Love Island USA Season 8 - Week 1 Reaction Roundup

A compilation of my instant reaction videos to Love Island USA Season 8 posted nightly to YouTube. Spoilers for each episode and if you've watched along with the instant reactions you can skip this roundup episode! 

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Time Codes:
00:00 - Opening Act: Intro & Format Overview
04:36 - General Disclaimers
05:51 - Episode 1 (Tuesday)
19:07 - Episode 2 (Wednesday)
35:16 - Episode 3 (Thursday)
48:41 - Episode 4 (Friday)
1:07:12 - Curtain Call: Sign-off

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#tv #reality #loveislandusa #realitytv #reaction #review #downoncemorepod

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up everyone, and welcome to a special bonus episode of Down Once More Pod. I'm your host, Matt, and I am obsessed with Love Island USA. It's my one like trashy reality show that I just obsess over and watch live, participate in the voting. I got hooked with Love Island UK and Love Island USA when that started. I started watching that right away. The first few seasons were rough. Being hosted on CBS and having it a lot more censored and only a handful of episodes was difficult for me as a Love Island fan to get into. And so I dropped off. Once it moved over to Peacock, I started watching again. And the last few seasons, they have really picked up steam. So last year, I started towards the end of the season hopping on and giving my instant reactions after the episodes aired and posting those to YouTube. And I started out doing on audio platforms and then I moved to just doing a weekly one on audio platforms where I mash everything together. So that's what I'm starting out this season with. If you've been watching on YouTube, I have been doing instant reactions each night after the episode drops and I get to watch it. So they're usually posted around 11 p.m. 11:30 Central Time. So rather than hitting audio listeners who may not give a shit about Love Island with nightly notifications, I mean, if you're a YouTube subscriber, you're still getting those, so I apologize. But I decided audio, I'm just gonna do one mega release at the end of the week. So I'm gonna mash together my episode discussions from each of my instant reactions and put them out as one episode. I'm also gonna put it out on YouTube, so it's on there. So if you've already watched my instant reaction videos, the only thing different is going to be my intro here. And I decided because last year I tried watching some of the After Sun episodes, and they were tough to get through. Then After Sun airs on Saturday nights. So I decided this is going to be the replacement for After Sun. And so I am going to drop it at 7:30 p.m. Central time. So 8:30 Eastern, 7:30 Central on YouTube and audio platforms. So you can check out my instant reactions and one fell swoop if that's what you want to do. The reason I'm doing 8:30 Eastern, 7:30 Central for the drop is because that's actually when the episodes become available on Peacock. If you didn't know that, there's a pro tip for you. They say it starts at 9 8 central, but it actually is 8:30, 7:30. You can access it usually then. Sometimes 7:35, 7:45. But so there's a little pro tip for you. But the only caveat with that is then when it comes time to vote, you have to remember to have your phone ready 30 minutes later to clue in and tune in with everyone else. So your vote can be counted. Voting's important. So a few general call-outs I will do before I get into my episodic reactions is that these are people on the other end of the screen. I don't want people to start bullying. Am I going to judge them? Of course. But the bullying and super hateful talk, I don't want to see that in the comments. Uh, these are people who are put in a very high pressure pressure situation. Yeah, it seems nice they have a trip to Fiji and they get to chill, but you are basically in a compound confined to only the people there, and I think any of us would start to snap and go stir crazy. Now it's happening early as hell this season, and because it is only four episodes in, and we have had multiple people with multiple crash outs. So I think it's gonna be a messy season, and I am here for it. Because I want the drama. I don't really care about the love if I'm being honest. I just want the ridiculous drama. And so without further ado, I'm gonna hop into my episodic instant reaction videos. There are time codes down below if you want to skip. There obviously will be spoiler discussions. So if you haven't watched them yet, don't listen to this or watch this. But I don't do a full recap, it's just my instant reaction and instant thoughts that I want to discuss and talk about. So hopefully you enjoy it. Hopefully, you're watching this season of Love Island because I think we're gonna be in for a good one. So here we go. So, what this will not be is a full in-depth recap of the episode. You watch the episode, you don't need me recapping everything that happened. What it will be is talking about what happened on the show and what I think about the people and the interactions and things that happened on the show. What I'm other thing I'm not gonna do, dive into past social medias, lean in to all the social media discourse. I am chronically offline for having a podcast and getting sucked into that just tends to spiral things so fast. These are real people on the other end of the screens, some of them shitty real people, that can be true too. But keep in mind that on Love Island UK, they had to kind of revamp how they were doing it because multiple contestants ended up taking their life after the chronic bullying and discourse online and in the real world once they got out. So keep that in mind. Spread good vibes, positivity, let's give some people some grace, and let's go from there. So if that's your thing, make sure you subscribe. I'm gonna be