- 3 months ago
The ladies of Love Island are spilling what really happened behind the scenes of the villa. In this candid conversation with Teen Vogue's Head of Video Amalie MacGowen, the Islanders open up about their experiences on the show and the moments viewers didn't get to see. From villa drama and friendships to dealing with the pressure that comes with being on reality TV, the girls get real about what happens when the cameras stop rolling.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00I did not trust Corbin.
00:01He was literally so ChadGBT.
00:03I was like, this is mad as .
00:05We did not click right away.
00:07You took my friend in.
00:08Bro, she knew that man for 42 hours.
00:10My hair didn't stay.
00:11My hair was up every night.
00:12We wasn't dating, so it's different.
00:15It's Love Island.
00:15Hey, Team Vogue.
00:17I'm Kata.
00:18I'm Trinity.
00:19I'm Anaya.
00:19And I'm Melanie.
00:20And we're here to talk about all the things Love Island, USA.
00:27Tell me about getting settled in the villa.
00:28What was the biggest culture shock for you getting there?
00:31Getting ready so fast, I feel like.
00:33Not even that.
00:34Well, yeah, for you.
00:36But like the microphone.
00:36I was ready the quickest, by the way.
00:38You were always ready.
00:39What do you mean?
00:40The time frame of getting ready, like, okay, wake up.
00:42Bikini on, makeup.
00:44Yeah, that's what I had to adjust to.
00:45I used to take like three hours to get ready.
00:47Now I could do it in 30 minutes.
00:49Yeah.
00:49Mine was the time.
00:50Like the time, not knowing the time or the date.
00:53For sure.
00:54It kind of put you in this weird place.
00:57You could be up at four in the morning and you don't know.
00:59Like in your head, it's like, oh, it's 10 p.m.
01:01Yeah.
01:02I felt like being like a femme.
01:03Yeah.
01:04Like legit.
01:05Like, okay, you got the people around you.
01:07They know the time.
01:07They know the date.
01:08They know what's going on in the world.
01:09Literally.
01:10And you don't know nothing.
01:11And then they're like, oh, yeah.
01:14Like, we're on Fiji time.
01:15Yeah, Fiji time.
01:17Like, talking to our family, I think.
01:19Because we would get very emotional in there.
01:21It's a very, like, you think you know what you're getting yourself into.
01:23And then you get there and it's the complete opposite.
01:25Right.
01:25And I think not having that support of your family, I think that's why we like relied on
01:29each other so much.
01:30I feel like that definitely helped grow our bonds with one another.
01:33But we all missed our family.
01:35So it's like we would talk about it all the time.
01:37Right.
01:37And we're all sisters.
01:38Yeah.
01:38So I think that that's why, like, we understood, like, okay, we could argue right now, but
01:43we're going to get over it in, like, five, ten minutes.
01:44And we would argue.
01:45We did.
01:46We argued a lot.
01:47Every day.
01:48Every day.
01:49It was something else.
01:50And then two minutes later, can you put this oil on me?
01:53She's like, can you put it on the back of my head?
01:56What's an example of an argument?
01:58Oh.
01:59Oh, I'm wearing black.
02:00Oh, wearing?
02:01Yeah, that's so true.
02:01This girl always took the black.
02:02No, no, no.
02:03She always tried to take black.
02:04Yes.
02:05Or white.
02:05You know what we had to do, we had to assign days of who could wear black and who could
02:09wear white.
02:10And Q.
02:11And she was the only one always picking black in the finest.
02:14Yes, every day.
02:14It's like she didn't pack any other color with black.
02:16She didn't.
02:17I seen that cloth.
02:18It was black everything.
02:20Yeah, it was.
02:21It was black and white everything.
02:22Or black or something, like, a color on it.
02:25It is established that there's that role where only one person can wear black, right?
02:29Did you know that going in?
02:30I, like, had a feeling, but at the same time, I did bring color.
02:33I just ran out of it quickly.
02:35I don't remember one night you wore color.
02:37I don't remember one night you wore color.
02:37Yeah.
02:38Okay.
02:39I mean, I'm sorry.
02:41I look better in black.
02:42No, you look better in color.
02:43You look good in all colors.
02:44Yeah, you do.
02:44But color is pretty.
02:46Like this green.
