Episode 16 - The Tea on Love Island USA: Friendships, Flags & Fakeouts on Season 7

Welcome back to Andi & Mich, the podcast where two sisters, two generations, and way too many opinions come together to unpack life, love, and reality TV chaos.

In this hot take episode, we deep dive into Love Island USA Season 7—aka Make Out Island. We're breaking down:

• The spit-swapping spectacle (seriously, where’s the mouthwash?)
• Performative relationships vs. genuine connections
• Bro code bromances and when “girl code” becomes mean girl behavior
• Tribe mentality, cultural bias, and the unspoken judgment of single moms
• The real MVPs, red flags, and what this show says about Gen Z + modern love

From friendship dynamics and over-produced chaos to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) moments of misogyny and racial bias, we’re spilling all the tea—affectionately, passionately, and with a side of iced green tea.

💥 Whether you’re here for the pop culture commentary, cultural analysis, or the sisterly laughs—this episode delivers. Because let’s be honest, some of y’all are moving like you’re in a villa…and it’s showing.

🎧 Grab your cafecito and tune in—then hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!

#LoveIslandUSA #RealityTV #GirlCode #BroCode #LoveIslandSeason7 #RealityCheck #AndiAndMich #LatinaPodcasters #PodcastClips #ModernDating #SpitSwapCulture #FriendshipPolitics #CulturalBias #WomenInPodcasting #LoveIslandRecap #TVTea

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-Andi and Mich

The Andi and Mich Podcast: Two Sisters, Two Generations, Unique Perspectives, Lots of Laughs

Transcript

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Welcome back to Andy and Mitch, the podcast where two sisters, two generations, and way too many feelings come together to talk about life, love, and the absolute madness of modern reality tv. And today we are taking you straight to the villa. That's right, Love Island USA Season 7. And let's just say there was so much tongue, not enough emotional depth or mouthwash for that matter. We're talking about everything from the performative romance and kiss, counting, chaos to the friendship, politics, bro code loyalty, and when girl code turns into low key bullying. Plus we've got thoughts on cultural bias, tribe behavior, and why some contestants get overlooked no matter how real they actually are. So grab your cafecito or your iced green tea and let's dive in. Love island, season seven, first of all, why is it a thousand episodes? it was longer than Lord of the Rings. It was so long, that's 36 hours. I mean, I get they're recording 24/7, but like, is that necessary? Do I have to give up a quarter of my life to watch this show? Number two, can we talk about how everyone was like making out, like the amount of spit swapping that happens, like right out the gate just blew my mind. It definitely set the tone for what was in store but even that didn't prepare me. The other part of that is like, where was the mouthwash? I hope somebody sole responsibility is to give them mouthwash. Also like, do they even realize that they're just all kissing each other? They're getting everybody's saliva in their mouth. I feel like anybody that's like into biology is like, this is the grossest thing I've ever seen because of the amount of DNA that's being passed. It was a lot, it was over the top. We only watched this season because it's been like popping off, like everybody's been talking about it. And even online, right? Like how this has been like the best season of Love Island USA so far. So I'm like, okay, let's see what this is all about and then I saw that happening like in the first episode and I was like, okay. And number one, I understand why people are all into it. It just really should be called Make Out Island because I don't think there's a whole lot of love in this show. I mean at least some of these other shows, there's like an introductory period, where like people are kind of getting to know each other before it maybe gets a little crazy but they just fool on through these kids into chaos. It's like, hey what's your biggest fear in a relationship? Que full on make out session with 20 people. It's 100%. There's a huge difference between like chemistry, like physical attraction and this season was giving like shallow end of the pool. What was your initial like thought when you first watched the show? I had some interns that were obsessed with Love Island. They would always talk about it and I'd never sat down to watch it, I had no interest. And then we decided to do this episode, so sitting down and watching it, and then remembering all the conversations that they had about it, I was like, got it. Would you have gone on a show like this, I mean, they're all twenties. It's not for me, I don't think I ever had that phase. I definitely think I would never have gone on that show, if I had seen what the season entailed. The cluster make out sessions and stuff, like, that's not for me but I don't shame anyone or I don't have any negative feelings about people that do go on that stuff. It's like people giving themselves the permission to explore. So it's almost like your twenties condensed, like all the years of your twenties condensed into two months. Because it's like they got a free pass to just act wild and crazy'cause it's on TV and that's what's being asked of them. Which is kind of crazy when you think about it. That, season got 18.4 billion minutes of views. It's like peacock's most watched original season ever. 18.4 billion minutes, over 54 million social media interactions and their TikTok grew up to 232%. Really? Like, that's why I was like, what's the deal? Why is this such a big deal? Why did it blow up? Cause they were saying a lot during the show, like, oh, this is new or for the first time ever. It was also the first, Latino couple to win Love Island USA in all of the seasons so far. Oh, wow. That's pretty cool. It's interesting because it's like a quote unquote love dating show. Where they're trying to find love, and I think it's defined in all the wrong ways for this show, but it really is also a competition, right? This is a game, it had like very much game show attributes to it. Yes. And it does have a, a prize at the end too. It's like a cash prize. When I was thinking about it, I started really trying to like challenge myself, okay, why would 20 year olds love this? There's a lot of social