doing these every night that there's an episode. So tune in for that. Okay, so tonight, episode one aired. There already was some controversy beforehand. We had one of the announced girls got kind of kicked out and removed from the show before it even started. Gabriel, who was supposed to come out night, be one of the original 12, they made it an original 10, and he was the bombshell at the end of their first full day, which closed out this episode. I did make a video on TikTok where I went through on Instagram, they had each contestant and they posted their ideal neon sign on the Love Island USA Instagram page. So I went through that, gave my thoughts on their signs, some just awful, and also not a good representation of some of their actual vibes. And I did couple predictions based just on that. I did in a roundabout way, I did get Casey and Anaya correct. The other ones pretty pretty off right now. But hey, most of these couples are not in a couple anymore, so anything could happen. Okay, I watching this show, I do feel like an old man. I'm in my 30s, and so every time I watch it, I die a little bit more inside because I find myself wanting to be like an old man screaming at clouds sometimes. I feel like the intro gets more and more cringy every year. I don't know that we needed a four-minute choreographed dance montage introducing each person before we get introduced to each person on the show. Like, why? Who is that for? It's whatever. Fine. Um, and maybe this is because I'm a guy in my 30s and I'm not a 20-year-old girl, but every episode, the intros are so hard, and I fight the urge to just skip to the coupling session because there is so much just high-pitch screeching and screaming. Um, that just feels like this is awkward. We don't know what to talk about. So we're just gonna scream about everything you say and say, You go, bitch, let's do this. So I do miss the days. We were introduced to the cast, um, Beatrice, who goes by by Bea as well, uh, Trinity, Melanie, Kenzie, and Anaya from their videos all had different things going on. The standouts to me were uh Anaya, uh Bea, and I I think those were kind of my two favorites from there. What I got from Kenzie is she is a lot, and that came out in the episode two. Uh, the boys, I I do kind of miss the blind intros back in the day when they used to have where you stand down the heart, there's a person that comes in, you have to choose if you want to couple up with them, not knowing who else will come down the stairs. And I kind of miss those days. They kind of did a little bit of that, but anyways, the original five boys are sincere: Bryce, Zach, Sean, uh, who is a police officer. He says is, but from what I was seeing, I said I was chronically offline, and now I'm gonna kind of contradict myself. That the supposedly the mayor of his town, not happy that he left with like no notice to leave for six weeks for Love Island and left them understaffed. Uh, he said he was called Officer SexyPants by someone. I whatever. Uh, we have Zach, who is Charlie from last season's brother. Charlie was someone who had his kind of villain moments in the show. He would be really great and endearing. I loved him at first. Then he started being kind of a dick. I I don't know. Zach, every every UK contestant, and I come from someone who originally loved Love Island, UK. That's how I got into this show. When they it seems like everyone who is from the UK on this just comes across like a major fuck boy. And I don't know if it's the accent or what, but I mean it's also who you usually cast in this. Bryce, for being the oldest at 29, gives off some major surfer vibes and seems so much younger than he is. But the final guy is Casey, who's a nursing assistant. Uh talked about being passionate about helping people. My favorites were probably Sincere and Casey from the guys on initial vibes. They did their first game that they're doing after everyone met, before coupling up. Their reasoning is to test compatibility before uh coupling, but they do you also like how I said this isn't gonna be a recap, and now I'm just doing a recap. I contradict myself sometimes. I get passionate about Love Island and tend to just go on. So deal with it. Um, that's what you're in for. But I I have to call it this game. There were three doors, there were three options. They had people stand behind the choice that they agreed with, and whoever was on the other side, they gotta make out. And then the final question was one where it's like, Are you excited to be here? And the answer was hell yeah. So obviously everyone's gonna do that, and then everyone makes out. But the first one they did, they started off hot out the gates with it was cowgirl, missionary, and doggy. Say yours your favorite sex position. Um, so uh missionary was the Naya, Casey and Sincere, Doggy was uh Bea, Trinity, Sean, and Bryce. Cowgirl was Kenzie, Melanie, and Zach. Um, the answers that kind of just people who went all for it were uh Bea, Sean, and Zach. But I do just have to call out because Sean, even if he is still a police officer, after the show airs, he is not going to be a police officer anymore. You can't when you are a police officer and living in the world we live today where tensions are already high and people already look for excuses with things, you can't say that you like putting your hand on someone's throat and spitting in their mouth and being more aggressive with the sex stuff. I feel like that is just a little oblivious. So I feel like people who have actual careers that go on here are banking on being successful and be able to turn it into brand deals and get that as their job afterwards. Like they made a big deal about Trinity leaving her job to come to this, so she's serious. She worked at a hardware store, she will find another job. She is banking on becoming an influencer. Like, what are we doing here? But they also asked favorite