LOVE Island fans claimed Ciaran Davies and Nicole Samuel were “robbed” of the £50k after they failed to win the show.
They were the only pair this series to become boyfriend and girlfriend.
After a long hot summer host Maya Jama, 29, announced the winners were original girl Mimii Ngulube and bombshell Josh Oyinsan.
Taking to X, one viewer said: “Love mimi but her and Josh have been together like 2 mins, nicole and ciaran deserved that win.”
Another reacted: “Tbf Jess and Ayo or Nicole and Ciaran deserved to win as they were the only two couples that have been loyal. Matilda is fake and Mimii hoped to be with Ayo had her plan worked.”
Dozens more said Ciaran and Nicole were “robbed”, and another said: “So the public voted for Mimi & Josh to win #loveIsand Mimi, who would’ve happily dumped Josh for Ayo just over a week ago.
“Ciaran & Nicole are actually in love, but just another reminder that Love Island isn’t about that.”
Rugby lad Ciaran, 21, and office manager Nicole, 24, came second with Sean Stone and Matilda Draper in third place and and Ayo Odukoya and Jess Spencer in fourth.
Jaws dropped around the Majorca villa when Mimii and Josh were announced after being coupled up for two weeks.
Even Mimii told Maya: “I wasn’t expecting this” and said she felt “over stimulated, overwhelmed, grateful”.
Earlier, Nicole spoke about overcoming her own trust issues to fall for Ciaran, after a string of failed romances before joining the show.
She told Maya in her exit interview: “He’s a good one and he’s proven me wrong, I can eat my words now, so I’m really happy.
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“I’m going to be standing on the side, cheering him on!”
The Welsh couple were voted the most compatible couple during most of the challenges, and told each other “I love you” weeks before the final.
Being the strongest couple landed them in a few tricky situations, as they were forced to decide who should be dumped from the villa earlier on in the show.
They’ve also struggled to cope with Nicole’s trust issues, and were dogged with arguments over Ciaran’s potential attraction to other Islanders.
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And as the youngest person in the villa, rugby lad Ciaran hated being called “immature” and Nicole knew how to push his buttons.
Ciaran took exception to one comment Nicole made when she branded him childish during an explosive Film Festival.
“You just pulled me up on my biggest insecurity, that I told you,” he said, to which she replied he was “giving child”.
“It’s one thing for me, one thing for you,” he added, prompting her to hit back.
“Was there any clips of me on there getting with any boys, or being interested in any boys, or saying things with any boys?” she responded.
“What? Because I kissed Emma in a game?” prompting him to ask Emma to back him up, confirming he told her he was in love with Nicole.
Despite their scraps, the pair always managed to make it up before bed, and continued to declare their love for each other.
The series closer comes a day after Joey Essex and Jessy Potts missed out on a place in the final.
They were given the chop in a brutal twist that saw dumped Islanders entering the villa for one final vote to send home a couple before the finale.