After ten grueling, celibate months without the crown jewel of televised delusion, Love Island USA—the reality–TV equivalent of Daylight Savings—made its way back to our screens on June 3. Following an agonizing 40 minute delay, the season seven premier aired on Peacock at 9 p.m. EST, and goodness, did it not disappoint. I watched with the sort of fervor usually reserved for breaking news or sports finals. So, in case you’ve been too busy to devote an hour of precious time each night to watch emotionally unavailable strangers rank each other by kiss quality, here’s what you missed on week one.
Episode one begins in true Love Island fashion: a montage of slow–mo walks and a cheesy song–and–dance sequence to introduce each contestant. Ten islanders arrive with names and hometowns; first impressions this season lean surprisingly tame.
Once the islanders settle in and introduce themselves, host and Vanderpump Rules icon Ariana Madix makes her first appearance, ready to kick off the first coupling game. The islanders play Lady Luck: each girl gets to kiss two boys to decide who she’d like to couple up with. But it’s Love Island, so naturally, there’s a twist. After the first girl makes her choice, the rest are free to steal any of the five boys and potentially break up a couple. Viola. The first round of couples are forged in saliva and shaky alliances:
Huda Mustafa and Jeremiah Brown
Chelley Bissainthe and Austin Shepard
Olandria Carthen and Taylor Williams
Nic Vansteenberghe and Belle–A Walker
Ace Greene and Yulissa Escobar
To end the two hour premier, another kissing game is played. The islanders are blindfolded, and if they choose to, they can kiss another islander outside of their couple. Four islanders take the opportunity. Ace, who hasn’t exactly been shy about his interest in Chelley (or anyone, really), kisses her, and she returns the favor. It’s especially juicy, since apparently the two already knew each other outside the villa, though how well remains suspiciously vague. If nothing else, their interaction reads a lot like chemistry. Olandria, unbothered as always, follows up with a kiss for Ace too, and casually admits it to the group like she just borrowed a hoodie. Finally, Nic kisses Olandria. No one seems especially moved. Just when things start to settle, two new bombshells—Charlie Georgiou and Cierra Ortega—walk in and plant a kiss on each islanders lips. Before the episode ends, Ariana reappears to let everyone know that two more are still waiting in the hideaway, because … of course there are.
Wednesday’s episode begins where Tuesdays left off. Each islander is blindfolded (surprise) when Ariana asks who enjoyed their mystery kisses and who would like to know the bombshells better. Several brave hands go up. When the blindfolds come off, Ariana vanishes with her usual cryptic sign–off, and we’re back to speculation. As the islanders investigate to figure out who kissed who, Nic receives the first text of the season, which, naturally, is treated with the urgency of a flash flood warning. It’s from Cierra, and she wants him in the hideaway. Chelley, despite not expressing interest in the hideaways, also gets a text—from Charlie. He invites her to the hideaway anyway.
Both dates are revealing, to say the least. Nic and Cierra click instantly. Meanwhile, Chelley and Charlie have what can only be described as a platonic sleepover. They return to the villa the next morning with that unconvincing, “we had fun!” tone—It’s polite, but it’s also very clear they are not endgame.
Around the same time, narrator Iain Stirling announces that Yulissa has left the villa. The exit came amid resurfaced clips of the contestant using racial slurs. Peacock has yet to comment.
Each bombshell spends their morning chatting up potential suitors. At the end of the episode, Ariana makes another appearance and the islanders gather at the fire pit. She calls the three single islanders—Charlie, Cierra, and Ace—to stand. The others told they can step forward if they’d like to couple up with either, and while Austin, Nic, and Taylor stand for a chance to pair with Cierra, none of the girls join to shoot a shot with Charlie. After a speech and some dramatic shots of the fire pit, Cierra picks Nic. Leaving Belle–A single.
Mixed emotions after the impromptu recoupling leave islanders feeling a bit frazzled. Nic, although happy in his relationship with Cierra, still has lingering feelings for his OG beau, Belle–A. Islanders also notice that Huda and Jeremiah seem to be moving quite fast, even on Love Island time. She’s already opened up to him about being a mom, which he handled graciously, but not without visibly recalibrating. For now, it seems like they’re building something serious.
Later that night, they all join together to play a game of State Your Case, a villa classic designed to force each islander to explain some romantic blunder from their past, as if confessing on a very chaotic dating resume. There’s always a lot that’s revealed. Austin, who continues to surprise everyone with his sheer volume of red flags, reveals that he’s cheated in six relationships, sent over a thousand nude photos, and once slept with four people in one day. Somehow, Chelley still seems moderately into him. Jeremiah also makes waves when his case reveals that he’s told ten different people “I love you.” He shrugs it off—Huda less so.
