The wait is over! The Love Island USA Season 7 reunion dropped on Peacock on Monday, August 25. The former islanders met up in New York City earlier this month to hash out all the drama with hosts Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen. The cast touched on many of the season’s most controversial moments, including Cierra Ortega’s exit, Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene’s rumored prior relationship, and the much talked about Heart Rate challenge. Some islanders benefited from the gab sesh, using the opportunity to clear up misconceptions and explain their actions. Other islanders weren’t so lucky, emerging from the reunion with a worse reputation than before.
Here are the winners and losers of the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion.
The Love Island USA Season 7 reunion winners
The Season 7 cast showed up to the reunion ready to redeem themselves. And thankfully, some of them performed quite well. They were nice and respectful, which will probably earn them at least a few lucrative brand deals. After all, isn’t that really what it’s all about? Here are our winner picks.
Huda Mustafa
Huda Mustafa went through a rollercoaster of emotions in Season 7. She was the first “villain” of the summer, receiving considerable backlash for her relationship with Jeremiah Brown. The two eventually split, sending Huda into full-on crash out mode. Viewers were quick to criticize her every move, calling her emotionally abusive. Some fans even tried to get her kicked off the show. She stuck around and eventually, viewers began to root for her, especially after she coupled up with Casa Amor bombshell, Chris Seeley.
Huda left the Villa with a lot of fan support, but many of her fellow islanders did not share the same admiration. The odds were stacked against her at the reunion. Chris was still hurt by the breakup, telling Ariana he has no interest in a friendship with Huda. Chelley brought up Huda’s decision to couple up with Chris, saying she felt misled about her intentions.
She took a lot of heat at the reunion, but I think she still emerged a winner. In her conversation with Chris, she appeared sympathetic, whereas he appeared bitter and unwilling to resolve the conflict. After Chelley accused her of lying about her intentions with Chris, Ariana rolled never-before-seen footage of their conversation about him, which cleared Huda’s name completely. She may not be popular among the cast, but the internet seems to have her back.
Hannah Fields
Hannah Fields had a rough go on Love Island. She fell victim to two elimination twists, losing her partner, Charlie Georgiou, in the first and losing her spot in the Villa in the second. She had every reason to come into that reunion mad as hell. But she didn’t. She was sweet, classy, and funny. She even extended well wishes to Pepe Garcia and Iris Kendall, dispelling fan theories she was upset by their recoupling.
Nicolas Vansteenberghe
Nic Vansteenberghe looked so happy to be next to Olandria Carthen on that stage. The two were absolutely giddy together, restoring our faith in love. Also, Nic was able to avoid several uncomfortable conversations because of the show’s decision not to invite Cierra to the reunion. He really dodged a bullet there. Good for him!
The Love Island USA Season 7 reunion losers
While some islanders emerged victorious, others did further damage to their already precarious reputation. Something tells me their social media following will remain stagnant. But hey, what is reality TV without a few villains? Here are our loser picks.
Austin Shepard
If I had to summarize Austin Shepard’s reunion performance in one word it would simply be, “Boo!” The Michigan native was exposed as a liar by his Villa match Jaden Duggar, who shared he misled her about his intentions and lied about going on a date with another woman. If that wasn’t bad enough, he appeared totally unapologetic and didn’t seem to care … at all. Another reunion “highlight” of his was when Andy questioned him about his high body count. He replied by saying his body count “went down” after leaving the Villa because he “forgot” about some of the women he slept with. Cool dude.
Ace Greene
I honestly love Ace and all his shenanigans, but I know that is an unpopular opinion. Most Love Island USA fans find Ace to be cocky and controlling, accusing him of ruling over the Villa like a mad king. The reunion was his chance to apologize for his behavior and earn back viewer support. Instead, he doubled-down and claimed viewers did not understand the purpose of the show. Ok. He used his time to confront his fellow islanders for statements they made about him outside the Villa. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for him to apologize to Amaya Espinal …
Love Island USA is available to stream on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH OUR LIST? WHO DO YOU THINK PERFORMED THE BEST (AND THE WORST) AT THE LOVE ISLAND USA REUNION?