02:46Yeah, this looks good on you.
02:47Give me Yasmin.
02:48What was another argument?
02:50What was one day she, her whole face turned red like a cherry?
02:53We were playing music.
02:55No, no, no.
02:55It was so bad.
02:56You understand.
02:57I was playing my music, right?
02:58And then she started playing her music, which I hate her taste in music.
03:02It's country music.
03:03It's country music.
03:03I can't do no country.
03:04So Anae wanted to play something next in queue.
03:07So I grabbed the speaker.
03:09So I turned it down.
03:10She got so mad.
03:11She's like, you always want to turn down my music.
03:13And I'm like, she went red.
03:16Titty popped out of the bikini.
03:17Titty popped out nipples hard as .
03:20I was like, this is mad as .
03:24She was so mad.
03:26Like, I ain't never seen her turn that red.
03:28I never said we're not listening to music.
03:29No, turn on the music.
03:31She's so petty.
03:31Yeah, she knows she's so petty.
03:33You're so petty with this stuff.
03:35I was like, bro, like, why are we arguing about this?
03:37Every time, every time y'all argued, I was like, why are we arguing?
03:40Yeah, while we're just going, we're screaming match arguing.
03:43And while we doing that, she's in the corner just like, y'all are stressing me out.
03:46Just like, you're so like, monotone.
03:48I'm like, like, her patience.
03:51Like, it's crazy.
03:52We got so close that our period started to link up.
03:55And Miss Blue, too.
03:55Even when the, even when it was like, the Megan Astaire challenge.
03:59And then you were talking about, when they were talking about how Zach was acting in Casa.
04:04And I was like, you didn't listen.
04:05You was like, she didn't finish talking.
04:07I was like, I'm so mad.
04:08We argued like three times that day.
04:10Like, that was the straw.
04:10So I'm going to talk to her tomorrow.
04:11I can't say, I literally, I literally told Bryce.
04:14I was like, I can't have another conversation with her tonight.
04:16I got to talk to her tomorrow because I am like, so pissed off.
04:19Like, because you walked away.
04:20And I was like, okay, you got your .
04:22I feel like we were always together in there because Zach and Bryce were besties.
04:25And then we sat right next to each other getting ready.
04:28So we were always just next to each other.
04:29We were.
04:31It just happens.
04:32It happens.
04:33It's like a sisterly bond.
04:34Exactly.
04:35It really was.
04:36We talked to each other like sisters so much.
04:37We actually got in trouble.
04:38Yes, we did.
04:39We used to get in trouble.
04:40I had to come in.
04:41They thought that we were actually arguing.
04:43They thought we hated each other because we would just go off on each other, but we
04:45would get off.
04:46Yes.
04:47Yes.
04:47We would go in on each other every day.
04:50No, I know Melanie.
04:50I was like, watch your tongue.
04:51You gonna watch it for me?
04:54I'm like, girl.
04:54And we'd literally be joking though.
04:56So they would come and be like, guys, like, what's going on?
04:58Like, we can't talk to each other.
04:59I'm like, we're literally joking.
05:01Yeah.
05:01We grew up talking to our siblings.
05:03Like, that's why we talk to each other like that.
05:05Going to the boys then, briefly, because this is really going to be about the girls.
05:09Any funny, like, first impression memories that really stand out that didn't get seen
05:12on camera?
05:13In the beginning, I'm not going to lie to not trust Corbin.
05:15I was like, I don't know, something shady.
05:17Oh yeah, none of us did.
05:18I was like, something shady about this dude.
05:19Because he was literally so ChadGBT.
05:21Like, he was so, like, his conversation seemed calculated.
05:24He put such a fake persona on.
05:26He was.
05:26He's so goofy.
05:27Like, if you actually know him, he's really a goofball.
05:29But I do feel like he tried to portray himself very like...
05:32Not saying he's not sophisticated, but he was trying to like, you know, big it up.
05:36Yeah.
05:37And I was like, bro, you were literally the goofiest guy ever.
05:39So then when we got to know him, he got more comfortable with everybody.
05:42And I was like, yo, he is like the most non-serious person ever.
05:46But he can take accountability.
05:47Like, he, I will give it to him.
05:49He's a cool guy.
05:50Can I get a kiss?
05:51That's all I think about.
