Sunday, July 13 saw another summer of Love Island USA come to an end.
The finale of the hit reality dating show crowned contestants Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales as the winners. The pair were selected by America as the couple with the most meaningful connection, earning the $100,000 prize and bragging rights.
The runner-up couple, selected by votes from the Peacock app, was Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe. Chris Seeley and Huda Mustafa, along with Iris Kendall and Jose “Pepe” Garcia-Gonzales, rounded out the final four.
During the finale, Espinal and Arenales were given two envelopes. One envelope contained the $100,000 prize; the other was empty. Arenales, 28, chose the winning envelope, meaning he could decide whether to split the money with Espinal or keep it for himself. Ever the gentleman, Arenales opted to split the prize with Espinal, 25.
But despite the happy ending, this season of the reality show was not without its drama. Some of the contestants, including final four member Mustafa, became topics of online discourse and bullying. Contestant Vanna Einerson received ridicule for alleged cosmetic procedures, while Cierra Ortega was removed from the running entirely after resurfaced Instagram screenshots showed her making racist remarks against people of Asian descent.
Although there were quite a few controversial moments surrounding Season 7, many fans were celebrating the win of Espinal and Arenales.
“A Latino couple winning Love Island “USA”, isn’t it poetic?” said a commenter on X (formerly Twitter).
“Amaya Papaya and Bryan are the first Latino couple to win Love Island—and in Trump's America!" said another user.
Love Island has become a global phenomenon: contestants live together in a villa, coupling up in order to remain in the game, while viewers have the opportunity to influence outcomes through votes. Love Island USA's Season 7 reunion is slated to air on August 25 via Peacock.
