Love Island Odds: Analysing the last five with the final in sight
It feels like just last week we were penning our preview of Love Island season 10 before filming began, and it has certainly been an eventful summer in the villa! With the final now on the horizon Billy Grimshaw takes us through the remaining couples' chances of victory in the eyes of the betting sites...
As ever when it comes to Love Island betting, the odds are the only things that have been changing more than the couples inside the villa! After the 2023 winter season ended with Kai and Sanam being crowned winners, we know outsiders can come from huge prices to win the series but this season looks set to go to a favourite from a long way out.
Second favourites right now are a duo who were paired together by the public on day one in Tyrique and Ella. Self confessed playboy Tyrique came into the villa wanting to change his sleazy ways when it comes to matters of the heart and after many bumps in the road, both for him and his partner, they are in love and officially a couple. Tyrique has never been shy of throwing his opinion into villa drama throughout the series and that has seen him develop into a bit of a marmite character, but the Love Island faithful love nothing more than when an OG couple last until the end and there is clearly a strong bond between this attractive duo.
The couple they are going to have to topple to claim glory are Lochan and Whitney. Now there have been some carry jobs in past Love Island series, none more so than when Amber Gill won almost singlehandedly when coupled up with the last bombshell of the year Greg, but this could quite easily top the lot. Lochan is a nice enough guy but this couple is alllll about Whitney. The no nonsense Londoner has gained an army of fans for her one liners, her strength in her own opinions and above all the high standards she has held everyone in the villa to. Shrewd punters managed to get Whitney as top female early at fancy prices but she and her fella Lochan have been odds-on for some weeks now. It will take a bit of a surprise for anyone to stop Whitney's march to glory, and outside of Ty and Ella there is only one other realistic option.
The couple that have been quietly inching their way up the odds grids and are now as short as 7/2 to win are Sammy and Jess. Maybe this humble scribe has been reading the room wrong but much like with Whitney carrying Lochan, it is clear Jess's feelings for Sammy have carried her new boyfriend to this stage of the show. Sammy has been at best naive and at worst disrespectful to Jess throughout their journey, wanting to get to know any female with a pulse before finally, painstakingly coming crawling back for forgiveness.
After his night of madness at Casa Amor and bringing a new girl back to the villa, the penny finally seemed to drop for Sammy and he has since behaved very well by his standards to reassure Jess of his commitment. Jess for her part has been the model of what any man would want in a girl, with eyes only for Sammy throughout the experience. She has struck a chord with a lot of viewers and is very likeable, but doesn't quite have the pull power alone of Whitney or the sparks flying like Tyrique and Ella seem to. However, after Ty and Ella's last minute bust up they could be a good bet for second place. As expected Mitch and Ella B were dumped on Sunday night, leaving Zach and Molly as the last couple left with no chance of glory.
The undisputed producer's pick so far this season has been Molly, who despite not being well liked particularly by the public became the first contestant ever to be re-introduced to the show in Casa Amor after being dumped. She quickly headed back to Zach and they do seem to have found the right fit for each other, so all's well that ends well I suppose. If tasked with predicting the final finishing order I would be a bore and go in odds order, however if looking for value at this stage perhaps picking Sammy and Jess for the win (their final date is scheduled to be aired on Friday night's episode) is the smart play if looking for a punt.