These last two weeks of Love Island USA have been a whirlwind, and just as quickly as the summer began, it has now come to an end. If you’ve relied on these articles to get your scoop, catch up on episodes you missed, or just enjoyed the brief recaps to keep in the loop, gear up, because this one is wild.
Starting Thursday, for the first time ever, movie night continues with its second act—this time with even more chaos. First, a montage of Parmida and Corbin in Casa Amor shows just how unfaithful he’s been to Kenzie. Next, side–by–side clips of Kenzie talking to both Corbin and Caleb pre–Casa Amor are shown, and, honestly, it doesn’t look great. The final clips, though, make the first two look like nothing. For what feels like hours, the last clip of movie night is a compilation of every lie Sincere has told to Melanie in the first four weeks in the villa. After biting her tongue for most of the night, Melanie’s finally had enough, and all hell breaks loose as she reams him out for all of the islanders to see.
In the aftermath of movie night, everyone’s on edge. Kenzie and Dylan’s connection turns precarious as he begins to have doubts about her faithfulness; Aniya and KC seem to have lost all hope of being cordial with each other; and Melanie has just about given up on Sincere and begins sleeping in Soul Ties again.
As everyone begins to recover from movie night on Friday, Ariana Madix returns to the villa to shake things up yet again. The boys have most of the day to prepare for a recoupling that will occur later that night, and, for the most part, their decisions are pretty straightforward—except for Gal’s. He’s recently broken things off with Jen, is slightly interested in Amora, and has shared a few chats and even a kiss with Kenzie, so his decision will ultimately send a girl home by the end of the night. After the recoupling, here’s where things stand:
Bryce and Trinity
Zach and Kayda
Corbin and Parmida
Dylan and Kenzie
Carl and Aniya
Sincere and Melanie
Caleb and Jaiden
And Gal chooses to couple with Amora, meaning Jen is dumped from the island.
A recoupling isn’t the only thing Ariana has up her sleeve, though. Straight after the recoupling, Ariana has each new couple reveal who they think are the two least compatible couples. The two couples with the most votes will also be dumped from the island. Couples like Trinity and Bryce, Zach and Kayda, and Carl and Aniya are safe, while most of the other couples receive at least one or two votes. Ultimately, Gal and Amora and Caleb and Jaiden receive the most votes, meaning their time has also run out, and they are sent home. As Friday’s episode ends, America also gets to vote on who they think is the least compatible couple.
On Sunday, my personal favorite challenge takes place. Each couple spends the day preparing and rehearsing for a night of karaoke. Each couple takes their turn giving us the song and dance of a lifetime, and while some shine bright, others certainly fall flat. It was hilarious.
Some were so bad that people took to the internet to say they had to skip through. Ultimately, Kenzie and Dylan won the hearts and ears of their fellow islanders, crowning them karaoke king and queen. Other showstoppers of the night included Trinity and Bryce’s rendition of “No Air” by Jordin Sparks, as well as Melanie and Sincere’s performance of “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease. As the islanders ride the high of their karaoke night, Ariana reveals some bad news: America’s vote. The three couples deemed least compatible are Kenzie and Dylan, Parmida and Corbin, and shockingly, Kayda and Zach. Since Kenzie and Dylan won the challenge, though, they are safe from elimination. The rest of the safe couples then have to stand by the pair they want to save. With only one savior vote from KC and Tierra, Corbin and Parmida are the next to say goodbye and leave the villa.
Monday’s episode feels a lot like filler, but there are some moments worth recognizing. Throughout the entire episode, the girls are on a “secret mission” to get the boys to do tasks for them. Ultimately they end up winning, but there’s not a prize for them. Kenzie and Dylan struggle to resolve their issues of trust, while Kayda and Zach become “exclusive.” They’ve decided that they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but they’re not seeing other people, which to lots of viewers—and even some of their fellow islanders—is just a situationship. Melanie and Sincere are also given a night in the hideaway, where they begin to repair some of the deep cracks in their relationship.
The next episode opens with Aniya getting a text, which viewers can only be led to assume is at four in the morning, telling her to wake up the rest of the girls and get ready to leave the villa. As all the girls are stripped from their beds and Melanie is snuck out of the hideaway, they are brought to an enormous Fijian water park. As the girls spend the day having fun and chatting about the state of their friendships and connections, the boys are left alone in the villa. KC rounds up the boys to have them set up a scavenger hunt for Tierra when she returns, where he ultimately plans to ask her to be his girlfriend.
Once the girls return from the water park, Tierra is sent up, down, and around the villa looking for clues, and eventually she accepts KC’s proposal—making them our second (or third, if you count Kayda and Zach’s “exclusivity”) official couple of the season. Kenzie and Dylan also finally have a productive chat about their problems, leaving them in a good spot as a couple. Tuesday’s episode ends with the second–to–last vote of the season—the vote to decide the final four—which will be revealed on Friday.
Thursday brings lots of joy, as the impending doom of the finale looms over all of the islanders. Each couple has two family members come to the villa to get to know their partners, and for the most part, this episode is totally wholesome. Carl and Aniya’s moms get to share their love for each other; Kenzie has a heart–to–heart with Dylan’s mom; and Bryce’s grandmother totally steals the show, begging the producers to let them spend a night in the hideaway. The most heartbreaking moment of the episode, though, is between Melanie, her mom, and her sister. Obviously, they don’t approve of her relationship with Sincere, and they both give her advice that every woman should hear. As family day wraps up, tears are shed and the islanders head to sleep, with just a few days left in the villa.
On Friday, after one final challenge of green slime and gross food innuendos, the final six couples sit at a long table and reminisce on a summer of love triangles, sneaky kisses, and friendships made. At the end of dinner, each couple cracks open a fortune cookie that will tell them their fate: have they been chosen for the final four, or are they being sent home? After each cookie is cracked, the final four is as follows:
Aniya and Carl
Trinity and Bryce
Melanie and Sincere
and Kayda and Zach
This means that Kenzie and Dylan, and Tierra and KC, have to pack their bags and head home.
The final episode is a whopping two hours long, and is filled with tons of sweet moments. First, each couple is sent from the villa onto their final date. Melanie and Sincere are swept away to a private ocean cabana where Sincere gives Melanie a sensual massage and they make heart–shaped pizzas for each other. Kayda and Zach definitely have the worst date, though. They’re taken away on a bright red speedboat to what looks like the side of a mountain where they’re fed day–old hoagies. The date is beyond subpar, and Zach only makes it worse by reaffirming that he does not love Kayda, and that he is content just being “exclusive” and nothing more.
The best date definitely goes to Carl and Aniya. With artisanal desserts, enchanted forest decor, and a storybook recounting their love story, the budget for Zach and Kayda totally went to funding their date. Finally, Bryce and Trinity get taken to a candle lit dinner, and Bryce brings out the big guns, saying “I love you” to Trinity. She says it back, and it’s possibly the sweetest moment of the whole season.
After a restful night’s sleep and a restorative spa day for the girls, Ariana enters the villa for one final time to announce the winners of Season 8 of Love Island USA. In last place, shockingly, is Kayda and Zach, with Melanie and Sincere making it to third. Of course, before Ariana can announce who won this season, there are a million close–ups, wide–shots, and zoom–ins to add suspense that absolutely nobody asked for. Finally, Trinity and Bryce are crowned this season’s winners.
The final four celebrate by jumping in the pool and watching fireworks over the villa. This summer was full of ups, downs, and in–betweens, and although it’s sad to see it go, there is a bit of relief in knowing that our nights have opened up once again. See you next summer!