implications. It's very freeing to them probably to see stuff like this, because I was reading some statistics about like the younger generations are really conservative compared to the older generations. And so this is kind of like a shock and awe for them. And then the other element that blew my mind was this concept that it does give them the opportunity to explore beyond socially structured or acceptable norms and outside of their own culture. In a way that. Is hyper explorative, right, they're like Dora, exploring the shit out of them. Because it's normalized on the show and that's like the con the concept going into it. They all have this like understanding like, we're going into this, we're being open-minded and we're just trying new things. And so they created such a strong bond, the original villa and I think it was because they had created a community within themselves that allowed themselves to explore without being demonized or shunned. That's really fascinating the, that like younger generations are more conservative. Yeah, so in hookup culture, gen Z is having less frequent sex averaging three times per month lower than millennials, and showing less participation in one night stands overall reporting 23% are open to casual hookups while 62% say they and their peers typically avoid them. Though, nearly 48% of Gen Z teens consider casual sex about 65 say, sex should occur when in committed relationships with roughly 40% reporting low or no interest in sex at all. Yeah. I mean, it makes sense be to me in some ways because of, technology and the culture that that drives. Where we've talked about before, like people aren't spending time together the way that they used to they're not forming those connections. And 52 to 63% are open to non-traditional arrangements. So that is where they are more explorative. Most lean toward monogamy and emotional alignment rather than casual or polyamorous setups, but they are more open to non-traditional arrangements. I mean it was shock and awe for me. Also, the language, it's definitely geared toward younger generations. I will say that it's definitely geared toward baby millennials and gen Zs, right? Because the language they were using, I was like, I need a social language dictionary. They all were using similar slang terms and different things That I was like, I, I felt very educated by the end of this series. And some of the things that they would say to describe things like the cap. No cap. No cap. Stand on your business. The cap. Crashing out. I feel like in my generation we used crashing, like, I'm gonna crash out. But it meant something different. Like, I'm gonna go to sleep. Yeah. Like I'm spent When I first started watching it, I think I really felt like one, it was very performative I felt like majority, if not all of them were there because they want screen time. And they're really interested in like, making a name for themselves or seeing what op other opportunities can come from being on a show like this, which does happen for a lot of these folks. Their host Ariana, she's from Vanderpump Rules, she's a OG reality TV girl. Some people could see this as an opportunity for a career. Yes to advance their careers or try to make it or get other job opportunities because I do think with the younger generations, you know, social media or reality TV is an avenue that they see as a very viable opportunity. How do you feel about the pressure that was applied for people who needed to appear bonded in order for them to get more time on screen? I will say, as much as I love Nick, I really felt that with him because I genuinely was like, oh, I like him as like a person, right? Like he has a cool little vibe to him. He's like, seems really down to earth. He did seem to really want to explore everything. All the time. And he was cute, attractive for a young, for a youngin. He kind of reminded me of like a young James Marsden. He very much had that vibe. Yeah. I think he was like a model too or something. No, nick was a nurse. Oh yeah nick is a nurse, but he's, you know what's weird is later in the season he talks about modeling. I'm sure he probably did model at some point. That's why he had that like very charismatic, caring, nurturing kind of tendency, I feel like,'cause of his profession. But Amaya was also a nurse. Amaya, but she felt like a nurse though. We'll talk about her in a minute'cause I actually really liked Amaya, but. I do too. We'll talk about the controversy. I felt that with Nick. I did feel that definitely with Austin. Again with the men I felt like on, they were genuinely trying to explore but they also wanted to get as far as possible there was two motives there. And like, it was pretty clear and I couldn't really pick up too much outside of Huda for the women that that was the case, maybe Iris. That they were more focused on playing the game than just finding quote unquote love or a connection. Yeah. Actually, I think Iris kind of too, because she had such a strong connection with TJ and then she kind of was like, yeah, I could explore Pepe, but it was pretty clear that she was like, I don't really like him. There's signs that we do physiologically when we don't necessarily like someone, or we're not really attracted to them. And one of them is the piercing of the lips. But, okay, i'm gonna say something really controversial. She had lip fillers, so she can't stop pursing her lips. Like they're permanently, like, she could barely move her face around. No, don't be mean. It wasn't just her, a lot of other girls had the same thing. Ciera got let go, she also has Botox lip filler. Are you sure? Yeah. It was a post that she was posting about getting injections that got her kicked off the show. The one from Utah. She had all, they remind me of Secret Lives of Marmon wives because they're all young too, she had a boatload of plastic, plastic surgery and like fillers and injections. It breaks my heart because listen your youth is the time to not do that. That's the time for you to enjoy the beauty that you naturally have and then when you get old, like me, you start exploring other options. If you, if you do it too soon, you're gonna screw yourself over you're gonna look older faster. It's a generational thing too.'cause this, these younger generations are really big on doing it like immediately. I have a theory too. And even the boys, because I question, TJ. Oh, did he have Botox? He was from Florida. He