Love Island USA Season 7 Week 2 Recap: Episodes 8-14
There was some serious heat in Week 2, as shocking recouplings in dramatic new formats roiled the Villa.
Over the past week on Love Island USA, the budding relationships among a coterie of scantily clad young people in a certain Fijian rental property were captured by dozens of cameras, cut together in less than a day, talked over by a Scottish comedian, and displayed daily on screens throughout the land, signaling the true start of summer. But what could have been just an enjoyable set of reality TV episodes became one of the most dramatic second weeks in Love Island history.
Across America, reluctant boyfriends sulking on the couch stopped pretending they weren’t watching, sat up straight, and cheered along. Subreddits blossomed. Group chats ran wild. Landlords received noise complaints from tenants who don’t understand why their neighbors are yelling at their TV screens every night (except Wednesday). And maybe, just maybe, a stormy week of messy Villa drama has planted the seeds of genuine romantic connections.
It’s Love Island USA Season 7 Week 2, and boy, did it turn some heads.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The Breakfast War
Making coffee or a nice slice of avocado toast for the Islander you care about is a storied Love Island tradition, but over the years this gesture has suffered from inflationary pressure, becoming a baseline expectation in many couples. On this season, however, an arms race has kicked off, with boys cheffing up full breakfasts every morning, sometimes resulting in girls receiving multiple plates of food from different boys as they get ready in the morning.
As Week 2 begins, Ace attempts to take this one step further, adding on an activity component and setting up a morning yoga date for Chelley, only to be interrupted by an argument breaking out between Amaya and Chelley caused primarily by Ace’s own mixed-signal behavior.
Pucker or Pie?
After an afternoon of check-ins across couples processing the lingering fallout from recent events, Austin gets a text! The Islanders are called to a new challenge, “Pucker or Pie?” On each Islander’s turn, they draw a juicy question card asking them to name one of the other Islanders. Once they make their choice, they flip a giant novelty coin with lips on one side and pie on the other. If the coin lands on lips, they kiss, and if it lands on pie, they pie the other Islander in the face. A literal and figurative mess ensues, with some Islanders ending the night covered in whipped cream and at least one boy leaving with sore feelings.
After the game, the boys and girls gather separately to debrief. Ace and Nic confront Jeremiah about Huda’s behavior, calling her “fraudulent” and questioning whether she is unusually closed off for such early days in the Villa. The comments hurt Jeremiah’s feelings, and he sinks into contemplative silence.
Huda pulls Ace aside to address her naming him the Islander who is most eagerly waiting for someone new to enter the Villa, seeming receptive to his feelings and apologizing. Returning to the group, she finds Jeremiah standoffish and unwilling to engage. She insists on pulling him aside to find out what’s bothering him, but the conversation quickly becomes emotional and not-a-little contentious, with Jeremiah expressing how the boys’ comments about their relationship made him uneasy and Huda objecting strongly to him taking their feedback to heart. Cracks continue to form in this tumultuous couple, building tension that’s felt throughout the Villa.
Hibachi-Style Breakfast
Another day, another chance to win at breakfast. Ace plans a “hibachi-style” meal for Chelley, enlisting Taylor to pretend to receive a text inviting Chelley to breakfast. However, Austin preempts him, having already cooked for Chelley and brought her a plate. Ace says he respects it, with Austin invoking the old adage, “All’s fair in love and war.”
Either she’s a good sport or interested in nurturing both connections, Chelley comes down for Ace’s breakfast as well. It’s not entirely clear what the “hibachi-style” component of the meal is, but it’s clear Ace is putting in the effort. Chelley seems torn between the two boys, with Austin growing increasingly frustrated by the love triangle.
“I’m a mommy.” “Mommy? Mamacita.”
Later that morning, Huda pulls Nic aside to tell him that she is a mother so that Jeremiah has someone to talk to about her parenting secret. His response is equal parts hilarious and understanding, and with this new knowledge he’s able to have a convo with Jeremiah later that day.
In the afternoon, Taylor hops on board the activity date trend, recruiting Ace to teach a salsa lesson so he can get closer to Olandria. The rest of the Villa cheers them on, delighted at seeing the couple let loose.
Dominate Tricks
As night falls, the Islanders prepare for a Leather and Lace party, donning their finest pleather BDSM-themed attire and gathering on the lawn under the moonlight. After taking turns on the stripper pole, the Islanders are surprised by the arrival of Ariana Madix, who announces a “Dominate Tricks” challenge.
Each of the girls ties her boy to an X stand and chooses a kinky implement to punish them. Then, while all the boys are tied up, Ariana invites two new bombshells:
- Jalen, 27 (a small-town boy from Sparta, GA, who drives a truck and is less a bombshell than a laser-guided missile targeted at country-loving Olandria)
- Pepe, 27 (a former pro basketball player and current gym owner from Spain who’s interested in Hannah and Cierra)
The new bombshells spin the boys around while they tie up each of the girls to the reverse side of the X stands and kiss by way of introduction. Once they’ve finished their lip greetings, Ariana brings in one more surprise: a third bombshell.
Iris, 25 (a spray tan artist from Los Angeles, who brandishes a whip and is here for Jeremiah and Nic)
The X stands are reversed again to point the restrained girls away, while Iris takes the opportunity to kiss each of the tied-up boys she’s interested in. In defiance of the restraints, Huda strains to contort herself around the stand to dissuade Iris from kissing Jeremiah. The Villa has been well and truly bombshelled.
Bombshells Bursting in Air
The new Islanders waste no time making their presence felt. Hannah and Pepe share a sultry makeout session in the speakeasy, threatening her connection with Charlie. The introduction of Iris and her interest in Jeremiah sets the stage for a widening of the cracks in his coupling with Huda.
