Summer's here and you know what that means: it's Love Island USA season! That means spending six nights a week glued to a screen, watching a dozen sexy singles look for love in a cartoonishly colorful villa. There will be lots of hook-ups, lots of spicy games, and lots of incredibly impractical bathing suits. Every week, Nicole Weaver of Black Bi Reality will break down what's going down in the Villa by ranking the couples from compatible to scary.
Love Island USA fans knew this season was rough in real time. Multiple islanders put a sour taste in our mouths and there were hardly any sweet romantic moments to balance it out. The finale was predictably a strange one with a very new couple, a bombshell paired with a Casa Amor guy, a couple who constantly argue, and a match between original islanders that was made possible because of an unexpected exit. The results are in … Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales are our winners. They're unconventional winners, but the this is perfect way to end an unconventional season 7.
Amaya entered the villa as a bombshell on day five and showed interest in Jeremiah. She later matched with Ace Greene, who quickly established boundaries with her that he didn't apply to Chelley Bissainthe. Amaya was quick to speak up when she disliked something in a very nonchalant villa. She was one of the few people to go toe-to-toe with Ace and paid heavily for that. For multiple challenges, the running joke with the men was that Ace was the most unhappy in his couple.
Amaya cried but she also didn't allow anyone to dim her light. She took the criticism from Ace and made sure to ask her future partners about their boundaries. The nurse was intuitive to notice Austin Shephard wasn't honest with her and made the most of the Casa Amor experience. She started with no one choosing her on the first night to have two options when returning to the villa. That's purely from Amaya putting her best foot forward in the face of adversity. She almost sent Olandria Carthen home that night, which is stunning foreshadowing to the finale.
Fans fell in love with Amaya for her positive self-talk song, which was shown in After Sun. They loved her way with words and metaphors. The mailbag episode was truly a test of self-love for the Bronx native. Austin accused her of always crying. "I view it as a strength," she told the cast as she cried at the podium.
Three men accused her of coming on too strong and we still didn't see her question herself, telling them, "I'm not the book that someone should be reading." Bryan gave important cultural context to the conversation. "Coming from a Hispanic household, calling someone, 'babe,' 'mi amor,' 'mi vida,' that’s just how we talk," he said. "You're telling her to meet you halfway. You got to meet her halfway, too."
Bryan is Guatemalan and Puerto Rican, Amaya is Dominican. They are the first Latino couple to win the show and the first people to win without being in the villa on the first day. They are also the first bombshell and Casa boy to win the prize together. The couple closed their relationship in the finale, setting them apart from the other finalists.
Amaya winning is one of the best endings possible for those determined to find the silver lining in a tumultuous season. It's the perfect representation of how fans looked for the positive in a season full of gaming, arguing, and strong couples torn apart. Amaya found a connection by being vulnerable, emotional, and self-aware against all odds — but best of all, she made us laugh and smile. Fans like Amaya, who broke the mold to save their beloved dating show. Hopefully, this is a lesson to future islanders to value being genuine and focusing on their own connections.
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