Why was there no 'split or steal' in the Love Island final?
After a rollercoaster of a journey, winter Love Island 2023 is (very sadly) finally over - with Sammy Root and Jess Harding officially crowned our winners.
The series finale was *just* as intense as expected, with Lochan Nowacki and Whitney Adebayo coming runners-up, and Jess and Sammy being named our king and queen of the new season.
Still, there was one huge twist to the final, after Love Island's iconic 'split or steal' element was cut from the 2023 series - a similar move to what happened with Ekin-Su and Davide back in summer 2022, and also during the winter Love Island series.
'Split or steal' usually sees winners each presented with an envelope, one being empty and one containing the £50k prize fund; the person who receives the money is then asked whether they want to 'steal' it, or 'split' with their partner.
Last year, host Laura Whitmore confirmed during the final, "We’re not even asking them to choose between love or money," - with many viewers going on to ask why 'split or steal' was cut.
It looks like a similar move was made by Maya Jama this summer, who didn't even explain why Jess and Sammy weren't asked whether they wanted to split or steal. Instead, she told them they had won the £50k after announcing them as winners - presumably to share.
According to an insider in 2022, the move to cut 'split or steal' apparently comes down to a string of change-ups to the show. The source told The Sun, "The decision to split or keep the money has gone, so when the couple wins they will automatically share the prize money. This has been a series with a number of format changes, including the viewers’ choice in the first recoupling, just to keep the show feeling fresh."
Some Love Island fans weren't happy with the decision to axe the final question, with one tweeting, "Wait they don’t do the 'split or steal' the money anymore??? I waited 8 weeks for nothing."
Considering the fact that no one has ever stolen the money in Love Island's history - which might explain producers' decision to scrap the feature, because it kind of didn't have any jeopardy, you know? Still, maybe they'll introduce a new twist new t
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