{"id":646301,"date":"2026-10-30T22:26:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T22:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/646301\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T22:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T22:26:28","slug":"sammi-poole-on-joining-love-island-australia-as-a-bombshell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/646301\/","title":{"rendered":"Sammi Poole on joining Love Island Australia as a bombshell"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samantha Poole<\/a> was braced for a flat-out no from her mum after being offered a spot on Love Island Australia. <\/p>\n

Instead, she got a plea: \u201cSammi, please go and find someone!\u201d The 2024 Miss New Zealand winner, 23, laughs, \u201cHer one piece of advice going into the villa was, \u2018Give a guy a chance, Sammi!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The advice was much needed. Whanga\u00afrei model and influencer Sammi, who grew up in South Africa, had been single for four years and hadn\u2019t been kissed in nearly two years when the call came.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sammi Poole is entering the Love Island villa. (Credit: Supplied.)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m super-picky,\u201d she insists. \u201cIf I know it\u2019s not going to work, I just won\u2019t bother putting my time and effort into it. It was better for me to put that time into myself. Also, I was in Whanga\u00afrei \u2013 there wasn\u2019t much going on for me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, with Oz\u2019s eighth season of Love Island premiering this week, Sammi is about to watch her love life play out in front of millions of viewers. And she\u2019s not easing in quietly \u2013 she\u2019s entering as a \u201cbombshell\u201d intruder sent to shake things up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very intimidating,\u201d she admits. \u201cI don\u2019t want to step on anyone\u2019s toes, but that\u2019s literally part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saying yes to the unknown<\/p>\n

Kiwis last saw Sammi on this year\u2019s Celebrity Treasure Island<\/a>, where she survived just one episode, but the show left her with a new outlook. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve decided to say yes to everything that comes my way,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhat\u2019s meant for me will find me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But swapping rustic Northland beach huts for the luxurious Fijian villa where the US version of Love Island is filmed brought new nerves for Sammi, who was especially anxious about her fellow female contestants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can make or break my experience,\u201d she says. \u201cIf the girls don\u2019t like me, it becomes a big feud or there are love triangles\u2026 I just don\u2019t want enemies in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A self-confessed \u201cgirl\u2019s girl\u201d, Sammi has leant on her pageant years, where her rivals became like sisters, to get her through the early days of filming.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we might be fighting for a man, but we\u2019re still living together. We became a family \u2013 a very weird family!\u201d <\/p>\n

Pushing past her comfort zone<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Sammi opened up about how losing control can trigger her anxiety, so why would she want to go on Love Island, where they take away your phone and your privacy? <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s putting myself in the situations that are the most out of my comfort zone,\u201d she reflects. \u201cThe further I push it, the further my comfort zone expands. I think I can do anything now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sammi Poole turned heads as Miss New Zealand. (Credit: Supplied.)<\/p>\n

That includes rocking bikinis. Sammi, who spent her teens in a back brace for scoliosis, used to rarely post swimwear shots, but living in her togs on Love Island has changed everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I just walk to the beach in a bikini and I don\u2019t care,\u201d she smiles. \u201cThe whole world\u2019s going to see me in one anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for how she might be portrayed on the show, Sammi\u2019s philosophical.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say what you say and the editors can only use what you give them. As long as I can survive longer than I did on CTI, I\u2019ll be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

What she\u2019s looking for in love<\/p>\n

Sammi\u2019s past dates have included a polo player, an Olympic fencer, a rugby player and a basketballer, although she insists she doesn\u2019t consciously go after sports stars. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just love a driven guy,\u201d she says. \u201cConfidence, drive and a nice soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Love Island, Sammi had never dated an Aussie and was \u201cquite excited for the accent\u201d, though she\u2019s found Aussie men \u201ca lot more forward\u201d than Kiwis.<\/p>\n

She laughs, \u201cSome might call it cockiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her biggest red flag is a man who dates two women at once and, off camera, she runs a strict one-strike policy. Sammi explains, \u201cIf they mess up once, that\u2019s it. But I\u2019ve been told to do it differently in the villa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ready for the ride<\/p>\n

If Mum is her biggest cheerleader, Sammi\u2019s three protective brothers are a different story. She hasn\u2019t told them she\u2019s on the show. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be surprised if they watch it and don\u2019t want to bonk a few heads,\u201d she jokes. <\/p>\n

\"\"Sammi\u2019s mum Denise was the one who pushed her to go on Love Island. (Credit: Supplied.)<\/p>\n

Her mum knows everything that\u2019s happened, but Sammi plans to watch each episode first before she lets her mother see it. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll edit out some stuff for her!\u201d<\/p>\n

Without spoilers, she sums up her Love Island experience in three words: \u201cCrazy, amazing rollercoaster.\u201d And she\u2019s ready for whatever comes next. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve put myself in a position to be completely out of control \u2013 in the villa and outside it, with everyone giving me their unsolicited advice and opinions,\u201d says Sammi. \u201cBut I\u2019m here for it. I\u2019m along for the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love Island Australia premieres 9.05pm Tuesday on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

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