Spoilers for all of Love Island USA season 7 ahead. Among the nonstop drama provided by the Love Island USA season 7 cast, one Islander stood out all season as a ray of sunshine. N.Y.C. nurse Amaya Espinal, a.k.a. Amaya Papaya, entered the reality TV show early and stayed positive in the face of rejection, as millions of fans rooted for her to find love. Eventually, in came Boston accountant Bryan Arenales to sweep the people's princess off her feet and reciprocate her bubbly energy.
Though Amaya and Bryan only had a short time as an official couple on the show, their fairytale courtship won America's hearts, and the pair became the first Latino couple to win Love Island USA. Now, fans are clamoring for any news of the couple's future outside the villa. Below, read on for a breakdown of Amaya and Bryan's relationship so far, including what the pair has said about life post-Love Island.
Amaya and Bryan kiss in the finale.
What happened between Amaya and Bryan on 'Love Island USA' season 7?
Amaya Espinal, a 25-year-old registered nurse born and raised in N.Y.C., entered the villa in the first week of season 7, joining as a bombshell along with Hannah Fields. Unfortunately, Amaya had a rough time on the series out of the gate. At her first recoupling, Ace Greene chose to pair up with her, but he also continued to explore his connection with Chelley Bissainthe. Amaya called this out as "player behavior," which offended Ace (even though it was true). Things got worse when Ace felt uncomfortable with Amaya calling him "babe" and getting upset that he wasn't putting in as much effort with her as he was with Chelley.
After several days of being essentially single, Amaya next coupled up with Austin Shepard, who had begun to show more interest once it became clear that his match, Chelley, was set on Ace. However, once Amaya and Austin were coupled up, he immediately did a 180 and said that her naturally affectionate vibe was too much for him. Despite being so unlucky in love, Amaya made quick friendships among the Islanders and remained safe during the votes, making it through to week 4.
Meanwhile, when 28-year-old finance and real estate guy Bryan Arenales joined the show as one of the Casa Amor boys, he didn't immediately show interest in Amaya. Instead, he quickly coupled up with Andreina Santos and stayed with her all through Casa and into the villa. Amaya continued to go through it; after the Casa first impressions, no one chose to couple up with her. The next day, she set her sights on Zak Srakaew, and he decided to pair up with her instead of Olandria Carthen.
Amaya and Bryan's first couple pic.
By the time everyone returned to the villa, a familiar pattern was repeating, and Zak was cooling off. Everything came to a head in the Stand on Business challenge; when Austin wrote a letter to Amaya that she cried too much and moved too fast, both Ace and Zak (her current match!!) piled on. However, before Amaya ran off in tears, one boy chimed in to have Amaya's back. Bryan explained that being affectionate was part of Latino culture, and calling people "babe, mi amor, mi vida" was common. This moment was the first time viewers saw Bryan and Amaya share a connection (and, low-key, that Bryan stood out from the crowd).
Andreina had started to ignore Bryan to explore others by then, so he and Amaya began to really explore each other. (He also begins putting in work before Amaya's popularity is revealed during the Burst Your Bubble challenge.) Finally, Amaya found someone to keep up with her whirlwind pace and even appreciate her for it. It only took the pair a few days to become one of the villa's strongest couples, and they even became the first couple of the season to spend the night alone in the Hideaway.
After the Hideaway, Amaya and Bryan sailed through the end of season 7. During their final date, when they looked through a photo album of their baby pictures, Bryan asked Amaya to be exclusive, and they became the only official couple heading into the final ceremony. (This season was bleak, y'all.) Their declarations of love were absolutely adorable, with Amaya calling Bryan someone who "embraces the waterfall of my emotion," and Bryan calling her "Mi diabla, mi ángel, mi loquita," which translates to "My devil, my angel, my crazy girl." (Both pet names and Bad Bunny lyrics!)
Amaya and Bryan enjoy their final date.
Are Amaya and Bryan still together after 'Love Island USA' season 7?
It's official: Amaya and Bryan are no longer together. The Dominican Cinderella confirmed the news on August 27 via a post on her Instagram Stories, hinting at a somewhat amicable split.
"My papayas, Bryan and I are no longer together," she wrote. "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 that it's salty."
"All love here and I truly wish him the best," she concluded, signing the missive, "Amaya Papaya.
A screenshot of Amaya's breakup announcement.
The confirmation capped off Amaya and Bryan's eventful journey since season 7's July 13, as the pair faced cheating and infidelity rumors quickly after arriving back in the U.S. In late July, a clip of Bryan out at a club had fans wondering if he had crossed a line beyond being faithful to Amaya. During the reunion (which was filmed on August 12 and released on August 25), the pair squashed the cheating rumors and said that his behavior at the club night he was hosting was a "lapse in judgment."
Amaya added, "And I'm also not a woman that would be with someone who doesn't respect me. So if I'm with him and still with him currently, it's because the relationship dynamic is healthy and great."
Bryan and Amaya at the reunion.
Despite their assertions, another round of breakup speculation started just hours before the reunion aired on August 25, after fans noticed that Amaya and Bryan unfollowed each other on Instagram. The official split announcement from Amaya came just two days after the reunion aired.
As of the time of writing, Bryan has not spoken publicly on the breakup.