Furious Love Island fans ‘work out’ why Steal or Share was axed after unforeseen change

Each year the Love Island final sees the winners decide whether to share or steal the £50k prize to test their loyalty, but it was axed ahead of Ekin-Su and Davide's win

Few could have called the results of last night's Love Island final before they happened.

But in the end, it was Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti who emerged victorious, beating Gemma Owen and Luca Bish in the final furlong.

However, there was something missing from last night's live final, and that was the 'share or steal' twist, which really tests if a couple is genuine or not.

Each year there's £50,000 up for grabs, but the two winners have to pick an envelope each, with one containing £0 and the other containing the full prize.

Whoever has the envelope with the prize money will be asked if they want to split it. So far, no-one has chosen to keep the £50,000 for themselves.

Ekin-Su and Davide won Love Island 2022

Image:

( Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

But that option was removed this year, leaving viewers scratching their heads.

One popular fan theory was that producers were forced to axe it after the show took a different direction.

Luca and Gemma were originally favourites to win, having fallen genuinely in love early on. However, Luca was embroiled in a 'bullying' row over his treatment of Tasha Ghouri and was accused of being 'over-protective' with Gemma.

He openly criticised Tasha for pledging loyalty to Andrew Le Page while getting to know several new bombshells.

The fishmonger also raised eyebrows with his reaction to Movie Night footage of Billy Brown flirting with Gemma and stormed out and took his mic off after a row about Gemma licking Adam Collard's chest in a challenge.

Luca Bish appeared to be happy for his castmates, but some viewers weren't sure

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( ITV)

The public backlash was so fierce that his heartbroken family were hounded by trolls and death threats.

And while all that was happening, underdogs Ekin-Su and Davide - who have had one of the rockiest rides - continued to rise in popularity.

Their journey began when Ekin-Su snogged bombshell Jay Younger on the terrace while still coupled with Davide. Once the truth came out, he branded her a 'liar and actress' in iconic scenes.

Comparing her to food that has passed its expiry date, he vowed never to go near her again - although his resistance proved flimsy and they reunited at the next recoupling.

Luca apologised to Tasha after he was accused of 'bullying' her

Casa Amor saw Davide snog not one, but two women in the form of Mollie and Coco, while Ekin stayed loyal apart from a much-denied fumble under the sheets with George Tasker.

Davide insisted it had been his turn to test the relationship and the pair once again got back on track, although he did once mysteriously tell her: "Trust is good. No trust is better. You will understand baby girl."

Some viewers took that as a sign that Davide hadn't really forgiven her and was just planning to string her along to the final and then steal the money as revenge.

"What if he's alluding to the fact that he's gonna steal the money?" tweeted one fan.

Davide and Ekin-Su were once one of the show's weakest couples

Image:

( Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"i 10000% believe davide will steal the money," added another.

A third said: "If Davide and Ekin win and Davide picks the money envelope I'm most positive he will steal the money."

And a fourth agreed: "Anyone else think that if Ekin and Davide won, he'd steal the money for the jokes? Lol."

Their claims aren't without backing, with odds from William Hill predicting that the Italian Stallion is the most likely to take the money for himself at odds of 16/1.

William Hill spokesperson, Tony Kenny, said: “Though loved up and in line to win the contest, Davide and Ekin-Su have proven their unpredictability time and again and could take one last chance to get one over the other by stealing the £50k cash prize. Davide has struggled to trust Ekin-Su throughout the series and is 16/1 to steal the prize."

The final couples from left to right: Luca and Gemma, Andrew and Tasha, Davide and Ekin-Su, Dami and Indiyah

Image:

( Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Now, fans are convinced that producers scrapped the twist after Ekin-Su and Davide eclipsed some of the more established couples amid real fears they might steal and undermine the authentic ethos of the show.

"Death threats for the most genuine contestants while they concentrate on promoting Ekin!" wrote one viewer. "Had to change the format at the end because she would have stole the money."

Another said: "They didn't put the option to share or steal bc they know ekin and davide would've chose to steal it."

"They not bothering with 'share or steal'?" asked a third. "Probably for the best, Davide can't be trusted."

What do you think of last night's results? Have your say in the comments section below...

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