Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales crowned winners of "Love Island" Season 7. Forbes
The seventh season of Love Island USA wrapped up on July 13 with Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales named the winners. Fans voted for them as their favorite couple, and the pair walked away with a $100,000 prize, which they split.
Runners-Up and Finalists
Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen came in second, after viewers cast their votes through the show’s app. The final lineup also included Iris Kendall with Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez and Huda Mustafa with Chris Seeley. Just before the finale, islanders Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene were sent home following a fan vote.
Upcoming Reunion Episode
The show's reunion special has been announced and will air on August 25 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can expect to catch up with the cast and get more insights into what happened after the show.
Controversy Shadowed the Season
Although the finale brought closure for viewers, the season had its share of controversy. Two contestants, Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega, exited the villa unexpectedly and without full explanation. Both departures happened off-camera, with only brief mentions from the show’s narrator.
Why Two Contestants Left
The reasons behind the exits soon came to light outside the show. Before the season even started, videos of Escobar using a racial slur surfaced online. She later issued a written apology saying she should not have used the word.
Cierra Ortega also faced backlash during the season when screenshots of recent social media posts showed her using an offensive term aimed at Asian people. After the incident, she was removed from the show. Her family responded to the backlash, condemning people who reported them to immigration officials. Ortega, born in Arizona and of Mexican and Puerto Rican background, lives in Los Angeles.
Ortega Apologizes Publicly
A few days after her departure, Ortega released a video apologizing to the Asian community. In the nearly five-minute clip, she said she didn’t realize the word was harmful and would not have used it if she had known its history.
Producers Speak Out Against Hate
The show addressed the growing online anger and reminded viewers to avoid cyberbullying and hateful messages. This message appeared on TV and social media platforms during the season.
New Spinoff Announced
Alongside the season’s end, a new spinoff called Love Island: Beyond the Villa is set to launch. It will feature familiar faces from Season 6, including JaNa Craig, Kenny Rodriguez, Leah Kateb, Miguel Harichi, Serena Page, Kaylor Martin, and Aaron Evans.
