Across the nation, viewers have been patiently waiting for the popular show “Love Island” to release the end of the season reunion. A new season releases every summer, where contestants are flown out to Fiji to try and find love. After the show is over, and the winners are announced, fans are left anxiously waiting for the reunion to catch up on the couples.
This season, like most of them, was filled with drama and heartbreak; however, this year many fans complained about artificial love. It seemed like contestants were coupling up with people they didn’t actually find attractive just to play the game which was apparent in the reunion.
The final four couples started off by explaining where they stood with their connections. Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe, Jose “Pepe” Garcia-Gonzalez and Iris Kendall and the winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were the finalists for the season. When the reunion was filmed, all couples were still together besides Mustafa and Seeley, who ended their relationship on the final episode. As of today, Kendall and Garcia-Gonzalez and Espinal and Arenales are no longer in a relationship. This has caused many people to want another reunion for more explanations.
Unseen footage was shown throughout the episode where people could see the truth of what happened in the villa. Fans agreed that Chelley Bissainthe was the “mean girl” of the season. At first, she was loved, but as the season went on it was clear she would get mad at small things when it was just a part of the game. She would make faces when Mustafa would talk, and wouldn’t hear anyone else’s side of the story.
Chelley was coupled with Allen “Ace” Greene throughout the season, but also explored other connections. Greene received hate this season for the way he acted as a “leader.” Many felt he had “minions” this season as he would share his opinions and expect everyone to follow them. This caused many people who were in strong connections to be sent home because Greene didn’t like how they were acting.
When an islander is voted off, they are often included in podcasts and posts about their time on the show. Islander Courtney “Coco“ Watson who was a Casa girl, a girl introduced during the “Casa Amor” twist to test the relationships, went on a podcast talking about Carthen. This was talked about during the reunion because of Taylor Williams choosing Clarke Carraway over Carthen during a recoupling. Carthen explains how she felt about hearing herself being talked about in a negative way, and how she doesn’t have negative feelings towards Williams or Carraway. Carthen is coupled up with Vansteenberghe, which many people feel is for show and brand deals, but the couple explains they truly like each other, and as of now, are the only finalists still together.
This season had lots of ups and downs, and one reunion is never enough to unfold all that happened in the villa and after they leave. Fans are always left wanting more, but for me, I feel this season was not the same as the others. They changed the way some of the challenges were, and how Casa is played which I didn’t think was a positive change. I wish this season was less about friendship, and more about finding a genuine connection. The reunion didn’t really show all that happened throughout the season, and many can agree there are still more questions waiting to be answered. If you love a show with lots of drama and heartbreak, Love Island is definitely the way to go. Season eight, releasing next summer, will hopefully be able to make up for the chaos of season seven
