The Love Island heart rate challenge is one of the most anticipated events in the show, with the ongoing season 8 having produced some of the sexiest performances to date. It also caused some tension amongst the islanders when exes Gemma Owen and Jacques O’Neill raised each other’s heart rates the most.
Over the years, fans have felt their pulses race due to the routines that have graced their screens, including performances that are effortlessly sexy, others that are surprisingly sexy, and in some cases, ones that are hilariously sexy.
10 Mary Bedford (Season 7)
Many fans agree that the producers did Mary dirty by dressing her in the least sexy costume for the heart rate challenge. Viewers and islanders alike were in hysterics when she walked out dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, complete with a shell bra, trident, and a garish red wig.
Despite this, she was a good sport and still managed to pull off a sexy, albeit hilarious, performance. It is definitely one of the most unforgettable in heart rate challenge history.
9 Rebecca Gormley (Season 6)
Bombshell Rebecca has been labelled as the worst cast member all time, but her explosive entrance is one of the most memorable in the show’s history. Once girls had all completed their heart rate challenge performances, Rebecca made her shock entrance and introduced herself to the boys by giving them each a sexy lap dance.
Despite the girls commenting that “she needs to move” more, her confident and relaxed performance was especially impressive given the daunting circumstances. This confidence combined with her physical sexiness saw her successfully raise the hearts of Callum Jones and Connor Trott the most.
8 Amber Gill (Season 5)
The heart rate challenge could not have come at a better time for Amber, who had just returned from Casa Amor to find that her partner Michael Griffiths had recoupled with Joanna Chimonides at the stick or twist ceremony.
Although Joanna successfully turned his head, Amber’s confidence was boosted when it was revealed that her performance raised his heartrate the most. According to Amber, Joanna was “going for it,” but all she had to do was let her natural sexiness speak for her.
7 Indiyah Polack (Season 8)
Indiyah’s understated performance was tasteful yet teasing, especially for her partner Dami Hope who was “trying so hard not to bite” when she twerked in his face. She pulled out all the stops to get his heart racing and did not disappoint.
Her costume was more subtle than other islanders’; the lilac corset and baby blue booty shorts allowed for her natural sexiness to make a strong statement. It also allowed for fluid movement, which enhanced the performance when put into slow motion, as she requested when talking to the producers later in the beach hut.
6 Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu (Season 8)
Ekin-Su’s effortless sex appeal was her strength during her heart rate challenge performance. Her wedding dress bodice is one of the most iconic costumes seen on the show and she played up to the character of the sexy bride by sucking Davide Sanclimenti’s ring finger.
There was not much of a routine, but there did not need to be. The veil, the bouquet, the snog with Davide; all the elements combined to create a performance that was sophisticated and sexy in equal measure.
5 Maura Higgins (Season 5)
It is no secret that Maura is one of the most successful bombshells of all time. She shook up the villa when she entered season 5 and almost succeeded in turning Tommy Fury’s head. By the time the heart rate challenge came around, she instead set her sights on Curtis Pritchard.
She came out in a sexy black cat suit that left little to the imagination, complete with ears and a tail. It was during the performance that she shared her first steamy kiss with Curtis as she gave him a lap dance, causing the observing boys to scatter in disbelief.
4 Megan Barton Hanson (Season 4)
“It’s hard to be sexy on demand,” Megan told the produces in the beach hut following her heart rate performance, where she made looking sexy on demand seem effortless. Her Moulin Rouge costume was hotter than the firepit itself and she set the boys ablaze with her sexy lap dances.
Even viewers at home were left a little hot under the collar, with former contestant Olivia Atwood confessing on Twitter, “Megan turned me on a bit then.”
3 Ovie Soko (Season 5)
Ovie remains one of the most popular Love Island contestants due to his supportive nature and meme level reactions to drama, but also due to his sexiness, as demonstrated by his heart rate challenge performance.
Anna Vakili summed the performance up when she said, “Ovie actually doesn’t have to do anything; he can just stand there.” A since deleted Reddit user also wrote at the time, “I would just like us all to come together to appreciate Ovie’s dance during the heart rate challenge. Changed my life. That is all.”
2 Curtis Pritchard (Season 5)
The term “heart rate challenge” is synonymous with the name Curtis Pritchard. The ballroom dancer utilized his skills to deliver an unforgettably sexy performance. Fans and fellow contestants were stunned when he ran out donned in a headdress that many have since compared to that of King Julien’s from Madagascar.
His hip action, coupled with a heated interaction with Maura Higgins, certainly succeeded in getting pulses racing. Following the episode, his performance was immortalized as a viral internet meme.
1 Danica Taylor (Season 8)
Danica’s experience as a dancer did not let her down when it was her turn to set the firepit ablaze. Despite not having a romantic connection with any of the boys in attendance, her performance successfully raised heart rates, which is a testament to her talent and sex appeal.
The most iconic moment was when she ended her routine with the splits, prompting a standing ovation from the boys, but it was her confidence that makes her performance the sexiest in heart rate challenge history. Speaking in the beach hut later, she said, “I’ve got every faith that I’ve raised heart rates, 100%” and she was not wrong.
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