dog, different questions there, and then they used it to couple up. They're like, Hey, boys are behind the door with their names, girls say who you want to pick, um, and go from there. And they are like, Ooh, you already got a taste of some compatibility, yeah, from these five silly correct questions. But the original couples, we got Bryce and Trinity, uh, Sean and Bea, who they were lockstep with their answers and made out lots during the game. Uh, Casey, there was no one behind his door. Sincere, Anaya, and Melanie were behind his door. He chose Melanie. Zach, Kenzie was behind his door. Um, and so since Sincere picked Melanie, Casey and Anaya were coupled up by default. It ended up working out for them because at the end, where they had the option to say if they wanted to stay in their couples or recouple, um, they were one of the only two couples who said that. So uh Sincere and Melanie and Casey and Anaya are the only couples we had at the end of this episode. We didn't really get anything from day one. We had Ariana showed back up at the end of that first full day, another game. There's doors. You chose if you wanted to stay in your couple or get to know new people. And so Trinity and Bryce both decided they want to go different ways, age gap, too much. Um, Zach and Beatrice were opposite of what their partners wanted to stay. So new bombshells came in. Gabriel was one of them, and the other one is Kata. Uh, Kata says she's in her player mode. Gabriel came across very cocky or confident, depending on how you want to look at it. He described himself as a bad boy and a great kisser. They then each got to make out with the people who said they were open to getting to know new people, and then the episode ended with them walking off. We didn't get to see everyone else's reaction to if people chose to stay with them or not. That will kick off tomorrow's episode. I overall thoughts. I don't really see any of these couples lasting to the end. I think Sincere and Melanie will maybe make it through one, maybe two recouplings. Anaya and Casey, kind of same for them, but I could see them as a long shot, maybe breaking up at one point and coming back to each other. I don't know. There's just something about those two that I could see going. The end of the episode, I like Bea. I like Casey, I like Anaya, and I like Sincere and Melanie as well. Bryce, there's something about him that just doesn't work for me. Kenzie, I she kind of gives me some Kaler vibes or Demi from The Bachelor from years ago, uh Demi Burnett. There, there's something about it that just I don't think she will last long, or she'll be someone who will hop and recouple with new people constantly. So I felt like this was a solid first episode. I'm intrigued enough. The no one seriously majorly annoyed me where I'm like, I can't stand this. Like when I watch the first season of Love Island UK, I'm like, I like none of these people. Um, but then UK picks up seasons two through five of UK, some of the best seasons of reality television ever. And I think it's still on Hulu. There's like 60 episodes a season, they go hard over there. I also have to give out being someone who makes a video podcast who does very minimal editing. What this editing and production crew does is insane. Turning out these episodes in like a day and a half when they have so many different camera angles, footage, clips. Shout out to the producers on that. So I don't really have anything else. That was an overview as I was watching it. Like I said, Sean, some of the things he said was cringy. I knew Bea was gonna go off from him as soon as he dug his heels in about country music, and she's like, No, I hate it. I would rather get a second disability and be deaf, uh, kind of insensitive, but um, then have to listen to country music. And he's like, Nah, I'm gonna force you to listen to country, I'm gonna make it where you like it. And the look on her face, I could tell she was not really feeling it. So we'll see. And everything Zach said was like that he wasn't feeling Kenzie, so it was no surprise when he didn't want to stay. So we'll see what happens. I'm excited for this season. Predictions for this next episode. I think Gabriel will end up uh pairing up with Bea instead of Trinity. I think that Keita will probably go with Zach. I I just don't feel like Bryce is as charismatic, and so I don't necessarily see that happening. I think my predictions for my TikTok video, I do think Bryce and Kenzie could potentially find their way back to each other. They were trending to being a couple, and then apparently Kenzie thought he was a shit kisser. So you gotta practice your kissing skills, people. It is important. Practice does make perfect. So do that in mind. I have a positive list of references. Um, I'm now married, so don't come looking for me. I'm not applying for Love Island, but tune in, subscribe, turn on notifications if you're interested in more kind of reactions. I did almost the exact opposite of what I said. I was gonna do I'm like five initial thoughts. I did go off of what happened and gave a recap. So who knows? You never know what you're gonna get with one of these. It's going to be me rambling and being honest. We'll I may do like one-minute reviews on TikTok eventually. We'll see how sustainable this model is. Uh, I am drinking not sponsored. Uh, this podcast only cost me money. I make no money off of it, but I did drink a liquid death tea with caffeine because I'm like, I am dead halfway through this show. So I need some energy, so I'm not yawning constantly and can watch it. So excited for Love Island. What couple do you think any couples are gonna make it that are currently a couple? Who's your prediction for who the bombshells couple up with? Drop it in the comments, subscribe to Down Once More Pot here, then go follow us over on Instagram and TikTok so you can get all your Love Island