Love Island bosses have reportedly made a Covid contingency plan in an attempt to be ready for every possibility ahead of the 2021 series.
It is thought that execs have been ‘planning for the worst’ and found a villa in Jersey which they could use if current plans to return to sunny Majorca have to be ditched.
A source told The Sun: ‘After what we’ve endured over the last year they are taking nothing for granted. Their motto is: hope for the best, plan for the worst.
Prepared: Love Island bosses have reportedly made a Covid contingency plan in an attempt to be ready for every possibility ahead of the 2021 series (Amber Gill is seen on the 2019 series)
‘Every eventuality has been addressed and planned for – including a third wave. But the general feeling is that Majorca is a go.’
MailOnline has contacted ITV for further comment.
If the hit dating show does end up filming in Jersey it could see the cast having to deal with a noticeably different set up, especially with weather.
The average June temperature in Majorca is 26C compared to 18C on the Channel Island, meaning that although still warm enough for sunbathing the cast might not be quite so warm as they lounge by the pool or pull each other for chats.
Just in case: It is thought that execs have been ‘planning for the worst’ and already found a villa in Jersey which they could use if Majorca plans are called off (Saint Aubin in Jersey is pictured)
TV bosses could also have to think of some inside tasks for the cast as Jersey tends to have three times as much rainfall in June compared to Majorca.
However they have some experience in the weather department as the cast of the South Africa series also complained about being chilly at time.
Speaking with Deadline about the 2021 series of Love Island last week, ITV’s Kevin Lygo said: ‘It was a challenge on the winter in South Africa..
‘The weather wasn’t great and they were quite cold and it wasn’t sunny every day. You just have to adapt.
‘When we used to do Big Brother in the summer, there would be days when they were all sunbathing out in the garden and then it rained a bit and they were all inside.
Heading back? The show is usually filmed in a villa (pictured) near Sant Llorenç des Cardassar on the Spanish isle, but UK locations including Jersey and Devon were tipped for 2021
Island destinations: The average June temperature in Majorca (right) is 26C compared to 18C on the Channel Island (left)
New challenges: TV bosses could also have to think of some inside tasks for the cast as Jersey won’t be as warm in June compared to Majorca (pictured the girls on the 2019 series)
‘You’ve got to have more heaters around the [outdoor] beds and producers have to be more inventive with tasks and games.’
It has been a year of adapting for TV shows, with many bringing in new precautions and rules to reduce the risk of Covid.
Although usually filmed in a villa near Sant Llorenç des Cardassar on the Spanish isle, several UK locations including Jersey, Cornwall and Devon, had been tipped for the 2021 Love Island season.
And it was reported on Monday that Love Island will return to Majorca for this year’s series of the show, with a back-up cast also being flown out as another precaution.
A Love Island representative told MailOnline at the time: ‘We are not currently in a position to confirm locations for the forthcoming series of Love Island.’
The summer series of Love Island 2020 was cancelled after production found it ‘logistically impossible’ to organise the show as the pandemic raged on.
Going ahead: It was reported on Monday that Love Island will return to Majorca for this year’s series of the show (some of the 2019 cast pictured in the Majorcan villa)
Applicants for the next series have reportedly been told they’ll have to be free for 10 weeks abroad and undergo a psychological and physical assessment.
A sexual health screening and an unannounced drugs test is also set to be required and the cast will have to declare if they live with anyone who’s clinically vulnerable, according to the publication.
Bosses will also ask contestants for their mental health histories and for permission to contact their GPs and in another move to help support them on the show.
It was previously reported that Jersey has been secured for filming this summer if production cannot take place in the show’s usual location of Mallorca.
A source had told The Mirror earlier in March that bosses are hoping Jersey will be blessed with warm weather this summer should Love Island filming take place on the picturesque island.
They said: ‘The Channel Islands get plenty of sunshine so it makes sense to hold Love Island there if we can’t get back to Spain.’
Taking no risks: It is thought that TV bosses have arranged for an extra cast to fly out in May and quarantine like the main set of singletons as a Covid precaution (pictured, the 2018 cast)
A representative for Love Island declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline at the time.
And it comes despite reports last month stating that Love Island bosses had been considering Devon and Cornwall as alternative filming locations.
A source told The Sun at the time that several locations had been looked into incase travel restrictions were still in place over the summer.
They said: ‘Cornwall has been optioned, as well as Torquay, the Isles of Scilly and even Barry Island, where Gavin and Stacey was filmed.
‘ITV bosses are also worried about a fan backlash against the show if contestants are allowed to go away claiming work reasons but the rest of the country is still stuck at home.’
And according to host Laura Whitmore, the hit reality show has been inundated with applicants, ‘the most they’ve ever had’ as she praised the casting team as ‘brilliant’ and said they are looking for ‘great personalities’ similar to Maura Higgins.
It was reported in February that bosses are hunting for ‘brains as well as brawn’ as they are keen to include a key worker in the line-up due to the recognition.
NHS doctor Alex George, 29, and pharmacist Anna Vakili, 30, were both hits with viewers after they appeared on the fourth series of the dating show in 2018.
Dr. Alex has been working tirelessly on the frontline throughout the pandemic, and was recently appointed as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador by Boris Johnson after speaking out following his brother’s death last year.
The new series is rumoured to be the ‘biggest in history’, as excited ITV bosses gear up for the highly anticipated comeback later this year.
Looking for love: It has been reported bosses are hunting for ‘brains as well as brawn’ as they are keen to include a key worker in the line-up (pictured Dr Alex George in 2018)