looked like he had something work done on his face. He just looked like he had no emotion to me. For real? They were like, oh, he looks like, Leonardo DiCaprio and I was like leonardo DiCaprio also looks like he has no emotion. He also dates like 12 year olds all the time and he's like a 57-year-old man. Anyway, back to the point. No hate, no shade, just love. I'm gonna say that for now when I say controversial things. The intimacy as currency in game format was kind of crazy too. Yeah, I think that's what threw me off'cause I think it made me feel confused of what kind of show am I watching? What am I paying attention to? They know it's a game, so they're all gonna play each other to try to get ahead. And then what stood out to me more was not so much the relationship connections but the friendship connections that they were making. And I wonder if that was just a way for them to kind of protect themselves so that they could connect with people but also still play the game. You know what I mean? It also felt like okay, like some diabolical producers'cause they do some diabolical shit to them in the show. We're like, hey, let's just try everything because every time they would meet up for a challenge or something, it was always a different approach to it. Yeah. And the way they were eliminating them was different. And then they started having them eliminate each other, and that was cold. I was like, holy cow. I'm gonna say something that's kind of controversial, but I truly believe this is that whoever is the show runner or producers were big fans of Squid Game. Oh, is that the it gave you? I've never seen Squid Game. Yes that's the vibe it gives me but Squid Game ends with murder, no one got killed on love island. But it felt like that, where they make them kind of question themselves, turn against each other, they're basically baiting and creating a perfect setting for tension and trouble. And I will give credit where credit's due, this cast definitely did a good job of mitigating that because they could be, they could have been way more reactive. Mm-hmm. And really the only times that we saw some significant reactions was between, you know, Huda and that situation with Jeremiah. And then, Olandria and Taylor but outside of that, most of like any kind of negative tension was not broadcasted in the editing. Yeah. For the most part, they did really well as a cast, navigating the kind of intentional turmoil. You're trying to walk the line between like being yourself, but like also performing to be likable, have a certain kind of experience here or whatnot. By the first, second week you gotta be exhausted. They also had them on a schedule, so they'd wake'em up at a certain time. Send them to sleep at a certain time. Like this was such a controlled environment. That was very experimental and that does something to your psyche. I feel like once they're out of there, they're probably watching it back, like an actor would watch a movie. Not even that they were acting, but like, it would be a similar kind of experience because like you said, it was very controlled and intentional environment that they put them in and you really don't know how you're gonna react to that until you're in it. And so it's likely that the people that we saw on screen are very specific versions of these people. Probably a little bit more likable. They came off fairly likable. When they first started Uhhuh, who do you think were drawn to each other because they had genuine vibes? Shelly seemed to have really genuine intentions for Ace. Huda actually seemed to have genuine intentions for Jeremiah, they were just both not a good fit. It was very toxic. He was love bombing her hard. Yeah. And I do think he was playing the game. it was interesting because I don't think he knows he's a manipulator. I think he genuinely thought he was being genuine but then once he recoupled, I was like, oh, okay, so this is your M.O. Even like when he was explaining, when they were sharing their numbers. It became clear like, oh, you've told a lot of people that you love them. It was a red flag for the boys, I was surprised with that. I think Olandria was probably one of the more genuine people on the show. She probably was the most I would say genuine. I would also say Ace was pretty much himself the entire time. ACE is a big softie and he was trying to be too cool and too hard in the beginning, but he was pretty consistent. Like everything that he said was consistent. He didn't really change what his thoughts were, or his approach to things. So he didn't feel like manipulative. Olandria was definitely being herself but she was very guarded. Oh dude. When she went off, I was like, this girl has been played. Yeah, she was really hurt. Because she's such a genuine person, you know that that was like deep pain that came out. Dude, for sure because you never know, like you're gonna get triggered. You can get triggered by something in the present and then all the feelings from the past come with that. Especially if it hasn't been dealt with, you know? Yeah. I also wonder like, did you feel like the show was overproduced?'cause in some parts I felt like how much of this is the producer's? Planting seeds, manipulating the engagement versus how much of it is actually just organically happening and it is what they're capturing on the cameras. It's a combination to some degree, there was obviously production that went behind it. For the challenges hyper produced. Like they told them make out hard with everybody, borderline stripper. Just to get those camera angles, you have to be very instructional with people and there's multiple cameras the lighting, so that was super hyper produced. When you go to the villa stuff, maybe they were pulling people aside and letting them know certain things. Prompting them to go talk with somebody or. I think editing goes a really long way, like you can change an entire narrative with editing. Yeah. I felt a lot of the time they were just like laying around all day and then also why was nobody ever in the swimming pool? Like rarely. Was anybody ever in the swimming pool? It was like they jumped in because of some celebration or being goofy, but it was like a thousand degrees I'm certain and they're just lounging around because it's hot and uncomfortable and they're forced to be outside all day. Yeah, there's a funny, satire show where this comedian he does a love island skit and he gets kicked