On Friday, the islanders make their first excursion from the villa to play a game of baseball—but of course, Love Island style. Each girl ranks four boys as her “bases”: fourth base is her top pick, first base is her backup’s backup’s backup. For the most part, it plays out as one would expect. Most of the girls stick with their current couples, using the challenge to toss around some flirtation and a few obligatory kisses. All of this changes though, when the two remaining bombshells Amaya Espinal and Hannah Fields come up to bat. Hannah chooses Charlie, while Amaya, a cardiac nurse, goes straight for Jeremiah. Let’s just say … the pot is stirred. Huda watches from the stands, furious, while the boys cheer on Jeremiah for his pull, or whatever.
Saturdays are for Aftersun: the show’s once–a–week detour into panel commentary and behind–the–scenes clips. It’s a break from the villa, but it’s also a narrative reset, a chance to hint at which couples are in it for the long haul, and which might be one challenge away from ruin.
Sundays however, are for recoupling. This time, the boys have all the power. It’s the first of the season, and going into it, here’s where things stand:
Jeremiah has all eyes on Huda.
Austin, although technically still coupled up with Chelley, has relabeled their connection as “platonic” and is very much exploring things with the new bombshell Amaya.
Ace is single and weighing his options—namely, Chelley and Amaya.
Taylor is loving his slow burn with Olandria. Honestly, good for them.
Charlie is already head over heels for the new bombshell Hannah, despite having tested the waters with Chelley and Belle–A.
Nic is in the toughest spot, torn between bombshell Cierra and his first girl, Belle–A.
This is the first recoupling of the season, but that doesn’t mean there is any less drama. Many viewers spectated on who each boy would pick, and an overwhelming majority thought that Ace would choose to couple up with Chelley and that Nic would choose Belle–A over Cierra. After each boy gave a speech, the new couples reunite by the firepit. Jeremiah and Huda, Taylor and Olandria, Charlie and Hannah, Ace and Amaya, Austin and Chelley, and Nic and Cierra. Sadly, since Belle–A wasn’t chosen by any of the boys, she leaves the villa.
At the start of Monday’s episode, the islanders are still emotionally jet–lagged from Belle–A’s surprise dumping. For a lot of them, it’s the first real reminder that yes, this is a game, and yes, they can actually get sent home. Spirits are shaky but short–lived, because there’s always another date, another game, and another awkward morning debrief. As the new couples begin to reel in the excitement, Huda and Jeremiah—still very much villa mom and dad—are sent on a date. The two spend the day at a private water park, although most of their time is spent deep in conversation. Their chemistry is real, but so is the weight of Huda’s earlier reveal: that she has a four–year–old daughter waiting for her back home. The couple talk about life outside of the villa, including what it might mean for Jeremiah to step into the stepdad role. It’s sweet. It’s also only day eight.
Back at the villa, Ace and Amaya begin to clash over boundaries—Ace wants to keep it casual, she’d rather not. Meanwhile, Cierra confronts Nic about his conveniently–timed smooch with Belle–A in Soul Ties, which, to recap, happened right before he made out with Cierra in the photo booth. Yikes. Taylor and Olandria share their first kiss, also in the photo booth.
The first half of Tuesday's episode was all about the love triangle, or should I say, love “square” between Chelley, Ace, Austin, and Amaya. Ace plans a mini yoga date with Chelley after breakfast, but his plans are quickly spoiled when Amaya pulls Chelley aside to warn her about “player vibes.” She’s not wrong. Austin, ever the opportunist, uses the drama as an opportunity to make his move on Chelley.
Later that night, the islanders play “Pucker or Pie,” which is exactly what it sounds like: each islander reads a question and answers with who they think fits the bill, then flip a coin and either kiss or pie them. The game is messy in more ways than one, and it’s here that we see the first seeds of doubt in Jeremiah regarding his relationship with Huda. Other notable moments include Nic and Austin sharing a smooch.
After only a week, things are starting to heat up in the villa, and the fans have a lot to say. Huda and Jeremiah are on their third emotional cycle, Nic is walking a tightrope, and Ace, for all his forehead kisses and charm, seems the most committed to keeping his options open. It’s anyone’s guess who will stay strong, who will stray, and who will find themselves single and suitcase–in–hand before Friday.