content, movie content, musical content. I'm a jack of all trades. It's gonna be a lot of fun here. Hope you come along for the ride and see you next time. And don't forget to go down once more. So we gotta sign things off here, and it actually is very fitting for Love Island as well. Double entendres, gotta love them. See y'all next week. Next tomorrow night. Not next week, it's tomorrow night. Um I'm gonna regret doing this after a week. Noted. Noted. All right, everyone. Love island USA season eight, episode two is out now. Let's just get into it. Bear with me. I'm running on fumes today. I got four hours of sleep last night, long day of work, went out, outdoor concert, music series, came back, watched the show, and here we are. Uh, a couple of things I want to say about the season of Love Island in general. What I don't want is another season of Friend Island. I want people to make moves, chat with everyone, shoot your shot, stir shit up. That's what makes Love Island great. And we're already seeing signs. It's been 24 hours, and I'll get into it. I think you already know who I'm talking about, that it's gonna be a mess this season, and they're we're already having crash outs. 24 hours, people. Uh, I do want to give a shout out. I do really enjoy Ian Sterling's voiceover for it. I know there's some fans divided, and if you don't like Ian's voiceover, then I truly think you're not an OG fan. Uh, he is what makes Love Island because he's gotta bring everything together, break some of the silence or awkward moments with his kind of awkward, quirky kind of dad jokes sometimes. And I think it's great. He's doing this and he's doing the UK one at the same time. Gotta love it. And this episode, we kind of saw more of he keeps going back to the well of Casey working in a nursing home. And so I think that's gonna be this season's Olandria is an elevator salesperson. That was an awful, awful Ian impression, but you get my point. Uh, so I like when he has those little run-on gags and bits, so I am excited to see that. Another thing, I don't get into all the discourse online, uh, it inevitably crosses my radar. So I I will say I'm not as good at reading microaggressions as some of you internet sleuths or reality TV experts. Like my reality TV is limited pretty much to Love Island, starting with Love Island, UK. This is where I give my shout-out. The seasons two through five, Love Island, UK, some of the best seasons of reality television ever, in my opinion. And then some of the like Bachelor, Bachelorette. That's what I've watched. Throwing some housewives in there every now and again. But loving Love Island is my go-to religiously. So one thing I want to call about out from last episodes that we saw fall apart this week, or well, this week, tonight, is that the very first thing when Kenzie, Melanie, and Anaya met each other was making a pact that they were gonna call each other out if they were delusional. And yet we have Melanie gassing up Kenzie in last night. Night's episode encouraging her to keep going with Zack and know she thinks he likes her, and then just not calming her down when she's crashing out that Zach did not uh choose to stay and continue exploring their relationship. Girl, it has been 24 hours. He's made it very clear that you're not his type, and I feel like with his body language and clues, he's yeah, he's a little bit of a flirt, but where he says to her that he tends to waffle, like he's setting the stage to show that he's not that into her because he didn't choose her, right? It was who the girls chose, uh and he only had Kenzie there. So I was not surprised that Zach and Bryce were like, hey, we're gonna go somewhere else. Because Bryce and Trinity, the age gap was messing with Bryce. There's something about Bryce, he's just a little bit awkward and uncomfortable, which got escalated this episode. So I don't know. I think girls need to calm Kenzie down, call her out. Because while I love a crash out, it will get old really fast. Like she's nowhere near Huda levels yet. So I just want to get in front of that. It's more like she gives me more Kaler vibes from a couple seasons ago. So I don't know. So let's get into Kenzie though, because that was the kind of crux and biggest standout to me in this episode was Kenzie's crash out. So, like immediately saying, I'm gonna find someone better. Well, like, yeah, it's been 24 hours. The point of Love Island is to chat with everyone, and as much as you want to say it's about finding love. Let's be honest, it the last few seasons is not really people who are really looking for love. You're there for a good time to have fun, and maybe there's some love, maybe it's just the cynical part of me that believes that. But you also gotta explore your options. That's what is the foundation of Love Island, and that's why I think those early episodes of the UK ones were great. It was, yeah, there were people that were the friends with each other, but they would still talk to their friends, partners, like things like that. Everyone was chatting with everyone, didn't really care who they pissed off, and so that's why I kind of like when the bombshells come in, but then I hate when the OGs can be mean girls to them. The guys usually they're growing it up easier because that was one of my issues last season. It would seem like most of the guys were more interested in just being buddy buddies and hanging out with each other than some of the girls. We even got that towards the end of the season hardcore. That's not what makes the show fun. I want catty drama, so that's why like there's some people that hate Kenzie. And while I'm not a bit the biggest Kenzie fan, the crash outs and drama are what makes the show fun. You need something to shake your head out and be like, girl, just calm down. So, like I said, everyone should be open to exploring other relationships and conversations at this point. And