We’re in the thick of Love Island summer, and more than half of the people I know are tuning in six nights a week. Whether you love or hate the show, you have to admit that watching a group of Islanders find love in (almost) real time from the other side of the world is a major technological feat.

Production manages to capture every angle and detail of every conversation, create elaborate challenges, and factor in America’s votes every week—so it’s no wonder we’re curious about how this show is logistically produced: How do they keep their manicures so fresh? When do they lift up the bedroom blinds? And, most importantly, what are they all eating?

We see the Islanders court each other with pancakes and avocado toast every morning, but how else do they stay fed throughout the day? We’re breaking down everything we know about the food and drinks on Love Island so you can know what really goes down in the villa every summer.

The Love Island experience wouldn’t be complete without arguing over undercooked pancakes, getting food shoved into your face by scorned lovers, and fumbling with the espresso machine. It has become a rite of passage for male islanders to make breakfast for their connections while the ladies get ready upstairs.

According to contestants from previous seasons, breakfast is the only meal that they cook for themselves. And because not everybody is a trained chef, the options are pretty simple—think eggs, bacon, pancake mix, cereal, and fresh fruit.

The limited menu can get a bit monotonous after six weeks in the villa. But, according to Paul Knops of Love Island UK Season 4, production takes food requests. “You can actually request food and they'll put it in the fridge overnight,” he told Closer Magazine. It is worth noting, however, that these sunny summer retreats often don’t have access to the same ingredients Islanders enjoy at home.

Breakfast may be the only meal we watch on our screens, but the Islanders still eat other meals each day. Lunches and dinners are catered and delivered from outside the villa. Unlike the flirtation and fanfare that comes with breakfast, these meals are strictly business.

“It’s not glamorous,” UK Season 8 winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu revealed to Us Weekly. “It comes in a silver tray like school dinner. You sit in the kitchen—boys on one side, girls on the other side. We’re not allowed to talk about the show. We’re not allowed to talk to each other.”

Some Islanders use mealtimes as an opportunity to decompress away from the cameras. Producers, on the other hand, handle some housekeeping. “When we have dinner, it's like them telling us we need to clean the bedroom and that laundry day is tomorrow, and asking us what we want for our breakfast the next day—all just things that make the house run smoothly,” says Olivia Attwood of UK Season 3.

Details about the lunch and dinner menus haven’t been uncovered, but by almost all accounts, the food isn’t good. US Season 6 winner Serena Page went on Angel Reese’s podcast and revealed that the food was so gross that she ended up leaving the villa over 10 pounds lighter. Carsten "Bergie" Bergersen from US Season 5 wrote on Reddit: “Food in Fiji is the worst food I have ever had in my life.”

The villa kitchen keeps some other ingredients around for snacking in case Islanders want to eat something besides catering. That might explain why we’re always seeing people eating their late night cheese toasties.

The first two seasons of Love Island UK had free-flowing alcohol. But the casts ended up getting so rowdy that the franchises have placed pretty strict limits ever since. Every night, each Islander is limited to just one, maybe two glasses of wine.

There are occasions, like during challenge wins or offsite dates, where Islanders are treated to champagne or cocktails. But according to Phoebe Siegel of US Season 4, it's not as luxurious as you'd think. In a TikTok, Siegel revealed that the drinks were "completely watered down" and the Islander's nightly glass of wine was "not a generous pour."

Based on insights from former Islanders, it doesn't seem like the ideal scenario. But sacrificing alcohol seems like a small price to pay for a summer of love in Fiji.