EX ON THE BEACH
What it’s really like to appear on As the new series arrives, heat meets the cast
ormally when you break up with someone, there are tears, drunken calls, the awkward exchange of possessions, the wiping of any sign of them from social media… and then you never have to see them again. But imagine going on holiday with your ex for a month, spending every waking second with them and even listening while they have sex in the same room. If the thought of it doesn’t have you running for the hills, you should consider applying for Ex On The Beach.
Dubbed “the worst holiday ever”, the MTV series, which started in 2014, follows eight single men and women living together in a villa and looking for love. But it’s not all piña coladas and sunsets because, when the housemates least expect it, they will be summoned to the beach where one of their exes will emerge from the ocean and join the house. Sounds horrendous – so what makes people want to sign up? We hung out with the cast of the upcoming fifth series to find out what really goes on…
N1 WHY THE HECK GO ON IT?
The house singles – Gaz Beadle, Chloe Goodman, Olivia Walsh, Jordan Davies, Stephen Bear, Jem Lucy, Jess Impiazzi and Liam Lewis – have all been on the show before (this is an All Star version), so they knew exactly what to expect when filming started in April this year. In fact, there are 13 alumni returning this series – so what made the group put themselves through all that torment again? Turns out even they don’t always know why they’ve signed up.
“The producers sell it as a lovely trip to Thailand and I thought after the last series, nothing could be worse. But I was so, so wrong. I was nuts to have come back,” Jess tells us. And current King of the Beach Jordan – who’s done two series and met ex-girlfriend Megan Mckenna on the show – adds, “You kind of forget how bad it is.”
The cast don’t know who to expect, but producers increase the tension by dropping in names of potential additions to panic them. Hawley says, “They drop names from your past just to throw you off. They rile you up about someone, then it’s not them at all.”
The situation gets so heightened that sometimes fights even break out. Bear tells us, “When one ex came out, there was a full-on fight on the beach between two girls. That was what you call an entrance. It was brutal.”
Most of the girls agreed that seeing their ex was nerve-wracking – but they would have walked off if Charlotte Crosby had appeared as Gaz’s former flame. Kayleigh says, “I would have quit. I can’t stand her. She f**ked my ex. She’s a hypocrite. She’s on Geordie Shore crying cos Gaz is getting with girls and she done exactly that to me.”
Lillie adds, “Charlotte would have been my worst nightmare. I don’t ever want to be in the same room as her. I possibly would have had to leave. She has a lot of enemies in the house.” There is very little to do in the villa except party, but producers limit alcohol to make sure it doesn’t get too rowdy. This has led to some of the boys hiding it to make sure they have a supply. Gaz says, “It’s measured, but it’s enough to get you drunk.”
But alcohol also leads to arguments and rows, as Hawley experiences on more than one occasion. “I’ve had quite a few shirts ruined in fights,” he reveals. “In the daytime, everyone’s all calm. But, at night, with the alcohol, it kicks off. Every night. There’s not one night where it doesn’t.”
During rows, microphones, cutlery, drinks, plant pots and chairs have all been thrown, which Bear found scary. “You don’t know what is going to hit you next. Security is on hand, but they only jump in when something really major happens. You need your wits about you.”
Jordan even got hit in the face by accident when he was trying to stop a fight between Yes, phones are taken away while filming. All the contestants say the isolation is the hardest part of the show because you only see the cast and are cut off from the world. Gaz says, “You have no music and you’re stuck with these people. It’s off to bed at midnight, up again at 8am. Even in Geordie Shore, you get a break with three days filming then one day off, but with this, we film for 30 days straight.”
Hawley adds, “We’re like animals locked in a pen. There’s no escaping anything.”
Surprisingly, despite it sounding like the worst experience ever, all of the contestants say they’d sign up for the next series – except Gaz. He says, “I wouldn’t do it again. I would be mad to. I would stick with Geordie Shore now. There’s no point me going on there just to have arguments with one-night stands. F**k that, my head nearly fell off this time.”
Ex On The Beach