off the island'cause he won't stop using the zip line to jump into the swimming pool. And she's like, I don't even think you're here to find love. I think you're here just to use a zip line and this shows multiple times as he zip lines into the pool. It's the funniest shit ever. Like behind people and stuff. I definitely think it was a lot of heavy editing. I also think they didn't want them in the pool because, you know, people don't look as camera ready. That's where maybe production kind of stepped in. Which would suck like, you're in Fiji, it's hot as hell. Alright, let's talk about the bromance. This is when I started to realize that the friendship dynamic became a very big highlight in this season and that might also be why people were really drawn to it because we've talked about this before, right? The loneliness epidemic, I should say, is real, you don't often get to see people actually trying to bond with each other and create friendships. Because that became like another layer that almost became more interesting than the romance parts. Yeah. But the romances were so interesting. Especially for the first group. And you can see how much they became bonded, both the girls and the boys as they brought new people in later, there was the one, the one episode where they thought Nick was getting kicked off and they started bawling. And one thing that my partner said to me who was watching it with me was, it is so hard for men to make friends. Even when they're at that age, even in their twenties'cause they're not in high school anymore, where you have more access to people to try to maintain friendships. Once you're out of that, it is harder to make friends. And for men it's even harder, harder than for women'cause we'll seek out like connections with people. Yeah. Where men aren't really taught how to do that and prioritize that. So they actually got along well and they just had this opportunity to like really bond with each other and the fact that they were crying, they were like bawling. I think Ace at one point was like, we're talking about him, like he's dead. What about the Girls Girl Code or Mean Girls? It was Girl Code at first and at some point Shelly became pretty selfish. Right? And I was shocked. I really, I was disappointed. Shelly, I think I was kind of surprised'cause I was like, how are you gonna play that card on Huda when you are the one that is keeping the door open? After telling this man that you wanted to become closed off with him until they gave you another option. There was a double standard there. And she became a little territorial with Ace. So that when Huda was playing the game as they've been asked to play. That she turned into a mean girl on her and Sierra was the other one too. I did not like that, the way that Sierra also became. Like Huda had her own issues, right. She was not, an angel by any means. Seeing how her personality played out, it was not intentional, like she didn't do it to like hurt her feeling. She was like, okay, I'm just gonna go all in and then it backfired and then the original girls started to turn on her. They were creating these like unspoken rules and boundaries and expectations of each other, of each other that were contradictory to the point of them being on the show to begin with. And Huda was technically single and that other guy was single. Shelly made it very clear that she wanted him to chase her and earn her. And you know, when you show somebody interest, it needs to be a two-way street. She wasn't even talking to the other guy and she told Ace as she was. It very much in the early, early episodes felt like, okay, cool, they're bonding the girl code. Right? Like they're really taking care of each other, looking out for each other, being open with each other. Right. And then it flipped real quick and became like mean girls and I noticed it before because when they started bringing in new bombshells they wouldn't like pull them into the inner circle and then once casa amor happened, if you notice in the filming you'll see the casa more girls were separate than the original Villa girls. They were not like open to adding anybody else into their group. That like solidified their little mean girl core and it also kind of show showcased Shelly as the ringleader. Well, that did a disservice to her character and that's why America voted the way they did. Because it was, it was shocking'cause that was not how she was carrying herself the entire time. No. And then it created, like, I was talking with other people about it, and they were like, yeah. It made me feel like, oh, so you've been playing this whole time. You are not showing us who you really are, but you're pretending to be really authentic. Whether that was her intention or not, that's the shift that happened because she was very much like, well now you're not part of our group, so we're just not vibing now. You know, like, that's not the kind of friend I want but girl, you were not being a good friend either. You were putting your stuff on her and making it about her to take the heat off of you and what you were doing that your own coupled up person was telling you like, Hey, you doubled back on this guy. Yeah, that was, you kissed him, went forward, came back and did it again. I think that was ruder than Huda lap dancing on him or whatever. Yeah, she did like a full on strip tease. She did it to make Chris jealous but outside of that, there's nothing and Ace is a hundred percent for Shelly. As women, we're very intentional. And yes, we're smart. Yeah, we're smart as hell and we're also cruel as hell. I also feel like she got real jealous that he was not pursuing her in the villa and he was so focused on Huda. And I think that's even more so why Huda became a target. Then her using this idea like, oh, well you broke girl code. To just take it out on her to the point. For sure because one of the things that I loved about Chris's character in this whole thing is like he very much knows who he is to the degree where he was like, nah. He would just be like, shelly was being wishy-washy, he was like, I ain't gonna do that. Focus on Huda and then Huda started showing all, you know, her imperfections and then he was like, hang on a second. Huda, the only reason why it wasn't even her imperfections, she very much is just trying to figure out who she is still. And it's very clear that she's going through that part of her life. Well, they're, they're all