How Do You Win ‘Love Island USA’? A Breakdown for Everyone New Here
How Do You Win Love Island USA?
· CosmopolitanLove Island USA has a lot of new fans this season (welcome to the best six weeks of the summer), and you might be wondering: How does one actually…win this show?
We’re over halfway through Love Island USA Season 8, and there are already some clear favorites among viewers—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the likeliest contenders for that $100,000 cash prize. Here’s how the end of the show actually works, if you’re new to the Villa!
As you might have noticed, the couples on Love Island USA get to stay on the Island based on a combination of fan votes and Villa votes. Fans definitely have a lot of power when it comes to recoupling, but the Islanders also get to weigh in—like when they decided to send Sol and Gabriel packing.
In short: fans and Islanders determine which couples make it to the finish line, but once we get there? It’s all about we, the people.
On that note…
What Happens After a Couple Wins?
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Once fans vote on their favorite couple, they win and get a cash prize of $100,000. However! The pair get two envelopes (one per person)—an empty one, and one with the money in it. The person who has money in their envelope is then asked if they want to split it equally, or keep it for themselves—aka the ultimate high-stakes relationship test.
What Happened Last Season?
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After America voted to dump Ace and Chelley from the Villa, four couples went into the finale: Nic and Olandria, Amaya and Bryan, Iris and Pepe, and Huda and Chris. Viewers then voted for their favorite Islanders, and Amaya and Bryan won the season—making Love Island USA history as the first Latine couple to win the show, and the first bombshell/Casa Amor Islander couple to win the show.
After they won, Bryan ended up picking the envelope with $100,000 and chose to split it with Amaya.
Has Anyone Ever Kept the Money?
Nope! No one in the history of Love Island USA has betrayed their partner and kept the money. Though, season 5 winner Marco Donatelli considered keeping the prize and doubling it (with plans to eventually split it) when he won with Hannah Wright.
“I wanted to take all 100 and double it, then give her 100. I knew there would be a tax on it. I said it about 10 times, and they cut it out every single time,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer, via People. “But no, I had to split it, but I really did want to take 100 and double it and then give her 100. So, we’re going to rock with just splitting the 50. We’ll double it from here.”
Of course, the real prize for pretty much all the finalists on Love Island USA (including the winners) is a booming social media platform and endorsement opportunities. The most popular cast members can make millions post-show, and even the less popular ones rake in money. Azure Agency founder Kennedy Meehan, who has worked with multiple Love Island USA contestants, told Business Insider (via People) that “Some of our girls, straight out of the villa, are making $20,000 to $30,000 in a month off of, let’s say, five videos. And that’s on the lower end.”