05:52Can I get a kiss?
05:53This is a smoothie.
05:54I don't remember him saying that to me.
05:56This is a smoothie.
05:58Melanie.
05:59Melanie.
06:00Melanie.
06:01Melanie.
06:01When you guys came in, did you have any rules around like how you were going to interact with the
06:05guys?
06:05Or the women?
06:06Like, did you have any rules?
06:07Like, I want to come in and be this kind of way.
06:09Always.
06:10I think you can't really do that.
06:12Then you would be playing a persona.
06:14And in there, you just, you have to be yourself.
06:16Or you kind of go crazy trying to like, keep up with that persona.
06:20That you're like saying you're going to be.
06:21I think when I went into it, at least, I was just like, I want a friend.
06:24Yeah.
06:24And then I ended up with so many, but I was just like, I just want one friend and I'll
06:28survive this.
06:28I agree.
06:29That's what I was thinking too.
06:30But as a bombshell, I definitely was just like, I need to come in with confidence.
06:34Yeah.
06:35I don't know what I'm walking into, who I'm walking into.
06:37So that was a big thing for me.
06:39And you were the bombshell.
06:40You were the OG bombshell.
06:42The OG bombshell.
06:43The OG bombshell.
06:47And then me and her have like similar such, like such similar personalities.
06:50So like, that's why we clicked.
06:51We did not click right away.
06:53We didn't.
06:53It was because, man, you took my friend in.
06:56Bro, she knew that man for 42 hours.
06:58I know what I mean.
06:58I know that.
06:59It wasn't even 40.
07:00It was like 24 at that point.
07:02No, but it felt like so long.
07:03Being in there, you don't understand.
07:04Being in there, it feels like a week.
07:06Yes.
07:07One day.
07:09We recovered up the next, you are not my type.
07:12We did.
07:13We did.
07:14We did.
07:15We did.
07:16And then his type just walked in.
07:17That would slap me.
07:19He said if he looked, then he took.
07:21If he looked, then he took.
07:22That is true.
07:23So the men have obviously gotten a lot of flack on social media since.
07:27And I know Trinity posted about Zach, which I thought was really cool and really sweet.
07:30How have you guys kind of like managed the social media of it all?
07:34We have such a good support system, like with friends and family.
07:38Even when we was inside of there, we were like, we know what really went down.
07:41We know what's going on.
07:42And I think everybody's going to have an opinion on you, your friendship, your relationship.
07:47Like even people still think me and Bryce are faking our relationship, which I don't
07:51know how that even became a thing.
07:53Honestly, people are going to be haters on social media and they're always like either
07:5713 or they're like old bot accounts.
08:01Like there's no in between.
08:02So you just kind of have to not pay that attention when like, you can't even see their face.
08:07And that's what the time you click their account, it's always saying follow back.
08:09Like they're just not genuine happy people because they're not going by what they like
08:13believe in or everybody's going to have their opinions.
08:15So I pay a desk and I'm very mentally strong.
08:17I also think just having each other has like really saved us.
08:21Because if I didn't walk out with like as great as friends as like you guys are, the boys,
08:26I would have been in my bed right now.
08:28Seriously.
08:30That's crazy because we actually said it in the villa.
08:32Like before we left the villa, we were like, no matter what people think of us, no matter
08:35what kind of narrative they put on us, at least we have each other.
08:38And at least we know the truth.
08:40Like we said it all the time in the villa because we knew we were probably going to come
08:43out to some chaos.
08:44And it's like we did exactly what we said.
08:46We've literally been 10 toes down for each other since the moment we left the villa.
08:49Yeah.
08:49Yeah, I agree.
08:50There's been even times people try to pair me and Anaya against each other.
08:53And I'm like, are you dead serious?
08:55They be having their own fights on Twitter.
08:57No, literally.
08:58They're going back and forth in the comics.
08:59I'm like, y'all.
09:00I'm like, that's what's going on.
09:01I'm like, please not my cousin.
09:03Mind you, I'm just with this girl like two hours ago.
09:06We got over here trying to make the narrative.
09:08Yeah.
09:08What's something from like all of the edits for each of you that you feel like you wish
09:12had been included?
09:13I wish that they showed more of my goofy side.
09:15I feel like I was so serious all the time on camera because I was stressed out.
