Dear men on Love Island USA (except for Bryan),
You suck.
Tuesday’s episode of Love Island USA sent the internet into a tailspin, and rightly so. What started as a cheeky game quickly turned into a showcase of petty cruelty and outright misogyny against Amaya, a 25-year-old Dominican American woman from New York City.
It all went down during a challenge called “Standing on Business.” For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it means holding people accountable, setting boundaries, and speaking your truth. Essentially, it just means standing up for yourself.
To fuel the drama, the producers brought in a mailbox, along with some paper and pens, instructing the islanders via text to write anonymous letters to send to their fellow contestants, encouraging them to share how they really feel about each other.
Naturally, tensions got high.
At first, the notes were relatively harmless: critiques of bedroom habits, jokes about moving on too quickly, and passive-aggressive digs about elimination rounds.
Then, Amaya read the letters addressed to her, and the tone shifted instantly.
“To Amaya, from question mark. You cry more than needed, and you try to move faster than anyone,” she read aloud, getting visibly upset at the note’s contents. The camera then cuts to Austin (an alleged MAGA Trumpie), Zak, who is currently in a couple with Amaya, and Ace, a TikTok dancing coach, all of whom are smirking at the situation.
Clearly upset, Amaya tries to defend herself, arguing that while she may be a “sensitive gangsta,” her vulnerability shouldn’t be treated as a flaw or a weakness.
When another islander asked who wrote the letter, Austin gleefully raised his hand, admitting it was him. His justification? Amaya was “too intense” during their time as a couple in the villa.
(It’s worth noting Amaya always checked in with Austin about his boundaries and feelings during their time together, so viewers already thought his letter was a bunch of hogwash.)
Amaya getting hate for being too loving? Even though she asked about boundaries every time #loveislandsusa pic.twitter.com/sxXVIo4OeD
— Dede (@DedePetros) July 2, 2025
This is when the dog piling really started.
Ace jumped in to criticize Amaya for “wearing her heart on her sleeve” and calling him “Babe” too early on in their relationship. Then Zak, Amaya’s current partner, piled on too. He described her as “overwhelming” and said he didn’t like how “passionate” she got with him.
By this point, Amaya was fully weeping. She asked Zak why he chose to ambush her in front of everyone instead of having a private conversation. Her voice cracked as she said, “I don’t even want to continue speaking to you anymore.”
As soon as the episode aired, people became outraged over the interaction, with many pointing towards the misogynistic undertones of the Austin, Ace, and Zak’s criticism of Amaya’s sensitivity.
#greenscreen this all felt very dark. I did not enjoy a second of this ep #loveislandusa #loveislandep26 #loveislandseason7 #amaya #amayapapaya #popculture
“The way the boys bullied Amaya is very indicative of the current dating scene for Gen Z women,” one TikToker said in their video covering the incident. In the caption, they wrote: “This all felt very dark. I did not enjoy a second of this [episode].”
People found it particularly upsetting to watch a woman break down on national television after getting shamed for being “too emotional.”
The men’s comments are common sexist criticism directed towards women. While society applauds men for being “cold” and “stoic” (a toxic habit in and of itself), women are encouraged to be vulnerable, but are then shamed doing so. This double standard is exactly what happened on the show last night, which is why it seems to be striking such a nerve with viewers, particularly those who identify as women.
“Amaya represents all the girlies who have ever been told that they are ‘too much’ and that they need to dim their sparkle,” another user wrote in their video’s caption.
love amaya papya she deserves the word ❤️🩹 #loveislandusa #loveisland #amayapapaya
What especially angered viewers was that none of the women stood up for Amaya at all; instead, they just sat around the fire pit looking guilty as the boys took turns bullying her.
And I can’t respect any of the girls for not sticking up for Amaya while they were dog piling on her. She was the only one out of the girls that was in a rightful position to be backed up and they did it with everyone but her. #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/m8INqmSXgo
— dani (@kordeilogy) July 2, 2025
In fact, the only person to come to Amaya’s defense was Bryan, who pointed out to the three men that using words like “babe” and “mi vida” is normal in Hispanic households.
Because of this, Bryan, a newcomer to the villa, has become the new “golden islander” in the eyes of viewers. People are now vowing to keep him on the show for as long as possible.
bryan in the next ep when he randomly wins favorite boy bc he has no idea being nice to amaya raised him out of obscurity pic.twitter.com/ip1OiJvpOd
— lyn ! (@hoziersparamore) July 2, 2025
In the end, the episode left viewers more upset than engaged, something the producers probably didn’t intend to happen. Let’s just hope the men learn their lesson and stop being sexist, while the producers realize that mail time was not fun time for viewers.
That way, everyone can go back to enjoying the hottest dumb show around—the way reality TV Gods intended.
The post The Ugly ‘Love Island’ Misogynistic Bullying Went Too Far appeared first on The Daily Beast.
