Bryan Hopes Beyond the Villa Shows His "Growth" Since the Breakup with Amaya
The exes spoke for the first time since their breakup in Beyond the Villa's Season 2, Episode 3, streaming only on Peacock.
The Love Island: Beyond the Villa Season 2 premiere saw Amaya "Papaya" Espinal and Bryan Arenales reveal what really went on behind-the-scenes of their breakup. The stars announced they were going their separate ways in their own respective statements in August 2026, days after the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion.
Now, in the latest episode of the Peacock docuseries, the exes came face-to-face for the first time since their split.
In Episode 3's "Bye Bye Bryan, Hello New York," Amaya and Bryan met up at an L.A. park to finally address each other, with Amaya referencing Bryan's post-show nightclub appearances and abrupt text breakup soon after they became intimate.
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"Initially when we first left off the Villa, I feel like the relationship wasn’t a prioriity to you. Even though I understood that you needed to get these gigs and you were getting paid to go to these appearances and these clubs, I feel like there was a lack of respect and a lack of boundaries," she said. "We were supposed to be together in a unit and a team, and I feel like you just left me by myself."
An admittedly "nervous" Bryan took full accountability for how he handled the end of their relationship and clarified that the pair hooking up had nothing to do with why he broke things off.
"I wanna apologize about that to your face. I could have done things 100% better. I can say that to your face as a man," he said.
Bryan opens up about his mental health
The Boston native also explained that though he wanted to "really try" once they made their relationship exclusive, the shock of his new fame was difficult to get used to once they left Fiji.
"We were literally in a whole new life," he said. "During that time, I was hiding so much s**t behind stuff, and I wasn’t comfortable enough to speak on it. I was putting a mask on for legit everybody, and I felt like you felt that, too, but I just couldn’t communicate. It was my problem, I couldn’t communicate that to you. That’s kind of where it led me to spiral. It was, like, I hurt what we had going on.”
Bryan also became emotional explaining the online hate he and his friends and family received.
"My friends are getting s**t about their family. My mom’s hearing s**t and my mom’s fresh to social media. My dad. And I’m trying to put a mask on for them, like, 'Don’t read it,' and behind closed doors I’m reading everything. I was hearing s**t like, 'Get a razor. Cut vertical, not horizontal. The world will be a better place.' I’ll never forget that comment."
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Amaya went on to vehemently condemn any bullying or harassment aimed Bryan's way, warning her supporters, "enough is enough."
She told him, "I really do hope that you’re OK. Even though we didn’t work out in a romantic way, you’re still a person, you’re still a human being, and I wouldn’t ever want you to be in that mental space where you feel like you’re alone and you’re muted."
In an April interview with Peacock Blog, Bryan expressed hope that the way he communicated with Amaya will show fans that he genuinely tried to learn from his post-Fiji missteps.
"I think [Beyond the Villa] will give people a look into how we probably grow — grew from it, specifically me," he explained. "I think I had a tough time adjusting to [fame]. I struggled in the Villa mentally, and once I got out, I was kind of like, 'I'm out!' It probably wasn't the best way to go about it, and I think you guys will see the growth... I think people will see that I've been mature this whole time. I just had a couple of missteps, and I've learned from it."
Love Island: Beyond the Villa Season 2 streams new episodes every Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.