we got that through this episode with Anaya and Sean kind of hitting hinting that they were into each other and everyone each other's second choice. So I think that'll get explored in the coming days. Um, Kenzie and the talking head, the confessional saying, I always choose cheaters, and I grew up watching Ella Enchanted, so I just want a fairy tale. I watch movies where guys treated girls well. I he's not cheating, he straight up he's like, I'm not into you. So he left to explore someone else. It's the opposite of cheating, really. Um, and then she told Sincere and Casey, she's like, Yeah, I was flipping off the door um when he was behind there, and just like another thing that it's I don't know if these people have not watched the show before or are just delusional that you have to get how you're coming across to everyone else when you're crashing out like this. Like when she's then talking with Sean, she's like, No, I'm totally fine, I don't even fucking care. Like, fuck him. Uh yeah, you're clearly acting like you're fine and not bothered by it. And then at the end, when Zach was the one that read out um that she was now single and vulnerable, and she blew him a kiss and said, Thank you. Like, I it's petty, it's childish. I what are we doing? And then I thought the wildest thing that she did, maybe, was tell Sean that I want to feel like a gazelle, and the lion is af running after me and only me. Girl, the lion is going to eat the gazelle and kill the gazelle. That is just an awful analogy. Um, I like I don't know something else that would be better. Like, you can't do Tom going after Jerry. You can't do like I feel like Peppy Le Pew was one of the ones back in the day, but then that's like, ooh, little little creepy, uh, little uh stalkery vibes. So that's not a good thing. Although Kenzie might love a guy who stalks her. I fuck if I know. But other things I want to touch on the bombshells. I thought it was so weird. I don't love the move of having the bombshell take both the people that were willing to be single with them. So, like with Keda, with Bryce and Zach both there, it's just so awkward. I said it last night's recap. Bryce just feels so awkward and off to me. Wife is a fan of him. I he doesn't do it for me. Like, Bryce is one of my bottom two or three of the season as of right now, and he's just so awkward and uncomfortable. Like, I don't think he's built for this show. Probably a very nice guy. This is not the right setting for him. He is going to get eaten alive. So it was so awkward with Zach and Bryce both kind of flirting with Kata, and the fact that they were all sharing a bed, and then when they all go to bed and Kata's the lights are out, that's why we have the night vision cameras. Kata's over there kissing Zach, and then it's the biggest, widest bed ever. And Bryce like crawls over, like, I want to get in on some of this too, which is weird and awkward in general. And then Kata's like, nah, you're gonna be at left out of this one. Like that rejection and just him getting swerved like that was so uncomfortable and so cringy. Like, I was feeling like watching it, like Casey at the fire pit. Casey's definitely someone who smiles when he it's an awkward situation or he's uncomfortable because he's just sitting there during all the awkwardness looking down and smiling. That's how I felt in that moment, just internally dying inside. I I did feel bad for him in that moment. But um, uh Gabriel, um, Gabriel Gabriel, he's instead of both ways. Um, he is a model and a DJ in Miami because of course he is. This is the he is one of the most overtly flirty sexual guys that we have had on the season on Love Island in years, and the accent, I think he is going to be a player and he is going to stir shit up. So I'm excited to see where that goes. One thing I do have to call out though, and I always wonder this, every time I watch the show, everyone kisses like this. They basically Gabriel especially is basically sticking his entire tongue out and licking the girl's face before he slides his tongue into their mouth um to just doing the most. And maybe being in my 30s, I'm out of touch. Like, it is that how people in their 20s are kissing these days? I like don't get me wrong, I love a good makeout. I love slipping the tongue in there every now and then. Also, there's no cool way to describe making out. So, like slipping the tongue in there, I I hated that. But I'm not leading with full tongue forward, just like that's not what are we doing. But hey, maybe if that's what all y'all are into, then more power to you. I don't want to yuck yuck anyone's yum. Um I I do also it's something that is a staple of Love Island. Everyone talking about, well, they're not my type, I just want someone that's my type. I get most people have like a usual what they're drawn to and attracted to, but sometimes you gotta break type, but you don't necessarily want someone that you've always gone to because clearly something's off, something's not working there. That's why you're here to uh find love and a connection. But uh Gabriel has just insane player vi vibes. Just I I don't know, but I do think he is going to be a hot commodity. Him and Bea right now, I knew he was going to choose her as soon as when him and Trinity were on the date, and she is talking about him settling down and having kids soon. He's like, I'm 26, I'm still young, still got time. She's like, Well, I know when I'm in my 30s, because she's the youngest contestant, she's 23. Uh, she's like, I know I want to settle down then and be going. And I'm like, that is not the vibe he is giving off at all. They do not mesh in that regard. Whereas Bea is also has that kind of wild sexual energy, and they are just feeding off each other. And so I knew that was what the couple was gonna be. Same with um Keda. I knew she was gonna pick Zach at the end because her and Bryce, like their date, and