After a captivating 2024 season of “Love Island” that produced some of the most memorable reality TV personalities, it is no doubt that fans were eager for a juicy, steamy follow up season.
“Love Island” proved to be one of the most entertaining dating shows of the past decade, gaining a significant number of new viewers in the last two years. Season 7 of “Love Island USA” premiered on June 3, 2025, on Peacock, with Ariana Madix hosting.
Over six intense weeks and 37 episodes, 30 initial Islanders (plus additional Casa Amor bombshells) entered the villa in Fiji, navigating dramatic recoupling, eliminations, and high-stakes challenges.
The show drops couples into a shared house where every move is watched and judged. They live together, compete in challenges, and face unexpected twists while building relationships under the spotlight. In the end, fans vote to decide the winning couple, who then open an envelope for a shot at the $100,000 prize.
After the finale aired July 13, 2025, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were crowned the winners. They made history as the first Latino couple to win the series. Bryan drew the winning envelope containing $100,000 and chose to split it evenly with Amaya.
The runners-up were Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen, known to fans as “Nicolandria.” Their genuine chemistry captured the internet’s heart and made them one of the season’s favorite pairs. Both the couple and their fans described their story as a “friends to lovers, slow burn” trope, fueling the kind of genuine love that keeps “Love Island” compelling.
Ace Smith and Chelley Bissainthe came in third place. Their steady bond and playful dynamic earned them a loyal fanbase even though they didn’t make it to the final two.
Another major breakout was Huda Mustafa, who left as a single islander. Though she didn’t take home the cash prize or the best reputation, she arguably walked away as the season’s biggest star. Huda gained the most traction on social media, becoming the most-followed Islander of Season 7.
A Pressure Cooker in Fiji
Due to the outstanding increase in viewership following last year’s season, many viewers were more attuned to the actual environment and inner workings of the competition. Several users on social media, like this TikToker, claimed that Love Island was a psychological social experiment. Here are some key points to truly understand this pressure cooker environment.
The Islanders are completely cut off from the outside world. They are not allowed cell phones, TVs, or devices. They are not allowed to call or message their family members or friends, and even their children (in the case of Huda). The Islanders are filmed through hidden cameras that are placed in every room and space of the villa, 24 hours a day. They also had no access to clocks, causing their perception of time to falter.
Their eating and sleeping times are at the discretion of the producers and can be frequently disrupted due to the extensive filming of challenges and activities. The Islanders were all required to sleep in the same room and were filmed while sleeping.
The Islanders are also microphoned at all times, adding to the sense of surveillance.
The villa itself is designed to ensure the most pressurized environment; all couches, seats, and tables are in a circular shape, forcing interaction between contestants. This also ensures that the cameras can pick up on every moment, as no one is hidden behind a corner. A similar thought process is used when designing the villa’s circular doors, that push and swing open, so no Islander can hide behind the back of a door.
Controversy
Early in the season, contestant Yulissa Escobar was removed from the villa after posts and videos of her using racist slurs resurfaced.
Cierra Ortega was also removed midway through the season after past racist posts came to light. Her removal shocked both Islanders and fans since she had formed a strong connection in the villa. In fact, she was the first Islander to be officially “closed off” with Nic Vansteenberghe, so her removal was a pivotal moment with lasting effects.
Both incidents sparked questions about the vetting process for contestants, and how committed the producers and scouts are to creating an environment that is truly diverse, inclusive, and safe for people of color and minorities.
Critics and fans flagged heavy producer involvement in recouplings and eliminations, fueling speculation that drama was prioritized over authentic connections, romantically or platonically. Long time fans of “Love Island” pointed out how there were more challenges than dates, creating more opportunities for rivalry to spark amongst the islanders, rather than fostering friendships.
This season also produced an extreme number of haters of certain contestants, with fans having extremely polarizing views of a few key members including Huda, Chelley Bissainthe, and Olandria Carthen. Many contestants and their families received an extreme amount of online harassment, “doxxing”, cyberbullying and even AI generated hate videos. On the episode that aired on June 24, 2025, producers aired a disclaimer on that read, “The key word on ‘Love Island’ is LOVE… We don’t love cyberbullying, harassment, or hate.”
