“Love Island USA” Season 7 has come to a close, and America’s sweetheart Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales finished as one of the villa’s strongest couples.
But the pair didn’t only win one another’s hearts: America voted for the couple to win “Love Island USA,” and Bryan chose to split the $100,000 cash prize with Amaya in the end.
Amaya, a 25-year-old nurse from New York, and Bryan, a 28-year-old financial accountant, bartender and realtor from Boston, were a late-blooming couple on “Love Island USA” Season 7, with their romance taking off in the latter half of the season.
Though viewers quickly caught on to Amaya’s pure heart and genuine personality, the men of “Love Island USA” Season 7 often gave her a hard time for her emotional and outgoing nature. But late into the season, she found the person she called her “prince” in Bryan.
Here’s everything you need to know about Amaya and Bryan’s villa romance and whether they’re still going strong today.
What happened between Amaya and Bryan on ‘Love Island USA’?
Amaya’s journey to find love in Fiji was far from straightforward.
Entering the villa as a bombshell on Episode 4 alongside Hannah Fields, Amaya originally coupled up with Ace Greene.
While there seemed to be a spark between the pair at first, Ace quickly switched up on Amaya, citing her usage of nicknames (particularly “babe”) and physical touch as too much, too soon.
From there, Amaya found more connections and obstacles. She coupled up with Austin Shepard on Episode 14, but he, like Ace, began to distance himself from Amaya.
The couple split up when Casa Amor happened on Episode 19, leaving them both single and open to exploring new connections.
Bryan came into the show as a bombshell in Casa Amor, the biggest relationship test of every “Love Island” season. This is where either the men or the women from the main villa are secretly whisked away to a second villa nearby, where they get to meet a group of other singles hoping to find love in Fiji.
In Casa Amor, Bryan quickly hit it off with Andreina. Amaya, meanwhile, was striking up a connection with Zak Srakaew, who also came into the show during Casa Amor. They ultimately coupled up and remained a couple as they went back to the main villa.
However, Zak blindsided Amaya during the “Stand on Business” challenge and gang up on her alongside Austin and Ace, which led to Amaya exploring new connections and hitting it off with Bryan.
Wait, what happened during the ‘Stand on Business’ challenge?
During the “Stand on Business” challenge in Episode 26, Amaya was confronted by all three men she had previously been coupled up with: Ace, Austin and Zak.
As Amaya stood in front of her peers, she read cards that had been written about her — specifically about her emotions and how she expressed herself in her relationships.
“You cry more than needed. You try to move to fast for everyone,” Austin wrote on a card that Amaya had to read in front of the entire villa.
“God forbid I’m a sensitive gangsta,” Amaya replied (a phrase that became one of her signature one-liners).
“I would just have to say that many people could view this as a weakness, but to me personally, after everything I’ve been through in my life, I view it as a strength,” she continued. “So if you guys view it like that, then guess what. I’m just not your cup of tea to be drinking, so don’t f—— drink it.”
Austin admitted to writing the card, explaining that after they initially coupled up, “the intensity of your emotions and feelings and wants just felt like they built way up.”
Ace and Zak decided to join Austin and gang up on Amaya in front of everyone. But what could have been Amaya’s lowest point in the villa actually became a silver lining, as this is where her and Bryan’s story began.
“One thing I got to add though,” Bryan interjected that night. “Coming from a Hispanic household, calling someone ‘Babe,’ ‘Mi amor,’ ‘Mi vida,’ that’s just how we talk. You’re telling her meet you halfway, you got to meet her halfway, too.”
The following day, Amaya and Bryan had a chat and started to get to know one another. Bryan not only understood Amaya, but he loved the way she expressed herself.
The pair coupled up on Episode 30, and America eventually voted to send them to the Season 7 finale. Viewers got to see their final date and declarations of love, the loving speeches all the final couples give to one another right before the winners are announced.
During their first and final date, Amaya expressed her appreciation for Bryan, especially for how he spoke on her behalf during the “Stand on Business” challenge.
“Babe, you don’t understand how much it meant, that moment, like of you standing up for me in the Stand on Business,” she told him. “You know, like, if my light is too bright for somebody, wear sunglasses or something.”
“But with you, you looked right into the sun, you know?” she continued.
Bryan “popped the question,” as Amaya put it in her confessional later in the episode, to continue dating exclusively each other when they leave Fiji.
“I just wanted to talk to you and just basically let you know how much I care about you and how much you mean to me here,” he said.
“And I love your energy, I love when you get the zoomies … Just making everybody’s day better. Fine as hell … I definitely wanted to leave here letting you know that I want to make stuff exclusive with us and prioritize us. I want to continue taking the right steps with you and attacking the outside world with you.”
Are Amaya and Bryan still together now?
As of now, Amaya and Bryan are still together and committed to making their relationship work outside the villa.
In a post-finale interview with Ariana, the pair gushed over their win, discussed their plans for their winnings and talked Amaya’s viral moments. They did not talk about the future of their relationship.
Since the finale, the final four couples have since traveled back to the U.S. from Fiji, as revealed in some fan videos on TikTok.
Fans eager to learn more about how Amaya and Bryan’s romance is progressing won’t have to wait long, as the “Love Island USA” Season 7 reunion will air on Aug. 25.