babies. I mean, also the basketball player was like 28, 29. So he was one of the. He was older. More mature, older ones. But also Huda has the different dynamic of being a single mother trying to find a partner and also explore her twenties. Your twenties are for exploration, whether it is that you are actually going into a cave or you're kissing 20 people, choose your own adventure, design it, you could do both. But the point is that that's what it is, and that's what this show really showcases. I think with, Huda, her dynamic with Chris that I didn't favor was that she hid him, and I get the reasoning in her head as to why she might've done that'cause of how things went when Jeremiah love bombing her and how that played out for her, you know, becoming like the least favorites, almost voted off multiple times. She didn't want people to judge her for it. But I think that really messed up her opportunity to get really close to someone who was genuine. Which is that Chris fella. Who didn't care that she was a parent, straight out the gate didn't gasp like Jeremiah did. Oh, that was such a cringey moment. Do you think the other girls were judging her for that without like, even though they didn't say it and they said they were like, okay. And supportive of her, but do you think that was one of the things?'cause I feel like they always kind of treated her a little bit on the outs. Oh yeah. Because even when they brought in new girls, Huda was one of the ones who was always out there talking to all the new people. Trying to like make connections with them too and the like new girls. Even as a young parent, you kind of gotta figure out your shit before a lot of other people because you're raising a kid. And so Huda has a little bit more of like a self-developed image. The only thing that I really sabotaged her wasn't really, I mean, outside of her personal communication issues with calling everybody a bitch. The thing that I saw that sabotage her the most was her wanting to be liked. She wanted to be included so bad, you know, by the wrong people. Olandria was the only one that really sat down with Huda and had like a real conversation with her. And apologized. But the other two, Shelly and sierra they were a little problematic in that zone. And very much acting like they were older than they are. So it was kind of interesting to see play out. At the end of the day, we all make mistakes and we all have those moments, these moments happen to many people throughout the course of your life. And I hope they look back and watch that and they found opportunities to develop themselves'cause that really was, that was a lot to see as a woman. Because you know what this society is all about perpetuating drama between women. Yeah. Like, it sucks, but people love to see women hating on women and we as women fall into the trap over and over and over again. And that's what we kind of saw play out there is like you guys were baited because they did that. Like sharing anonymous thoughts about each other, whatever. So they were all emotional, all heightened, and then they started just digging in on each other, Instead of like addressing the real issues in the space, they started hating on each other which is like the thing that we're fighting so hard to move away from. So you can't use language like girl code", but you were also being rude and disrespectful to your girl. I think there were underlying judgements about her being a mom and being there on this show, subtle, unspoken, but it impacted the way that they viewed and engaged with her because they were judging her for it. Not all women, but there are some people, and I'm gonna say this, and women are gonna know, oh, yep. I'm no person like that. They move in a way where they're so, so certain of themselves, it's almost rigid. There's no room for flexibility there. We're human and you gotta be somewhat malleable. Be open to have a little bit of grace with other people and to know that you're not perfect. And you might make, you know, bad judgements or snide comments or whatever and there's like room for development and growth still. Yeah. But that rigidity is just, it's insecurities. Being masked as I know myself. They're all in their early twenties. They're learning. That I also found fascinating how they were trying to portray themselves as so mature and grown up, but like, but I'm like, you're 22 years old. What are you even talking about right now? Majority of 20 year olds think like this. You've barely stepped into adulthood and you won't really figure it out until you're maybe in your mid thirties, maybe early forties if you're lucky. Yeah. There was one scene where, Sierra, this was right before she got kicked off, and I don't remember who she was talking to. I think it was Amaya, it was one of the times Amaya was crying and she was like giving her a whole speech about like, you just need to stand in your worth and you just need to know who you are. You know, trying to give her this hype up speech, but she came at it like she was so mature and so wise. And Amaya's face too was like, yeah, I know, but that's like, not why I am hurt. You know what I mean? My feelings were hurt and people aren't accepting me for who I am, people want me to be somebody different. And then I think it was not that long after that she got kicked off the show. Did she get kicked off? She got kicked off. Let's talk about it. Two people got kicked off the show. I knew the first one. The Cubana from the beginning.. She got kicked off and I think it's because she was on a podcast and she said a racial slurs. Oh gee. And the show actually has it in their contract that that is not allowed so she got kicked off. And then later in the show they barely even talk about it. Sierra got kicked off, which she was also Latina. I did not know that. Because she posted something on social media about her getting Botox and fillers and she used a racial slur against Asian people in her post and it resurfaced and started circulating. And from one day to the next, she was gone. Was it an old post or a new post? It wasn't that old. Oh. Yeah, it was not that old. I found on Reddit, somebody posted a picture of the post. Okay. So you could see what it was. And then she got kicked off. So this is like some of the real life stuff that the show very quietly avoided and didn't really talk about, but it was like online and like the news and people who were following it. Both for