In the Love Island USA finale on Peacock Sunday night, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales emerged as the winners, earning the $100,000 prize after surviving weeks of viewer votes and earning fan-favorite status.
Season 7 delivered so many surprises. From Yulissa Escobar’s dismissal after damaging footage of her using racial slurs came out to bombshell Cierra Ortega’s exit following a similar issue (a social media post with a racial slur), the season had tons of drama both onscreen and offscreen. It’s no surprise, then, that the finale was jam-packed with similarly dramatic developments.
Here’s a look at the five best moments from the Love Island season 7 finale.
1. Olandria Knew Nic Kissed Hear On Love Island Episode 1
Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen were one of the remaining final four couples, but Carthen had coupled with Taylor Williams on the first day at the Villa. During the finale, though, it became clear that there were already some sparks between Vansteenberghe and Carthen. He admitted to kissing her when she was blindfolded during a challenge on episode one—and she then admitted that she knew who she’d been kissing (blame the beard).
2. Huda And Chris Break Up On Love Island Finale
This perhaps wasn’t that hard to predict in hindsight, considering Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley had already shown some lingering tension between them. But on their first official date, the two discovered that they had differing feelings on public displays of affection and had trouble communicating. Mustafa finally said they would be better as friends, ending their connection.
3. Bryan Celebrates Everything He Loves About Love Island Fan Fave Amaya
Amaya Espinal became a fan-favorite cast member (dubbed Amaya Papaya online) for her sweet personality and occasional mispronunciations of words. After their formal date in the finale, Arenales leaned into her personality and told her that he loved her “zoomies” and the way she offered him a safe space. The sincerity of the moment stood out.
4. The Love Island Finalists Show Off Their Black-Tie Attire
The final date of the season is a formal affair—all four of the couples get dressed to impress before heading out on their last dates and sharing their final reflections. After seeing them in bathing suits for most of the season, it’s fun to see the couples take things to another level and see how their formal styles match up.
5. Amaya And Bryan Announced As Love Island Winners
Viewers’ adoration of Espinal and her spark with Arenales during the second half of the season made this one a no-brainer—and Espinal made it even more memorable as she took a final run around the courtyard, celebrating the victory with another case of the zoomies.
Of course, it will be another few weeks before it’s clear whether the final remaining couples stayed together. Peacock announced that Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen will host the Love Island USA reunion on August 25 at 9 p.m. ET. It will include winners, other contestants and bombshells, who offer a post-villa look at their lives. And Love Island: Beyond the Villa is already available to stream.