her just saying that he's so cute so many times, just came across like she's like, I don't know what else to say. I do not care for this man one bit. I just want this date to be over. Also, clearly, all their money on production this season went into those new like island villas that everyone stayed in because the dates, what was up with that? We have sitting on a bench, we have some fruit, we have some plastic to go, like convenience store cups. It looks like, and then we have um Bryce and Kata just playing cornhole, playing bags. Like, I come on now, what are we doing here? Um, also part of me feels like this wasn't unplanned, they didn't originally have planned to have bombshells come in this quickly, but with Vasana being kicked out and Gabriel now being switched to a bombshell that they wanted to pair another girl in there too. And also, like, the I don't know what they're doing because when Trinity and Bryce were left over, and they're like, Well, since no one chose you, you stay a couple. Why? They did not want to stay a couple with each other, they want to explore other options, they should also be single and vulnerable. It's fucking stupid that uh Kenzie and Sean are single and vulnerable, but Bryce and Trinity do not. If anything, it should be that Bryce and Trinity are single and vulnerable, and Sean and Kenzie are safe because they didn't choose to be single and vulnerable. Bryce and Trinity did. They chose not to be with each other and be open to exploring other options. So they should I you can make the other argument that Sean and Kenzie decided they wanted to be with their person and their person just rejected them. But I don't know, make all of them single and vulnerable. I that was just a stupid move. I hated that. Those are really all like the main standouts to me. My like instant reaction thoughts, and it was a little jumbled. I was jumping all over the place, but I just that's how I feel with it. It was just a little bit of a jarring, awkward episode. I don't know. There's definitely some drama brewing, and that's how it always is. Usually the first week is a little slower, you've got some random crash-outs because you gotta have those thrown in. But I don't know. Uh Kenzie, I think she will stay because of her crash-outs. Maybe her and Bryce will end up trying again. But I because I said in my preview where I just paired people based on what their neon signs said, that's who I put together. So maybe it's what's meant to be. But I think him being a bad kisser was a turnoff for her, and I don't know if that's something they can overcome. I don't know. I just I don't think Bryce is built for this show. I don't think it's the right setting for him. I do think he's like a sweet guy, uh, but that usually doesn't work out for people. Okay, Love Island USA season eight, episode three. This is where all the lying begins. This is where things start getting fun. I only have a handful of people in my life that I have managed to convince to watch Love Island and have these discussions with, so I throw it out here on the internet instead. So let's get into this week's episode. Uh, as I've said before, I'm not gonna do a full recap of the episode. I'm gonna say the main things that stood out to me. And I said this is where the lies begin, and so we're gonna call out the key liars. And I'm using it a little tongue in cheek and loosely. Key liars, Kenzie, Sincere, Kata, a little bit of Melanie, and those are my main offenders this episode. Let's start with Kenzie, because that started like five minutes into the episode. She's telling Melanie, no, I'm done with Zach. I'm not gonna talk about him anymore. Like, fuck him, essentially, and then proceeds to throughout the entire episode talk about Zach. So that happened. Then Sincere and Kata's uh lies both were to Melanie uh when they were saying what their chat was like when Sincere pulled Kata for a chat. Uh Sincere saying, Oh, is really just asking these three basic things, not really like, oh, we're gonna explore each other, and then Kata telling Melanie, yeah, it didn't really flow. We were just uh just it was just whatever. I wasn't really feeling it, it wasn't really flowing well for me. I felt like there was some chemistry there, they were having some good back and forth, they bonded, had some things in common. I could see that being a whole thing. I we didn't really I I'm not sold on Zach and Kata before. Now I know with her two choices, Zach and Bryce, knew she was gonna go with Zack over Bryce, but most of this episode were was Zack and Bryce interacting with each other, and then Zach and Kata, which is probably more my speed. I need a nice hybrid between them and Bea and Gabriel of the the kissing wise, because Gabriel continues to just lick the woman's entire face when he goes to kick kiss her, and then Zach and Kada were doing like really sweet, just like pecs, uh not really getting super into it, which is probably more realistic and fair, what you're gonna do surrounded by other people when you just met someone 24 hours ago. But we will see what happens there. So now I'm gonna jump back to Kenzie. Uh, her on the first night, Zach tries to pull her for a chat, have a conversation, her refusing to talk to him uh when she's up there talking to Sean, kind of trying to commiserate. She's tried to make some moves on Sean already. He's doing the same. Uh, then her saying she didn't want to chat, and then once Zach left, saying, ooh to Sean, really, really, what are we doing here? And then refusing to talk to him the second day. But I think that was also partially when she was all gassed up from her chat with Gabriel, or as Gabe as she insisted on calling him this episode, and saying, Well, she told Trinity that her kitty purred a little bit, so that was fun, and you could tell the flirting vibes there. Gabriel just seems very relaxed, and he is a smooth operator. Kenzie came