Love Island viewers respond to Curtis and Amy’s new dating term ‘half girlfriend’

‘What thunder is there in being someone’s half girlfriend?’

Twitter users have expressed mixed reactions as a result of two of the most popular Love Island contestants introducing new dating terminology into the hit show.

During Tuesday night’s episode, islander Tommy Fury received a text message revealing that his fellow contestants had the chance to choose one couple to spend a night in the Hideaway.

The Hideaway is a separate, private area of the Love Island villa where couples are allowed to get to know each other, away from their contemporaries.

Without hesitation, the islanders decided that Curtis Pritchard and Amy Hart should spend the night together in the romantic location.

Moments into their private encounter in the Hideaway, the couple brought up the conversation of making their relationship “exclusive”.

During the discussion, a clearly nervous Curtis told Amy that he thought they were “good together”, prompting Amy to jokingly respond: “I think you should’ve planned this speech.”

The 23-year-old continued, telling his partner that while he thought it was “too soon for the boyfriend/girlfriend thing”, he wanted to take their relationship to the next level.

“Will you be my half-girlfriend?” Curtis asked Amy, much to her excitement.

Twitter has responded to Curtis' use of the term “half-girlfriend” with mixed reviews, with some calling the phrase “sickening” and suggesting it is a pointless way to describe a budding relationship.

One user tweeted: “What thunder is there in being someone’s HALF girlfriend??”

“Making her your half girlfriend but getting full girlfriend benefits,” added another.

“This is sickening, cringe. Half what?! [sic],” added another.

Meanwhile, others praised the professional dancer for his charm and coining of the term.

“Curtis just asked amy to be his ‘half’ girlfriend oh my god that’s so CUTE,” wrote one fan.

“Half girlfriend? Sounds like a situationship to me,” tweeted one user.

Another commented: “Half girlfriend? Might have to use that one, cheers curtis lad. [sic]”

Many viewers, however, were confused how someone can become a half boyfriend or girlfriend.

“Trying to figure out what a half girlfriend is,” wrote a representative from online clothing shop Boohoo on Twitter.

“The uk trying to work out what a half- girlfriend,” commented another fan of the show.

According to the online dating website eharmony, being exclusive “can be defined as an agreement between two people that neither of them is romantically pursuing other partners”.

“This doesn’t mean that you’re automatically in a relationship or that you have to start using the terms boyfriend or girlfriend. Exclusive is a self-contained dating stage,” a segment from the website reads.

While Amy and Curtis’ confusing relationship status may have provoked controversy on Twitter, they weren’t the only couple to discuss how they view their developing romance.

During a paddleboarding date outside of the villa, contestants Joe Garratt and Lucie Donlan struck up a conversation about how they see their relationship progressing.

A week since Love Island season five started, the pair have already had their romance tested after Tommy coupled up with Lucie just two days into the series.

“We’re kind of exclusive,” Joe told his partner, before describing their relationship as “exclusively juicy”.

While it is widely believed the coined phrase is a combination of the pair’s names, the sandwich maker’s use of the term has not gone down well with avid viewers of the show.

“Exclusively juicy,” one user tweeted alongside a meme of a child pretending to vomit.

“Exclusively juicy is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,” another added.

Describing his relationship to his fellow contestants after his date, Joe said: “We just want to see where this relationship goes and give it our undivided attention.”

Keep up-to-date with Love Island 2019 coverage here.