Love Island Final Preview: Kai and Sanam hot favourites for glory

So after two long months, it all comes down to this. The 2023 Love Island winter series is almost over and we have our final four. Ron and Lana, Kai and Sanam, Tom and Samie and Shaq and Tanya are the couples who have gone the distance and are now competing for the £50,000 cash prize.

The odds have shifted as this series has progressed more than any other series over the years, with thrills and spills aplenty in the villa in South Africa. Many iconic islanders have come and gone, but this eight remain and we have taken a brief look at the state of play before things kick off live on ITV2 on Monday night...

At the midpoint of the season, even the most ardent Kai fan would not have fancied his chances for glory in Love Island 2023. Little did we know he would be going into the final as a massively odds-on favourite with his sizzling partner Sanam. The duo entered the villa to a blaze of chaos, with re-couplings all around them and a peculiarly sour ex flame of Kai's Oliva fuming at him for picking a new partner, while she stood bold as brass beside HER new partner! Nevertheless. Kai and Sanam comfortably outlasted Olivia and Maxwell, proving where the public's loyalties lay.

Throughout the winter months, a love story seemed to be warming the hearts of British viewers back home and that was the farmer and the Australian; Will and Jessie. Will had looked set to fill the role of miserable male who was unloveable by most female islanders, following in the footsteps of Dr Alex and Hugo Hammond, after in the first week no girl gave him a sniff. That all changed when Jessie, who participated in Love Island Australia a few years ago, entered the villa and professed how charmed she was by the farmer.

Now far be it for this humble scribe to accuse anyone of anything, but it did seem awfully convenient that a veteran of the Love Island game made a beeline for the boy she knew could potentially carry her far into the show. Perhaps that was just cynicism on my part, however, as they seemed set to claim the £50,000 prize together as their odds shortened and shortened as the weeks rumbled on. Then, however, came Casa Amor.

Will misbehaved, Jessie forgave but didn't forget, and the mask had slipped both for the public and some of the fellow islanders. After Casey accused Jessie of being fake the duo were on their last legs in the villa and as their odds drifted, so did their likeability in the view of the viewers. In the end it was no surprise to see them eliminated at the penultimate hurdle. Three of the remaining couples seem to have a fighting chance of glory, but it will take a serious shake-up for Kai and Sanam not to be crowned Love Island 2023 winners. 

Shaq and Tanya will almost certainly be in fourth place, and in truth it was a surprise they outlasted Will and Jessie, but with their shady antics throughout the series it is a miracle they have made it this far. Shaq has flew off the handle and taken jokes too far multiple times, Tanya has flirted with anything that breathes within ten metres of her, and the duo have little chance of victory. A couple who are in contention however, are former favourites Ron and Lana.

This pair began the show together and sparks flew fairly instantly, although not enough it seemed for wannabe Lothario Ron who wanted to partake in a bit of try before you buy with any new islander who came in. He finally realised he had steak at home so should stop rummaging around for leftover cheeseburgers and to be fair to him he has behaved impeccably since, not straying in Casa Amor and now making Lana his girlfriend. As is so often the case in Love island the momentum behind the early pacesetters seems to have dissipated, but for those keeping the faith they are attractively priced.

Finally, the second favourites for glory are Tom and Samie. This partnership has not quite been Yorke and Cole for striker Tom, with plenty of temptation for the Halifax number 9 causing grief for Londonder Samie, but they now seem to have slotted together seamlessly. The chemistry is undeniable and despite the amount of field playing Tom has partaken in, the viewers seem keen on him and his heart does seem in the right place. Samie has been responsible for some great one liners this season and definitely takes no prisoners, so they are a likeable team both together and apart. They are the right second favourites, but probably cannot stop the momentum behind Kai and Sanam. 

In terms of a bet, if pushed I would be tempted to back finishing order: Kai and Sanam, Ron and Lana, Tom and Samie then Shaq and Tanya, but I will refrain from tipping it up as only a couple of bookmakers are offering the odds and the prices are nothing amazing. Good luck if you are punting on the Love Island final, and enjoy the show!