discriminatory posts, but they were removed with like zero on air accountability, no discussion just gone. Now that you've said that, that's very problematic and they probably should have some kind of media accountability behind it. For the first girl, that's surprising'cause we didn't see her at all. Like she was off the show so quick but the, but for Sierra, she, again, she painted herself in a certain light. Clearly there's room for growth there. I definitely think that being racist or discriminatory against other people because of the cultural differences is very ignorant and you definitely should maybe educate yourself a little bit more and be open. It's also like, comes from a place of immaturity and ignorance but it's interesting because those were two things that happened that were related but not really discussed or pointed out on the show. Like the show, the narrator just briefly said, uh oh, so and so has left the villa. And then they went, moved on because they used the term left the villa. Mm-hmm. Wasn't kicked off the villa, but they were kicked off. Which is different. So that was one piece but in the same like umbrella of thinking about like diversity and culture, things came up with Amaya, right. That like were shown, but not like fully shown or explored on the show. And there's probably footage of it that they just edited out. Likely, yeah. But with Amaya's personality being big and loud. I liked her. I was like, I get her. And then as it played out, then it became very apparent of like the lack of cultural understanding that then people were labeling her something that she wasn't. Mm-hmm. Because they didn't get it. Like you were just saying, like the diversity piece is so important. The cultural piece is so important. And if you're gonna go on a show that is going to embrace diversity in the casting and engagement, then you gotta be more open-minded and aware. They haven't had those experiences. As Puerto Rican women, we get it. Loud, proud, beautiful, funny, emotional women. That's our norm. Touchy-feely, huggers. I mean, she's Caribbean, half of our background is Caribbean. Right? And like, that's just the culture, the culture is loud, engaged, funny, uses certain language, like touch, we touch each other's shoulders. Like we're not creepy, but we are like, yeah, we, we each other, we like close people. That's what intimacy looks like for that culture. And it's like, everything is like, con carino, like we do it with care and affection and love and love. Not like, oh my God, I wanna marry you love but like, oh, I see you and I appreciate you, kind of affection. At times, you know, and like, and this is for everybody, she was edited to seem like she was annoying at times and that, you know, might have been done intentionally to create a narrative there just to keep like the interest of the viewer. I would see when she would be getting ready, you know, her demeanor was normal, she was calm. No matter what culture you come from when you're put in spaces that you're trying to interact with someone and you don't necessarily vibe with them, the best parts of you ain't gonna come out. Yeah. You know what I mean? So I think like, her being with Austin, they made the decision, both of them to be in the game. Because Amaya tried to put her genuine foot forward mm-hmm. Where she was like trying to make a connection but Austin was very resistant and like, the only reason he was like, leaning into it or from the way that they portrayed it, was that he was getting action from Amaya. You know, and Amaya was genuinely like, I just want somebody to like me and I want someone to hug me and like, show me interest, you know? And then when she was like, wait, you don't like me as a person? That really hurts my feelings. I think it was a lot of sexism too. I think of the cultural piece but I do think that the men really jumped on this. Oh, you're too clingy, you're too overbearing, it's too much. You need to tone yourself down. And that's where the cultural piece comes in. Like, she said, if I'm not your cup of tea, don't drink it. Don't pretend that you're interested in me and don't pretend that you wanna hang out with me. And then turn around and tell me I'm too much, knowing very well that I just am who I am. I was disappointed in all of'em for not standing up for her austin, Ace, they all like shit on her so hard in that circle. Yeah, there was the tonality of sexism there. There was also a tonality of like cultural misalignment. Maybe they just genuinely never dealt with like a Latina woman. Yeah, I noticed that when Brian, the one that she ended up winning the whole show with. When he stood up for her and he was like, no, wait a minute, like, you guys are getting this wrong this is, this is our culture, you're forgetting that like, she's a Latina, this is part of who she is. Like that's normal to us. I saw in Ace's face it registered and he had a moment of like, oh shit. That's why I liked Ace. But also the girls like going back to the girl code, like they didn't stand up for her and that ma that bothered me. At the time of the circle, Sierra, you're a Latina. Yeah. Why are you letting everybody hate on her? But also Sierra's she's a very, Americanized Latina from what I can see is like, she may not also agree with it'cause she may not also do those things. That's why I feel like you have to have someone like Brian who's like, wait a minute, she's just like the people that I know and I love, you know. She's not trying to freaking marry you. She's not trying to be disrespectful and like, and if you don't, and if you feel like it's a lot for you, then you just have to communicate that to her. But this is the part that's like you are exploring people of different cultures, in the likes that you probably never have on camera because it's like if you're doing it in private and you can have takeaways and meaningful moments of learning outside of a camera, but you're doing it in front of a camera they're capturing it all. What bothers me too is in this idea of like, shows like this, like where it's like romance and dating. It's like a fetish for Latina women, they're sexy and they're all this and that until they open their mouth and then all of, now all of a sudden it's this like huge judgment on them. They wanna romanticize it. They're perpetuating those stereotypes? And had Brian not said anything, it would've just went unchecked nobody in that circle would have