across very excited and desperate. She could not stop fiddling with her bikini straps by her tits, just trying to get him, just bring in some uh eye movement there. But hey, maybe it was innocent, maybe she was nervous and she was fidgeting. I fidget when I'm nervous, so I get that. But just refusing to have a conversation with Zach, just kind of making things hostile a little bit there, and then the same with when they did their game at the end of the episode, choosing him to push in the pool, which I was about at a 95% success rate for who was who in the cards that we got to see. But all those moments just a little ridiculous, and then also like Sean the next morning, uh kissing him multiple times when he brings breakfast, that whole thing. So them just all of a sudden being like whoosh, and then her telling Trinity, well, I'm feeling it with both Sean and Gabriel, and then saying she wanted to talk to Bryce too. I I'm so torn because on one hand, Kenzie the crashing out is ridiculous, but because like it's been 24. Well, now it's been 48 hours. Uh, so Ian's commentary in this episode was spot on. One of his finest performances, in my opinion. But I I do respect that she doesn't really give a fuck who's coupled up now, and I think it's kind of she's trying to throw it in Zach's face and do some flirting. But hey, talk to people who are in couples, sew your oats, do whatever you want to do. That's what Love Island is. It's about shooting your shot, pulling people, having chats. Um, it sneaky pulls. Melanie said that Sincere sneakily pulled Kata. I don't know that was very sneaky because they were right in the pathway where Melanie walked by, and just because she wasn't observant in the moment to catch who Sincere was with, which I also don't necessarily believe, then that means it's sneaky. But him and Kata did both lie to Melanie about the tenor of their conversation, which I cannot blame Kata in that moment when Melanie is going kind of crashing out and being like, yo, this is what the blah blah blah blah blah blah. Um, if he cheats, I'm gonna cheat back. Uh cheaters, I'm not gonna put up with that. And respect to Trinity just being like, no, they cheat like I'm done. I'm not putting up with that shit. And so I who I came out more of a fan of this episode. Uh Trinity, who I was also already pretty high on, Casey, already pretty high on Anaya, still one of the top ones for me. I kind of like Kata still, it's very early, but those are kind of my top of the pack. There is a part of me too that likes Zach because I also am a sucker for uh British accent. I grew up, well not grew up, but Love Island, the gateway for me was Love Island, UK, seasons two through five, best seasons of real of reality television ever. I think I will say that every episode of this recap. But I don't know. This episode had some good moments, some that didn't really do it for me. One of my highlights was sincere talking in his talking head about his conversation with Kata, saying, Yeah, I really want Melanie, and that's the relationship that I'm confident in. But and then he compared it to fishing, he's like, You fish, you catch a fish, you're like, That's a beautiful fish, you catch, you catch another fish, you're like, Oh, that's also a beautiful fish. And you can keep two fish, you don't need to throw one back, you can keep both fish and just be like, Wow, these are beautiful fishes, which doesn't necessarily work in this context. Well, to be fair, he did tell Melanie on in episode one that he is more of a roster guy who kept a roster. That was one of their first conversations after coupling up, but I did like the fish analogy. Um, I also like I was here for the moment of Bea like coaching Zach on what to say. She's like, just say, like, I validate your feelings, just say some shit like that. Say some shit like that. Girls love that. Which, yes, there are mixed feelings because obviously now it's probably not gonna be sincere from Zach. He's just saying the right things, he is being coached, but that moment was entertaining to me. The heart behind it, maybe it takes away the sincerity and genuineness behind any kind of apology he was gonna make. But as we saw, Kenzie refused him twice. No apology may happen in here. One of the other highlights for me is Kenzie asking Gabriel how many languages he speaks. He tells her all of them. He asks what she speaks, and she's like, Well, I'm actually I'm learning Italian, but I am not really good at it yet. He's like, Well, you're learning it, you should know something, right? And then she starts speaking only in Spanish and saying Spanish things. And he's like, Well, you said Italian, that's Spanish, right? And then she couldn't say like a single Italian. Word and so I loved that moment. Um, some of the moments that stood out in the game. So the game was your person read a card, chose who they thought it was, pushed them in the pool, then revealed who it was. We found out Gabriel had sex with a 52-year-old. Uh could have called I was between Gabriel and Bryce on that. Bryce also seems like someone who would have had sex with a 52-year-old, but good for him. Uh Sean being the one that broke up with someone and slept with someone new the same day. I called that shit. Uh the story was a kind of lame story. But uh Trinity was one of the standouts being that she gave a guy a blowjob while her mom was driving the SUV in the back seat. Now, I have been young and in high school that similar situations have happened, but that is just a wild story to tell, and it is a ballsy move. So, respect to her. Uh, I did like that like Casey and everyone's like, oh, we need more details, information. I mean, like, I it's pretty straightforward. We were in the car, my mom was driving, and I gave a guy a blowjob in the backseat. Like, I what other details are there? It's all in the story, in the question. And then, of course, the question