‘Love Island USA’ Season 8 Finale Recap: Which Couple Won the $100,000 Prize?

Well, fellow Love Island USA fans, tonight marks the end of an era: the Season 8 finale is finally here!

After kicking off with a bang back on Tuesday, June 2, and dropping a new episode every day for the last six weeks (except for Wednesdays and Saturdays), the popular Peacock dating show crowned its winning couple on Sunday, June 12. As those who’ve been following along are already well aware, there’s been plenty of drama this season, with viral moments making the islanders household names and putting them at the center of multiple online debates (Casa Amor, anyone?!).

Everything came to a head on the nearly two-hour finale episode, which dropped earlier than expected on Peacock. Don’t have time to watch the full show? No problem, besties! We’ve got you covered with our recap. Scroll on to learn more about what happened on the finale, and which couple took home the $100,000 grand prize.

Who were the final four couples on Love Island USA Season 8?

Going into the Friday, July 10, episode of the series, six couples remained; however, this needed to be cut down to the final four ahead of the finale on Sunday, July 12. As a result, Kenzie and Dylan, as well as Tierra and KC, were sent home following America’s vote.

This elimination was especially interesting considering that both KC and Kenzie were members of the original cast of islanders who started in the villa back in early June. With their exit, the final four couples appearing on the finale to potentially take home the win were:

Aniya and Carl
Kayda and Zach
Melanie and Sincere
Trinity and Bryce

Before the eliminations, Friday’s episode also saw the remaining islanders introduce their families to their current partners, leading to several sweet moments between the contestants and their parents. To catch up on even more of the drama, check out our recaps of the biggest moments here, here and here!

What happened on the Love Island USA Season 8 finale?

While the winners were, of course, set to be crowned on the season finale, the episode was nearly two hours long. This meant fans also received plenty of extra content featuring their favorite couples before host Ariana Madix handed out the $100,000 prize to end the episode.

As we noted in a separate article published earlier this week, Peacock recently detailed what fans could look forward to on the finale, stating, “the final four couples go on romantic final dates, enjoying heartfelt sentiments with each other as they soak up their last moments in Fiji ... [Then] after weeks of high-stakes challenges, unexpected connections and Fiji-soaked drama, we’ll finally learn which couple has found the strongest connection of them all.”

To start the episode, Melanie and Sincere went on their first one-on-one date, where they enjoyed romantic massages by the ocean before they made pizza together, all while chatting more about their personal lives. After returning to the villa, Melanie referred to the experience as her “best first date,” while Sincere called it “one of the best dates of [his] life.”

Kayda and Zach were up next for their solo date, taking an adventurous spin around Fiji on a high-speed boat. The journey led them to a romantic table set for two, where they sipped Champagne and enjoyed sandwiches on the shoreline. Zach told Kayda he was seriously considering moving from the U.K. to the U.S., adding that he could see her as his girlfriend in the future.

Aniya and Carl’s one-on-one date was shown third, and the two enjoyed a stunning evening meal surrounded by a genuinely absurd amount of flowers. The two were also gifted a sweet fairytale book, which took them through their entire love story, complete with illustrations, giving them a chance to relive their connection.

Trinity and Bryce were the last pairing to go on their one-on-one date. Surrounded by flowers and twinkling lights, they talked about how far their relationship had come from the beginning of the show, as well as how similar their upbringings were. They both expressed excitement for their future together and finally going into the “outside world” together. Toward the end of their conversation, Bryce told Trinity he loved her, and she returned the sentiment. They then shared a kiss and danced.

After their dates, the women went for manicures and pedicures as a group, where they chatted more about how they felt about the Love Island USA experience. Upon their arrival at the ceremony, the remaining islanders dressed to the nines to take a trip down memory lane, looking back at the sweetest and most dramatic moments on the show via a video shown on the central screen in the villa.

As part of the video package, the islanders each received messages of support from their family members, who wished them well. They were also surprised with messages from several celebrities, including Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Alex Warren, Ciara, Jordin Sparks, Sombr, Kesha, Druski and Kehlani. Then Madix arrived (in a breathtaking blue gown and coordinating glam!) to interview all the couples about each of their relationships before announcing the winners.

Who won Love Island USA Season 8?

Before unveiling the couple who would take home the $100,000 grand prize, the host revealed which couples placed fourth through second. In fourth were Kayda and Zach, in third were Melanie and Sincere and in second were Aniya and Carl.

That meant the winners of Love Island USA Season 8 were Trinity and Bryce!

When is the Love Island USA Season 8 reunion?

To end the show, Madix announced that the Love Island USA Season 8 reunion would drop on Monday, August 31, at 9 p.m. ET. Andy Cohen and Madix will co-host the event, so be sure to tune in to catch all the updates (and drama)!

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