addressed the fact that, hey, maybe she's not the problem. Maybe y'all the problem because you're not being open to understand the differences between each of you. If they're ignorant to it, they wouldn't know. No, listen, ACE is from L.A. I've dealt with a lot of people from L.A. that come from different cultures and that are very ignorant of different cultures than their own or what they're like normally exposed to. So if he's not exposed to Caribbean women and he doesn't understand how they move, it can make him uncomfortable. Ace particularly has real specific standards, the way that he moved throughout the show, even with Shelly, like, he was like very guarded, right? Well, it's because he is a big softie. But because of the way he moved and she was so like, babe, and he's like, no, this is too much. And he was like, I'm a set a boundary like super quick. You know? The way he set the boundary was real ugly too. Which is the machismo side of it, the deeply rooted in patriarchy approach to things, right? That's the machismo side of like, well, I'm gonna set a boundary because I'm the man and I don't want you as the woman to be too much. But I also think that it came from a place like they didn't know any better and it took someone like Brian to say, hey, wait, hang on a second let me add a perspective here that changes and gives you nuance. And for the most part, a lot of them changed the way they worked with her after that. After Brian finally said, you know, wait a minute, you guys have blinders on here. You're not seeing X, Y, and Z. And then they were like, oh, you're right. Now all of a sudden the girls were a little bit more inclusive of Amaya. Yeah. Because the cultural dynamics, that's where all the details and the nuance lives. And that's where the depth lives too. And for a show like this where it's really superficial surface level with people that were trying to get deep and create like deep connection, deep friendships and whatnot. They were really missing the mark in a lot of ways which is really unfortunate that that played out, but I'm glad that they addressed it in the show and that Brian said something. And, you know, defended her, even if it was I felt like he was being genuine about it because later he had said something about like, she reminded him of his family, of his own mom. And he didn't like that the way that they were digging in on her. It seemed very genuine because number one, she's gorgeous, she looks like a freaking Disney character. And they came from similar backgrounds. So there was a lot of connection there. How would you rate this show? 10 outta 10? Five? Yeah. If there's nothing else on tv, I'll watch it but I'm not gonna go out of my way to continue. Because the show itself was too much, it was too confusing. I was too disgusted by all of the spit swapping. You there is a tasteful amount and this one just pushed it too far. It was just like, really? This is so unnecessary. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't cute anymore. It was just kind of gross. There's an element there. Like you kind of find the balance. You knew every time they were gonna do a challenge, that's all it was gonna be, was a make out session. What's interesting about this show is there was a, a sense of over sexualized engagement. Which like you said at the beginning, right? Like that's not what love is about. So they need to change the title'cause it's not Love Island. That's what they should call it. Exploration island. If you like to explore swapping spit with 20 different people. Please tell me that you guys have a frigging Listerine person, a dedicated Listerine person. It took 10 years of watching it, so I don't know how long they recorded it. I started the show when I was, 27. I was 32 when I started. I'm now 46. What does that tell you? Come on. I'm gonna be real. I didn't really like this show. I didn't love it. I think people love it because it gives them an outlet for whatever they might be missing in their personal lives in terms of like what they're comfortable exploring for themselves and things. But for me it was like, I felt so bad for the people in the show. I was like, this is not normal. And I didn't like how many bugs were on the show. I mean there were some parts that that were like interesting. I will say that, you know, or when they started stirring up stuff, it was like, oh, okay, we're gonna see some people react. And when you're reacting there are parts of you that you are not showing that start to come out. They're true colors. I don't disagree with their thoughts on Jeremiah and like voting him out. I think he should have been voted out a long time ago. I was surprised that like Huda us stayed and had more opportunities. I mean, yeah, girl's trying to figure herself out. I was just like, isn't that what they're supposed to be here to do? Isn't this the point of the show? To figure it out. What I found fascinating was the tribe mentality that was playing out. You're either in or you're out and we have to accept you and you have to follow these rules. Who do you like least? The way that they were represented on the show, who I liked least would be austin. He wasn't really showing too much of who he really was. Something about him, I couldn't figure it out. I just didn't like him. He was a arc. He wasn't even 27, he was like 43, with his like. 700 body count? Something the insane. Barney Stinson style. He was definitely in it for the money. That's what I felt. I felt like he's in it for the money. He was intentional because he always flirted with the host, and she would come in. Oh yeah, yeah. He would always make a little comment. Mm-hmm. And I was like, Hmm, you're gross. Well, when you're 43, yeah, that makes sense. I'm a pool boy, like you're a pool man. You're a male escort on Craigslist. That's how he got that number Facebook Marketplace. How about you? The person I liked the least was Jeremiah. I knew you were gonna say that. He just gave me, disingenuine, dishonest vibes. I thought somebody like that can be very predatorial. So of course he's gonna go for the one that is the most insecure, who is like showing her emotions on her sleeve'cause she can be manipulated more easily and controlled more easily. And goldmine, she's a mom in another touch point that I can control and manipulate. He just felt very predatorial to me and I did not like that. I wasn't buying anything he was selling, you know? I also