09:20Because I was stressed out.
09:21But I really wish they showed more of my goofy side in there.
09:23I wish they showed more of just my jokes.
09:26I was always making jokes.
09:27I feel like me and Zach were always laughing together.
09:29I feel like that just wasn't shown.
09:31I wish they showed more like intimate conversations.
09:34I agree.
09:35I think there were so many intimate conversations in between friendships and even like relationships
09:40and even people that you don't even talk to but having those one-on-one conversations.
09:44And I think had it been shown, I think a lot of miscommunication from the viewers wouldn't have happened.
09:51I know there were moments that were really sweet and great to see.
09:53But were there any moments where you're like, hmm, this changes things?
09:59I was like, I don't know.
10:01I was like...
10:04Rewatching the show, I felt a little bad because he kind of got in his head.
10:08Because when Corbin came in, I'm not gonna lie, I was acting a little thirsty.
10:12We were all excited.
10:14Yeah, but like that was the same day me and him had a conversation.
10:18We had an understanding that like, okay, we're gonna try harder and do more.
10:21And then after that conversation, Corbin kind of came in and I was like, oh my God.
10:27And he kind of got in his head because he was like, oh, you never did that with me.
10:31And like, that would have been your ideal type.
10:33And I felt so bad because like genuinely, like I was excited, but that was not okay.
10:38Because like him, he didn't see any of that until he got out.
10:42And he was like, why are you, why were you doing all that?
10:45So it kind of made me feel like, kind of like, ****.
10:47Like I felt really bad that I acted like that.
10:49Because it made him very upset and uncomfortable.
10:52And he's so sweet.
10:53So that was not a good thing for me to see.
10:55I'm not gonna lie.
10:56Like I felt...
10:56You would never do that now.
10:57I would never do that.
10:59Ever.
10:59It was that time.
11:00It was that moment.
11:01It was.
11:01And I told him, I was like, well, we wasn't dating.
11:03So it's different.
11:04It's love island.
11:05Tell me, how do you manage the heat?
11:07What do you do to make your makeup stay?
11:10My hair didn't stay.
11:11My hair was up every night.
11:14But just a lot of powder and setting mist.
11:18Like a lot.
11:19Patrick Star.
11:20One size.
11:21Secure the sweat.
11:23We all had a bottle of it actually.
11:25And we would use each other.
11:26We would sneak each other's when it was running out.
11:29Especially her.
11:30We know how you move.
11:31And the L'Oreal set in spray.
11:33Yeah, I was about to say L'Oreal was really good too.
11:35They're both really good.
11:35The red bottle one.
11:36I love that one.
11:37That was really good.
11:37We would wait for one of us to walk out the room.
11:39And then we'd dig in the door.
11:41And throw it back in.
11:42And like.
11:42We would do that with her perfume.
11:43Yes, your perfume.
11:44She would be pissed.
11:46And I know.
11:46I could smell it on you guys.
11:48We would literally open and spray.
11:50No.
11:50As soon as she walked out the door, we would run to her closet.
11:53Y'all would.
11:54I'm like, I'm going to tell her.
11:55Yeah, she did.
11:55She got mad because we used her own.
11:58Oh my gosh.
11:59No, please no.
12:00They took my soap.
12:02Okay, I bought some soap with my hard earned money.
12:06Production did not give me this soap.
12:08I used my hard earned money.
12:10I knew something was off.
12:10I'm like, yo, I am not washing my butt this much for it to be going away this fast.
12:15Like, I'm like, okay.
12:17And I knew something was up because it was like halfway or like under half on a Monday.
12:21I swear by that Friday, it was gone.
12:23I said, oh yeah, somebody about to get cussed out.
12:25And as soon as I went in, I said, which one of y'all using my soap?
12:28And then she was like, cussie.
12:31I was like, don't play with me right now.
12:33Cuz cousin, why were you mad?
12:34Like sharing is caring.
12:35Yeah, we would share a lot.
12:37We would share a lot.
12:37And she would take my perfume.
12:38I took everyone's perfume.
12:40She did.
12:40You guys, I feel like you all have like great makeup hacks or tricks that you do.
12:45Were there things that you were sharing amongst each other that you all kind of started doing?
12:48I had clip-in extensions during the show.
