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'Big Brother' Accused Of Copying 'Love Island' With New Dating Twist, Amid Ratings Struggle

'BB' has fallen way behind its rival in the ratings battle of the reality shows.
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By 

Entertainment Editor, HuffPost UK

’Big Brother’ bosses have been accused of copying ‘Love Island’ with the latest twist they have planned for the housemates.

On Monday’s (19 June) edition of ‘This Morning’, ‘Bit On The Side’ presenter Rylan Clark-Neal announced that three female guests would be entering the house as part of a dating task, with the housemates then selecting two of them to become permanent residents.

“Make of it what you will. Connect the dots - it’s Channel 5,” Rylan said, hinting perhaps it could like to the network’s recent reboot of ‘Blind Date’.

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'Love Island' and 'Big Brother' have been going head-to-head in the ratings
ITV/Channel 5

However, some fans noted how similar it sounded to the premise of ‘Love Island’, which is entirely based around dating and new arrivals being dropped in the villa to entice existing residents.

Many shared their theories on Twitter:  

‘Big Brother’ producers have been forced to draft in new housemates after Kayleigh Morris was removed from the house over the weekend, and Arthur Fulford and Sukhvinder Javeed both walked last week. 

Their latest twist comes as the latest episode of ‘Love Island’ scored almost double the amount of viewers as the shows went head to head on Sunday night.

‘Big Brother’ drew just 0.89 million viewers at 9pm on Channel 5, in comparison to Love Island’s 1.51 million, when it aired at the same time on ITV2. 

It was the sixth consecutive day in a row that figures for ‘BB’ have fallen below a million, while ‘Love Island’ continues to hit ratings highs for its third series.

‘Big Brother’ continues tonight at 10pm on Channel 5, with ‘Love Island’ airing an hour earlier on ITV2.

'Big Brother' Winners Through The Years
Craig Phillips(01 of18)
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Craig won the first ever series of 'Big Brother', paving the way for over a decade more of bitching, sexual tension and arguing over the shopping budget. (credit:Sean Dempsey/PA Archive)
Brian Dowling(02 of18)
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'Big Brother' really found its feet in series two, when former flight attendant Brian Dowling was crowned the winner. (credit:John Stillwell/PA Archive)
Kate Lawler(03 of18)
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'Big Brother' had its first ever female winner in 2002, with Kate Lawler snatching the title. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Cameron Stout(04 of18)
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Dubbed the most boring 'BB' ever, series four was eventually won by laugh-a-minute heartthrob, Cameron Stout. (credit:PA Archive)
Nadia Almada(05 of18)
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In one of the best moments in 'BB' history, Nadia was moved to tears with the cheers from the crowd and fireworks that surrounded her as she was named the winner of 'Big Brother 5'. (credit:Andy Butterton/PA Archive)
Anthony Hutton(06 of18)
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It isn't hard to see why the public chose Anthony as their winner in 2005... (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Archive)
Pete Bennett(07 of18)
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Pete's win was a typically understated one... (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Brian Belo(08 of18)
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True, he didn't know who Shakespeare was, but Brian's endearing nature landed him the title of 'BB' winner in series eight. (credit:Stuart Wilson via Getty Images)
Rachel Rice(09 of18)
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Good dress. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Sophie Reade(10 of18)
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Sophie Reade was amazed when she was voted the winner of 'Big Brother 10', but the real star of the show was Davina McCall's quiff.10/10, Davina. Well done all concerned. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Josie Gibson(11 of18)
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After winning 'Big Brother 11', Josie was quickly thrown back into the house when 'Ultimate Big Brother' started, but walked after a few days declaring "I'm not a celebrity I'm just normal".We suppose it was sharing a house with A-listers like Preston from the Ordinary Boys and Makosi that intimidated her so much. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Brian Dowling(12 of18)
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The people's favourite, Brian triumphed over Nadia, Makosi, Josie and - bizarrely - Ulrika Jonsson to be crowned 'Ultimate Housemate'. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Aaron Allard-Morgan(13 of18)
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In Channel 5's first crack at the 'BB' whip, Aaron Allard-Morgan was named the public's favourite and walked away with the cash prize. (credit:Nat Jag via Getty Images)
Luke Anderson(14 of18)
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In 2012, 'BB' had one of its bitchiest years ever with the housemates basically turning on each other from the get go. Luke Anderson became the second ever transgender winner that year. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Sam Evans(15 of18)
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In what turned out to be a vintage year for 'BB', Sam Evans was voted the winner. Since scooping the prize it's thought he's gone back to his old job at Debenhams. Living the dream. (credit:Danny Martindale via Getty Images)
Helen Wood (16 of18)
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Then there's Helen Wood. Well, what can we say? Her face says it all. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
Chloe Wilburn (17 of18)
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While the returning Nikki Grahame was obviously the star of the series, she wasn't eligible to win (sadly). Instead, the 'Timebomb'-themed run was won by normal lass Chloe. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Jason Burrill(18 of18)
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In another shock win, Jason was crowned the champion of the 2017 run over bookies' favourite Hughie Morgan, much to the disgust of his ex-girlfriend and fellow housemate Charlie Doherty. (credit:Jeff Spicer via Getty Images)
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