Winter Love Island fans have lauded Shaq Muhammad for his behavior on the show. Since the ITV2 dating series kicked off last month, many islanders have been staking a claim for themselves by pairing up and sometimes even getting caught up in nasty love triangles. It is fair to say that the season has entertained fans with a lot of drama and twists. Despite all of the commotion happening around him, it has been a fairly quiet outing on the show for Shaq Muhammad.
The 24-year-old London-based airport security officer described himself as the “talk of the terminal,” but he has struggled to replicate that same energy in the initial stages of Winter Love Island 2023. When asked what he would bring to the Winter Love Island show, Shaq revealed he would bring his “bubbly and confident personality to the villa.” He also claimed he is not afraid to step on any toes.
Fans finally got to see Shaq stepping on some toes when he recently called out Ron Hall — who is quickly becoming the villain of the season — for his flippant treatment of Lana Jenkins. After Lana had agreed to go out on a date with new bombshell Casey O’Gorman, an unbothered Ron nonchalantly dismissed the situation while talking to the boys and claimed it would only make her realize he is better and bring her back to him.
Shaq immediately shut Ron down, telling him his treatment of Lana was out of order. He further accused him of taking advantage of Lana’s feelings for him because he thinks she will be there forever. The exchange between Shaq and Ron didn’t go unnoticed as many of the show’s fans quickly expressed their admiration for how he called out Ron’s distasteful behavior.
Fans Feel Shaq Is very Emotionally Intelligent
Shaq has been coupled up with Tanya Manhenga since the show began but their less dramatic relationship has been overshadowed by the more chaotic pairings — case in point the problematic coupling of Ron and Lana. Nobody would be off the mark if they felt Shaq wasn’t getting enough attention for what he brings to the show. However, his recent run-in with Ron has made viewers begin to appreciate some of his finer qualities.
In the wake of Shaq calling out Ron, many fans took to Reddit to appreciate his personality. The original poster (OP) tagged the thread, “Someone give Shaq’s parents a medal,” and went on to describe the airport security officer as an “absolutely lovely man.”
The OP also claimed the “Shaqfluence” was spreading throughout the house, and most of the commenters seemed to agree with the claim. Many users praised Shaq for his positive attitude and some even noted he was emotionally intelligent. One particular user claimed:
“I think Shaq might be one of the most emotionally intelligent people to ever be on love island.”
Fans Feel Shaq Is Positively Influencing The Guys
Many of the users agreed with the OP concerning the “Shaqfluence” and praised him for maintaining such an admirable character so far in the show. They went further to point out several ways Shaq has been a positive influence in the villa. A fan responded by saying:
“Tonight when he said ‘Ron deserved it’ was the cherry on top. plus Tom calling out Ron yesterday was surprising so his influence must be rubbing off haha.”
Some other Winter Love Island fans also expressed their awe for Shaq while listing some of the qualities that separate him from the pack, including how he stands up for the girls, accepts his faults, owns up to his feelings, and never shies away from calling out bad behavior. Many of the fans felt so grateful to be able to watch someone with such a great personality like his on the show for a change.
The Redditors doubled down on how he was a calming factor in the house and revealed he had helped check some of the boys in the villa. They hoped he would keep up with the positive vibe until the end. Many times it seems the thirst for entertainment places more value on chaotic displays than good behavior. It is great to see Shaq finally getting the recognition he deserves, and hopefully this would help start a new trend.
