JAKE Cornish has been getting a lot of flak this week for being a showman on Love Island.
The water engineer, 24, has been accused by viewers – and even his girlfriend Liberty Poole – of masterminding “staged” moments just for the cameras.
Jake has denied that he’s playing up to the cameras – but lets looks back at the moments that have given Liberty and fans alike the “ick”.
Copycat bracelet
When Jake asked Liberty to be his girlfriend, the moment wasn’t only entirely set up and pre-planned – but has also been done before.
Jake presented Liberty with a magnetic bracelet that he had stashed in his suitcase ready to give to ‘the One’.
Liberty was giddy as Jake told her that they were like magnets “always gravitating towards one another”.
Slipping on the matching black and white bracelets they became an official couple.
But the scene was just like previous winner Kem Cetinay’s declaration of love to his then girlfriend Amber Davies four years ago.
Kem presented Amber with an infinity bracelet – a symbol of eternal love.
So was Jake’s declaration an original idea or was a he copying a previous winner?
Jake the producer
Earlier this week Jake held Liberty back when she tried to celebrate with her best friend Kaz.
Liberty was desperate to congratulate her best mate after Tyler asked them to be exclusive – but Jake had other ideas.
He said he wanted Liberty to enjoy her own special moment with her best friend away from the rest of the group.
But the move struck a strange chord with viewers who thought he came across as “fake” and strangely self-aware as he tried to orchestrate the perfect moment for the cameras.
Playing up to the cameras?
Liberty confronted her boyfriend about playing up to the cameras while in the villa this week.
She said: “I know you say sometimes, like, ‘We are on a TV show’, but at the same time, what makes it good is just you being yourself, do you know what I mean?
“Tonight, me wanting to run up and hug Kaz as soon as she came down the stairs was a natural reaction to me.”
Jake was clearly unimpressed, replying: “Oh my god, serious? I just thought it’d be nice for you to have your own alone time with Kaz, not with everyone there.”
Jake’s oddly choreographed dance
During the sexy dancing challenge, everyone was a bit awkward and nervous – except for Jake.
He appeared to have a choreographed routine prepared specially for the task.
“Just adds to my thoughts of him playing up to the cameras rather than doing things naturally,” a fan commented on Reddit.
“I mean, fair enough if he wanted to do well at this task but I thought he could have been funnier and danced with the other girls more.”
And it seems Jake’s on-air audition for The Dreamboys has paid off as he’s now landed a job with the stripping dance troop.
So do you think Jake is playing up for the cameras? Or is he just being himself?