12:51And it wasn't blending in like the lower part.
12:54So Melanie was like, braid your bottom half of your hair.
12:57And I did that the rest of the season.
12:59Yeah.
12:59The way you would do it is like because you see some parts underneath your hair,
13:03like if your hair is really short, you see it.
13:06You take half of your hair, you braid it, and then you start clipping from there
13:09so that you don't see the bottom of your hair.
13:11So I was like, girl, let me just like braid your hair one day, please.
13:14Yeah.
13:14Were there any other things like that?
13:16I would do her hair a lot, but it wasn't like just-
13:18Oh yeah, I would do my makeup a lot.
13:19She would do my hair sometimes.
13:21And she would, I had to learn myself because she said she had to put herself first.
13:24I would be double booked sometimes.
13:26And we only got 40 minutes, like after getting slimed,
13:29they'd be like, okay, you got 40 minutes to get ready.
13:31And I was like, baby, I gotta put me first.
13:33What about like other hacks?
13:34Because like Trinity, I remember when you put the concealer in your hair,
13:37I was like, that is brilliant.
13:38Originally, like I stole that from like my sister.
13:41Like she did it like last year one time in her curly hair.
13:44I was like, oh, like that's really cute.
13:45Like what did you do?
13:46How did you do this?
13:46She was like, oh, just put concealer in it.
13:48I was like, hmm, okay.
13:49What's funny is I got my inspo literally from Ariana.
13:54One day, it was like one of the challenges.
13:56She came in with like curly hair and it had like white highlights in there.
13:59And I was like, oh, like that's kind of a look.
14:03And then after I did it, I was like, okay, cute.
14:05But then people were like, they didn't like it.
14:06It looked ashy or it looked like, I'm the girl.
14:08We like it.
14:09And then for you, we're like, exactly.
14:10I said, girl, please.
14:12The girl is on TikTok.
14:13That's true.
14:14Like, yeah.
14:15That's true.
14:15What about like lip combos?
14:17Anyone have the killer, the most killer lip combo?
14:20I mean, I always like matching my cheeks to my lips.
14:23But I love looking like sunburn and like, I just love like,
14:27that's where I have my black hair and then my peachy cheeks.
14:29I like kind of looking like I was in the sun all day.
14:31And then.
14:31No, you had blush blindness.
14:33No, I did.
14:33I was like, do I have enough?
14:34No, she wouldn't.
14:36I loved your blush too, but she would quadruple blush.
14:38And I was like, okay, stop adding blush.
14:41She would always see me.
14:42Like any, any time you guys would be looking at me, I'm adding my blush.
14:44Yeah, that is true.
14:45Until it was time to walk downstairs.
14:47I love blush.
14:48I'm a blush girl.
14:50And the placement, I feel like you kind of do it like, it's so chic.
14:53It's like right on the top.
14:54Right on my nose.
14:55I also like it on the forehead.
14:56I just feel like I like looking like I'm sunburned.
15:00And then the lips, it has to be cohesive.
15:03It like really matters to me for some reason.
15:04Even when I did the pink wig, I found a new blush that matched the pink wig.
15:08That's cute.
15:08And the pink lip.
15:09They were eating it up though.
15:12Pinky pads.
15:12I love the pink.
15:13I literally was laying down one day and then I texted Trinity, I think it was.
15:16Someone, I texted one of you and I was like, I want to do pink hair.
15:18You touched the group chat.
15:19Yeah.
15:19And you were like, do it.
15:20And then I did it that same morning.
15:21Where to go?
15:23I had to put it away because they was finding me.
15:25They were finding me.
15:27I'm not kidding.
15:29I got mobbed in the mall.
15:30So I was like, okay.
15:31It had to be put away.
15:32They would find me across the street.
15:33You would be in your building and you could see the pink hair from below.
15:36Okay.
15:37It was bad.
15:38But I have it in the closet.
15:39It's waiting for its moment.
15:40Period.
15:41They was not really liking Bryce.
15:42So they would make him bald.
15:44I've never seen them this happy.
15:46We got Alvin.
15:49It's a challenge.
15:50Oh my .
15:51He'd make one every night and then she would give me half of it.
15:54Yeah, I did.
15:55I can't wait to see how much more it's going to change and be better in the next upcoming
15:59seasons.