didn't like Sierra on the girl side, I didn't think she was genuine either. I do think she liked Nick and she was really like trying to figure that out'cause I think her intention was to come on here and play a role for visibility and there's a part where you can see when they're in like Casa Amor, where she's like upset and she's like struggling a little bit and she's like mad at herself for it. I do think she actually started to like him. And now she was like torn between am I still playing the role or should I just kind of try to be myself now? But when she started doing the mean girl stuff with Shelly, I was like, yep. Called it Nope. What about Taylor? Hot takes on Taylor. This is where the double standard comes in again, she was totally okay with keeping Taylor on the sideline while she was exploring Jaylen and Taylor was just there watching. I forgot about Jaylen, he was a blip in my mind. And then, when Taylor actually had interest in the other person and I can see why he picked her, because I think he felt one, the connection to that she was more into him. I like Taylor and I liked Clark. She was consistent the whole time. What you got was what you got. You know, like if she was my coworker, I'd love to hang out with her at work. Yeah. She was pretty chill. What I saw with Taylor and Clark was that Taylor was so giddy about Clark from the get. He had those butterflies with Clark. You know, that he did not have with Olandria. And so to, for me to be like as a onlooker, like, yeah, but you should be with her because she's better. As a person. That's my own personal opinion. I would never want somebody to do that to me'cause it's about how you feel when you're making a decision about who you wanna end up with, so, you know, I was pretty disappointed that America voted them off. This is the name of the game. He's there to try to find a connection and if he realized right away that like, actually this is a stronger connection for me. And so he went for it and then he got hate for it. I think the part that he got hate for was that he still kept the option open with Olandria but only because he didn't wanna hurt her feelings. And because I do think he liked her, I think he respected her and he didn't wanna hurt her. And he didn't wanna be the bad guy. The way he kissed her, I was like, he doesn't like her that much. He's trying to, he likes her as a person, but he doesn't have that physical connection. And remember what we talked about, love is not blind. It is not blind. And there has to be some kind of physical chemistry. Its multi-layered.. Yeah. And he did have that with the other girl. Especially and kept Austin on what the, you kept Austin over them. I dunno how Austin made it through. Like honestly, like if they would've cut and he would've just been cleaning the pool for most of the season, it would, I would've been like, yeah, that makes sense. That would've been really funny actually. Missed opportunity producers. You wanna hire us by the way? What about the, what about the commentary guy? I loved him. He was my favorite part of the show. So here's my take you don't need that many after sun episodes? Maybe just one after sun episode in the center in the middle, catch everybody up. Move on. Tone down the makeout sessions. Just make it more classy. Yeah, just tone it down a little bit. I'm just watching a Carl's Jr ad like where the girls are like rubbing the burgers and stuff and they're like shooting water hoses at them that's what it felt like during all those make out sessions. When they would do the slow mos, please don't. What happened to like mystery. They had a full on sex room in there. Yeah, the hideaway, which they didn't showcase until the end. The couple, the two couples that went in there with the bombshells. Oh yeah, yeah. They just like spanked each other and fell asleep. I'm so curious how many people actually go on the like Love island or other relatable shows and really think that they're gonna find love. I can see it more for love is blind. And that's why they're open to higher age ranges. Because I think when you go on it you have this doubt, but you're also like, maybe, maybe I can find them here. I think for Love Island it, if you're going in it because you really wanna be open to the idea of maybe finding your soulmate there. That's like thinking you're gonna find your dream boat up in the club. He's gonna be grinding on another girl from a distance, we're gonna make eye contact. Exactly. He's gonna walk over and be like, you know what? I saw you and I was like, you're my boo. It's very reminiscent of club culture. Oh, that's an interesting take actually because you saying it's very reminiscent of club culture. These shows are. Usually looking for like a hookup or someone maybe you could go out with, you weren't really looking for like, oh, I'm gonna find my true love. Club culture, like for me, I would be like, I just wanna go dance and then maybe just have somebody that takes me out on dates. Some sort of connection, interest. Someone that shows you like interest. But not like, oh, I'm gonna get dressed up in my holiest clothes and go find my future husband. I mean, some people thought like that, but not for the majority. It was like, we're just gonna go have a good time and meet people. Hopefully we meet some cool people that maybe wanna hang out with again. Oh, that's so interesting that you're saying this'cause now I'm like, I see what the producers did. They picked, who they would consider the hottest people in the club. They put them in a villa. You're in this unusual environment. The hottest people in the club crammed all together. Yeah. To see what happens. So let's just call it what it is, it's a fun little social experiment where they are trying their best to make everyone have anxiety. Love Island might look like just another dating show, but it's also a low key sociology experiment, maybe with some better outfits. From performative kissing to friendship politics this season reminded us that being seen, supported, and respected matters more than a spark or a kiss count. So next time someone tries to rush your heart or ice you out in the name of loyalty. Ask yourself, is this real or is this just reality TV in disguise? Thanks for tuning in. Keep your heart open and your red flag radar sharp. And remember, some of y'all are moving like you're in a villa and it's showing. You know who you are. See you next time. Bye. Bye.