Sparks may have been flying between Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales in the Love Island USA villa, but apparently not in the real world.
The winners of season seven revealed on social media Wednesday that they have called it quits, a little more than a month after the Peacock reality show wrapped earlier this summer.
Espinal, who was notably a fan-favorite Islander throughout the seventh season, wrote on her Instagram Story, “My papayas — Bryan and I are no longer together. After leaving the villa, it became very clear that we were on two different journeys. Our visions didn’t align and relationships are supposed to be a team sport. You don’t have to drink the whole sea to know it’s salty. All love here and I truly wish him the best.”
A few hours later, Arenales shared on his Instagram, “As many of you already know, Amaya and I have decided to go our separate ways. Unfortunately, we were not on the same page and that is okay. We have both gained clarity that we are on different paths right now. I am thankful for the time we have spent together and I wish her nothing but the best moving forward.”
Their split comes shortly after the Aug. 12 taping of the Love Island USA reunion special, though it didn’t air until Monday night. While the couple shared that they were happily still together, Arenales also addressed cheating allegations from fans, saying at the time, “They’re trying to just throw any hate my way, and with the cheating video, the hosting I got paid to be there. I used to bartend back in the day. I had a lapse of judgment and we’ve [he and Amaya] talked about it.”
Espinal and Arenales’ romantic journey on Love Island USA started later in the season, as the latter entered the show as one of the Casa Amor boys. After attempting to explore connections with other Islanders, sparks eventually began to fly between them. Fans also noticed something special between the pair, as they were ultimately named the winners.
After the finale, the couple chatted with The Hollywood Reporter, expressing their gratitude as the first Latino couple to win Love Island USA. “It’s very powerful and for us to be the first Latino couple is extremely meaningful,” Espinal said. “We just want to say thank you to the community for supporting us and being there for us, and you know, que lo que, like we outside.”
