Islanders
‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 Winners Reveal What They’re Doing With Their Prize Money
Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales are looking to spread some love IRL with their Love Island USA Season 7 cash prize.
The couple took home $100,000 after being crowned as the latest Love Island USA winners during the Peacock series’ Sunday, July 13, finale. In their first interview together, Espinal and Arenales revealed what they’re planning to do with their cash prize.
“We both want to invest it, but we also want to put it [towards] charity,” Arenales revealed on the Tuesday, July 15, episode of Today. “I know she wants to do a Thanksgiving drive, and I definitely want to donate some to mental health awareness.”
Arenales emphasized that mental health awareness is something that’s “extremely important” to him, explaining, “I struggled with it as a kid growing up, so I just want to help kids face their emotions and know how to deal with them.”
The fan favorites also assured fans that their romance is real by holding hands throughout the entirety of their interview. “We’ve been like this since we sat down in these chairs, so I don’t think you could really fake that,” Arenales gushed. “Honestly, I’m so happy to be here with her. And trust me, it’s real.”
Espinal, for her part, joked, “I’m also a bad actress and a bad liar, so I think people would be able to catch on quickly if this is all [fake]. I’m like, ‘I need Botox after this. He makes me smile too much.’”
Season 7 of the reality dating series marked one of the show’s biggest seasons yet, spawning several social media memes and sparking numerous online discussions. Espinal and Arenales, however, haven’t fully grasped just how popular the show has become off the island.
“We’re still trying to digest it in a way,” Espinal said to Today‘s Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist, while Arenales added, “I think we haven’t realized how big it is yet. Our first calls were to our families, and then we haven’t really checked anything out, other than that. So, [we’re] just catching up.”
While the couple appreciates all the love they’ve received from fans, Arenales said their support for each other is “the most important thing.”
Reflecting on the pair’s Love Island USA journey, Geist asked Arenales what it was about Espinal that caught his eye. “Other than the looks, obviously, and the nice eyes, I remember there was a challenge where they were kind of trying to dim her light a little bit,” he recalled. “And the stuff that they were saying are pros to me, what I’m looking for in my life. And I was like, ‘Let’s see where it goes.’ And here we are now, and I’m super happy to be here with her.”
Arenales continued, “Honestly, we started off as friends. I think that was the best start we could do. I remember there was another dumping where the two people I was currently talking to left and I was sleeping alone, so I thought I was on my way out. And we had a conversation as friends where we really wanted to explore each other, and [it] changed ever since that chat, pretty much.”
Love Island USA, Season 7 Reunion, Monday, August 25, 9/8c, Peacock
