. He was later released with no charges. Then, a few months later, ITV cast him for Love Island. The network claimed that his connection to the machete didn’t come up during the vetting process. We’ve heard that excuse from plenty of other reality shows, too.
Based on Kyle’s recent arrest, ITV chose to revoke his access to the villa. Fortunately, they had a replacement waiting in the wings, ready for his shot at reality TV love. His name is Conor Phillips, and he’s a 25-year-old rugby player from Limerick. He said he’s looking for a woman who’s a “go-getter” with “dark eyes.” In his preseason interview, he also teased that he has a mischievous side.
“I’m the class clown type vibe,” Conor said. “Being in big teams and groups all the time, I’m always mixing things up, stirring the pot.”
Love Island returns on ITV2 and ITVX on Monday, June 9 at 9 pm.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KYLE’S EXIT FROM LOVE ISLAND UK? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING CONOR IN THE VILLA?