That night in bed, Jeremiah and Huda are overheard in whispered conversation, with Huda questioning Jeremiah’s loyalty. “Would you share your location?” Huda asks, to which he responds, “I don’t like that.”
Lumberjacks, Beavers, Etc.
The next afternoon, the Islanders play a “Got Wood?” challenge hosted by Summer House’s Paige DeSorbo. The boys, dressed as lumberjacks, take turns climbing a tree to chop a branch with a question about a fellow Islander, with the boy they name choosing a girl to help the lumberjack by straddling them on a seesaw. Then, each boy picks another girl to climb across a wet log to share a kiss, and finally, the lumberjack chooses a stuffed beaver from a basket Paige holds with the name of an Islander they get to spend time with hidden behind a closed door.
After the challenge, Charlie and Hannah have a heart-to-heart, recommitting to their connection despite exploring other connections in recent days. It seems all will be well between them, until…
America Has Its Say
Ariana arrives once more and gathers the Islanders around the firepit for a shocking recoupling. For the first time ever, America has voted directly on who the new bombshells will couple up with.
- Jalen is paired with Olandria, leaving Taylor single and breaking up one of the Villa’s most solid couples
- Pepe is paired with Hannah, leaving Charlie single despite their recent reconciliation
- Iris is paired with Jeremiah, leaving Huda single and stirring up intense emotions on all sides
Ariana checks in with Huda, who feels “like [she] got slapped in the face.” “By America?” Ariana asks. By America, indeed.
The drama clicks up another notch with yet another twist: the Islanders who remain in their couples must now choose which of the three vulnerable singles — Taylor, Charlie, or Huda — will be dumped from the Villa immediately.
After an intensely emotional vote, Charlie is dumped from the Villa prompting a tear-streaked farewell with Hannah just after they had recommitted to each other hours earlier.
A stunned Jeremiah avoids Huda, who is sent into an emotional spiral, questioning why America would vote to split them up. If it means they’ve seen something she hasn’t, if it means she can trust Jeremiah, or if something about her actions has caused the split. She mostly settles on blaming Jeremiah, leading to arguments.
The Ship Sails at Dawn
The next morning, as the Villa slumbers, the new bombshells and their couples receive stealthy texts instructing them to get ready for an early morning date. After dressing, they meet on the dock and take a boat to a private island. Jeremiah and Iris go kayaking and get to know each other. While snorkeling with her new boy, Hannah finds there are other fish in the sea (ahem Pepe). Jalen and Olandria connect while giving each other massages on the beach.
Back in the Villa, the aftermath of the previous night’s recoupling simmers as Huda tries to come to terms with America’s choice to recouple Jeremiah. By the time the new couples return from their dates, Huda takes on a new tactic: nonchalantly laying on a lounge chair with shades on and refusing to engage with Jeremiah.
While Taylor is worried about Olandria’s date with Jalen, she actually prefers the slower pace with Taylor.
Hurricane Huda
Many of the Islanders grow weary of falling in the crossfire of Huda and Jeremiah’s ongoing conflicts, some calling them “toxic” and others feeling the need to stay close when Huda confronts other Islanders. Huda’s issues with Jeremiah spill over into an interrogation of Iris and an elaborate act of eavesdropping sets off a new round of cursing out Jeremiah.
Though Jeremiah attempts to offer an olive branch to Huda, suggesting their connection got too intense too fast and might benefit from going back a couple steps to friendship, Huda is having none of it. Their relationship seems truly finished, to the apparent relief of some of their fellow Islanders.
Doors Open, Doors Close
The week concludes with one more dramatic recoupling in another brand-new format. As Ariana arrives to introduce a “Love Comes Knocking” recoupling game, the Islanders are gathered around a set of colorful doors arranged on the lawn, each labeled with a name. With the girls hidden behind their respective doors, each one locks their door with the name of the one boy it will open for. One by one, the boys take turns knocking on the door of the girl they want to couple up with, but the door will only open if the match is mutual.
- Nic knocks on Cierra’s door, which opens, re-affirming their coupling
- Pepe opens Hannah’s door, confirming America’s choice for them to be together
- Austin steps up to Amaya’s door, which unlocks for him as he recouples with Amaya
- Ace opens Chelley’s door, forming a new couple with the connection he has been exploring all week
- Jalen knocks on Olandria’s door but finds it locked, leaving him single and vulnerable
- Taylor opens Olandria’s door, reuniting the pair
- Jeremiah stops at Iris’ door, which opens for him, confirming the split with Huda and affirming America’s pick to pair him with Iris instead
- With no one knocking at her door, Huda is left single and vulnerable
In one last shocking twist to cap off the night, Ariana announces that one of the two singles will be dumped from the Villa immediately, and the Islanders must cast their vote by standing behind either Huda or Jalen to keep them in the Villa.
- Team Jalen (4 votes): Nic, Austin, Jeremiah, Pepe
- Team Huda (8 votes): Cierra, Amaya, Iris, Ace, Chelley, Olandria, Taylor, Hannah
The Islanders choose to save Huda and Jalen is dumped from the Villa, ending the week on a bittersweet note as he reflects on his experience and says his goodbyes.
Week 2 Roundup: Who’s Coupled Up, Who’s Single, and Who Got Dumped?
Here’s what you need to know heading into Week 3, with emotions in the Villa left raw after a searing week of high drama, multiple recouplings, and crash-outs.
Who’s Coupled Up
- Ace and Chelley
- Austin and Amaya
- Jeremiah and Iris
- Nic and Cierra
- Pepe and Hannah
- Taylor and Olandria
Who’s Single
Huda
Who Got Dumped
- Charlie
- Jalen
Who will stay coupled up and who will get sent home? Will Hurricane Huda blow over, leaving her ready for a new relationship or will her single status result in another elimination?
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