Post villa, Chelley and Olandria appeared together on Keke Palmer’s podcast “Baby, this is Keke Palmer” where they spoke candidly about being Black women on reality TV. Facing 24-hour filming in a “pressure cooker environment”, they recounted a feeling of having to “hold back” their emotions to avoid being stereotyped as an “angry black woman”. Many viewers, especially women of color, expressed online their sympathy and relatability to the girls’ experience.
Memorable Moments
The “Stand on Business” challenge sparked debate, with Amaya’s raw emotions and cultural authenticity drawing strong reactions. When criticized for being overly sensitive, she fired back with: “God forbid I’m a sensitive gangsta,” a now-iconic moment. But that’s just the tip of Amaya’s viral iceberg.
Her uniquely phrased confessionals quickly became cultural touchpoints: She coined “gratatuilly,” a playful mash-up born from her attempts at expressing gratitude, which fans couldn’t stop quoting. In another confessional she sang: “I never said I was perfect. I never said I didn’t have any flaws. But at least I’m pretty, and at least I’m a little funny, and at least I’m my own best friend.” The self-affirming anthem went viral and even prompted Google’s search animations to show papaya emojis when fans looked up “Amaya Papaya”.
Many of Huda’s one-liners also caught fire online, turning her into a meme machine as the season aired. Phrases like “I’m a mommy” and “mamacita” became instant TikTok sounds, spreading beyond the “Love Island” fanbase and cementing her cultural footprint. Even fans who didn’t love her gameplay admitted she brought some of the most rewatchable and viral moments of the season.
Social media buzz was through the roof: Season 7 logged over 18.4 billion minutes watched, and fan engagement soared with 54 million social interactions and 1.7 billion video views and impressions on TikTok, a 127% increase from Season 6.
The Reunion
The intense Season 7 reunion aired August 25, 2025, on Peacock. Hosted by Ariana Madix alongside Andy Cohen, it brought back 27 Islanders to rehash villa events, confront tensions, and reveal unseen footage.
Bryan addressed cheating rumors, calling it a “lapse in judgment” tied to bartending duties at an event, while Amaya stood by their relationship at the time.
Huda faced a heated showdown with Chelley and Olandria over the controversial heart-rate challenge and accusations of bullying. Andy Cohen called the confrontation “pretty dramatic.”. The extended challenge footage offered new insight into underlying conflicts.
Jaden Duggar and Austin Shepard, who left the villa as a couple, revealed that they quickly ended things after returning home, surprising the other islanders and their fans. Austin confessed to “dating around” and being unfaithful to Jaden.
Hannah Fields tearfully reacted to unseen footage explaining her elimination.
Jeremiah Brown, one of the biggest personalities from the beginning of the season, confronted the guy trio (Taylor, Ace, and Nic) about his elimination, resulting in a heated exchange.
Chris Seeley confronted Huda about unresolved friction, while unseen footage also revealed dynamics involving Jeremiah and Ace during elimination deliberations.
Many islanders, including Ace Smith, confronted each other about actions taken after leaving the villa, including podcast appearances, online interviews, and controversial social media posts. Under extreme scrutiny from millions of fans, a simple unfollowing, repost or comment was enough to stir up serious drama and controversy. The consensus was that islanders “moved differently” inside and outside of the villa.
Season 7 of “Love Island USA” will be remembered as one of the show’s most dramatic and culturally impactful installments yet. From Amaya’s iconic one-liners to Huda’s viral catchphrases, the season delivered moments that extended far beyond the villa and into pop culture.
While the finale crowned Amaya and Bryan as winners, “Nicolandria” stole hearts, Ace and Chelley earned quiet but steady support, and Huda cemented herself as the breakout star with unmatched online traction.
With record-breaking engagement and unforgettable personalities, Season 7 raised the bar for what “Love Island USA” can be: messy, memorable, and a must-watch reality show.