Why You Only Ever See The Love Island Cast Eat Breakfast

For a series filmed in Fiji — an island on everyone's bucket list that even reality TV producers love — "Love Island" has a funny food quirk: Breakfast is the only meal that ever makes it to screen. Lunch and dinner exist, but those meals come from catering trays, served away from the cameras with strict no-game-talk rules. As former Islander Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu told Us Weekly, it's more like lining up for school lunch than reality TV — silver pans of food, everyone split up by gender, and nothing to say beyond "pass the ketchup." Since no storylines can play out at the table, producers don't even bother with filming. On the other hand, the morning meal is a built-in scene: Islanders waking up, wandering into the kitchen, and deciding what they'll cook for that day.

That ritual became one of the show's most reliable storylines. In the earliest seasons, a cup of coffee was enough to make someone blush. By the middle years, Islanders (mainly the men) were suddenly plating scrambled eggs, pancakes, and fruit like their romantic futures depended on it. Producers help the process along — the villa fridge is stocked multiple times a day, with enough eggs, fruit, and bread to keep the breakfast plates flowing. It's routine, but it's also where the show reveals the small choices that matter.

And those small choices are the whole point. A plate of avocado toast isn't just avocado toast when the cameras are rolling — it's proof that someone thought about you that morning, and viewers know it. Breakfast doesn't just fill screen time, it frames the day: Who's paying attention, who's being ignored, and who's suddenly left out. That's why it's the only meal we get to watch.

If breakfast sets the tone for romance, it also sparks some of the show's biggest meltdowns. On "Love Island USA," Season 6 became notorious for one thing: making avocado toast. The cast seemed to live on it, and fans couldn't help but notice. Reddit threads lit up with complaints about the endless parade of plain slices with little more than smashed avocado — one user even joked that adding something as simple as a tomato would have gone a long way.

But nothing topped "Love Island USA's" Season 7 "Pancake Gate." Jeremiah Brown's undercooked flapjack for Huda Mustafa became a viral moment; a half-raw pancake that doubled as proof that their relationship was circling the drain. She wouldn't touch it, even pointing out the obvious flaw: "Oh, no protein?" The clip exploded online. Honestly, she probably could've used some protein pancakes — yes, there are plenty of high-protein breakfast foods that aren't just bacon and eggs.

From there, things only got pettier. Chris Seeley was slammed for giving Chelley Bissainthe two pancakes and a flower while handing Huda a single one without garnish, prompting her to reference herself as something of a second choice on national TV. Viewers saw it for what it was — breakfast as a battlefield. On "Love Island," the meal isn't just fuel. It's a litmus test for loyalty, and sometimes, a couple's downfall starts with what's missing on the plate.