Warning—Spoilers for Love Island UK season 9 ahead!!!After eight weeks, the winners of Love Island UK season 9 have been announced. While the reality TV hit usually airs in the summer, this was the second special winter season, premiering in January. Instead of the summer's Mallorca location, the season played out in a new South African villa. Maya Jama also made her debut as the show's host, taking over for Laura Whitmore.
On the finale, Maya announced that Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan won the £50,000 prize. According to ITV's voting percentages, Kai and Sanam received 44-percent, less than the overwhelming lead of last year's winners Ekin-Su CülcüloÄŸlu and Davide Sanclimenti.
In second place were original couple Ron Hall and Lana Jenkins. Bombshells Tom Clare and Samie Elishi came in third, while Shaq Mohammed and Tanya Manhenga got fourth. After celebrating their victory, Kai and Sanam revealed their plans for the prize money on The Morning After podcast. In addition to dates and vacations, the teacher and social worker want to support charities for kids. Sanam also swore to give some to her widowed mother.
Kai & Sanam's Win Makes Love Island UK History
As Twitter user @SanaRavishing pointed out, Kai and Sanam's win marked a number of firsts for the dating series. Sanam is the first contestant chosen during Love Island's signature Casa Amor twist to win. She was also the only Casa girl brought back to the main villa this year. Kai is the first Jamaican citizen to win, and Sanam is the first Trinidadian. This also makes them the only winning couple of color in the show's history. The UK's only non-white winner before this was Amber Rose Gill, who won with Greg O'Shea in season 5. On the spin-off Love Island USA, winners have generally been more diverse.
Kai started to gain traction when he hilariously mistook another one of the Casa girl contestants for a friend back home. The PE teacher, one of Love Island UK season 9's first contestants, also stood up for himself against the season's villain Olivia Hawkins. Although she also recoupled after Casa, the 27-year-old kept demanding that her ex Kai apologize for bringing Sanam back. The No Time To Die actress was branded a bully for this persistent behavior, while Kai's self-respect and defense of Sanam earned praise from Love Island UK fans. His social worker partner was also much kinder than the original girls. By the last week, Kai and Sanam appeared to be the only happy, healthy, and genuinely in-love pair.
Kai and Sanam winning sets a new standard for future Love Island contestants. After Liam Reardon and Millie Court won season 7, Casa Amor seemed to be an excuse for men to stray without recoupling. And last season, the cast quickly disregarded Casa contestants to reunite with their original partners. This year's welcome change breathes new life into the long-running Casa twist. Meanwhile, viewers won't have to wait too long for the show's next season. Love Island UK will return to the Mallorca villa for season 10 later this summer.
Source: Love Island/Instagram, ITV, The Morning After/Apple podcasts