about who's someone who has texted a girl while in a relationship. Um, it being sincere, and knew that's where it was headed. Great job by the production team. Uh, ending on that one, and because you know, people submitted these contestants multiple answers, multiple questions, and there were many that we probably didn't see, right? These games usually last contestants said actual afterwards that it lasts like hours of production and doing that, and you we just see a very little bit of it. What the only thing that could get me to watch After Sun this year is if they start doing what the UK one did, and instead of like the After Sun, it's unseen bits, so it's like deleted scenes that we don't see, which they've got hours of footage that we never get to see. So I would be a fan of that. Let's see some of the more ridiculous conversations that maybe aren't feeding the relationship plot, but especially the guys having really stupid conversations with each other, creating stupid challenges or things to do just to kill time. I always find that entertaining. That would get me to start watching After Sun. I think sometimes they do like one or two in there, but it's not enough. Just give me a whole episode of the unseen bits. One thing I did respect when Casey was talking to Sincere, Casey's like, yeah, she got mad, she got butthurt. I respect that. I am someone who probably uses butthurt more than a almost 34-year-old should, but I I did respect that and appreciated Casey throwing a butthurt out there. I the one thing that I'm gonna end it on, this is my last big thing that really annoyed me and dropped Melanie down a little bit off my list because I liked her and Sincere uh a lot. I knew it wasn't gonna last, but I liked them as a couple for what we were getting. But when they're finally having their conversation after not talking to each other all day, which is the other thing that's just wild to me, I'm like, you are in a villa stranded with each other. How do you not talk to each other the entire day? At some point, that's gotta be on you a little bit, right? You can't just blame the other person. But when she's like, Yeah, when I was told that you pulled uh what's her name? And since here goes Kata, and she's like, Katie. Uh, when I found out you pulled Katie and then doubled down, I'm like, that is petty, that is messy, that's just you trying to be a dick. Uh, you heard what he said, you knew her name is Kata. You've had multiple conversations with her, you're just being a little immature. And you could tell with that conversation, Sincere was just getting frustrated and turned off. Now, was he a little gaslighty during the conversation? Absolutely, but I don't know. I don't know. Uh, we had the preview for tomorrow's episode. We're gonna get a new mail bombshell, we're gonna have another game. This one is gonna be the first one outside of the villa, so release some of everyone's cabin fever, and so that should be a good time. There are always fights that happen after those games where you're choosing people and making out with people, so it should be great. All right, Love Island USA, season eight, episode four. I just got done watching it, so I'm going to give you my instant reaction and thoughts. Not a full recap, but I will be touching on a lot of things that happened this episode that I have strong feelings on. First up, Melanie, this episode. I Melanie, I think, is already going stir crazy, especially seeing by the end of this episode and feeling like having these narratives about people out to get her, I think, and then just going back and forth and wishy-washy with her feelings on Kata and how she's projecting. She's given kind of mean girl energy, she's given going to snap. I saw people comparing her online to Huda from last season. I think that is a bit extreme, but we are on the trajectory of um getting fiery, Melanie, hardcore, especially with how this episode ended. Let's just start talking about Melanie and her moves throughout this episode, right? At the very beginning, she's talking to Anaya casually and saying, if I want to pull Casey, I'm gonna pull Casey and saying that she's gonna pull Casey and Gabriel for a chat. She said that both the night before and the next morning. Anaya both times looked none too thrilled about that, at least from the edit we're seeing, right? There could be other conversations that were fine, which I feel like there has to be a little bit, because then the next morning when Melanie pulls Casey and Anaya looks and seems not happy and pissed about it, but then when she's talking to Sincere, it's that she's pissed at Casey because she feels like Casey's not being genuine and should just communicate things with her. Even though Melanie was the one that pulled Casey, Casey didn't pull her, at least from what we're seeing. From what they have shown us, Casey has not been pulling anyone else and having chats with anyone. Now, there is an aspect where we're all seeing this through the producer's lenses. We are seeing exactly what they want us to see. They're in the villa 24 hours a day with each other. We are getting a day and a half in a one-hour time period, right? So there is a lot to that we are not privy to. But the narrative we're getting right now, Casey's into Anaya, and not really anyone else until we get some kissing uh later with Melanie, which was an interesting move on Melanie's part. But I just Melanie after the conversation is going and saying, I just want to get to know him better. I want to get to know him better. I liked it, it was a really good combo. I think she was telling Trinity that, and I just the way she's moving acting to be best friends with Anaya, and then that is why I love Love Island. It is messy as hell, and that's what kicks off the drama. So then we get our first outside the villa challenge, which is the boss bitch challenge. It is where the girl gets to choose a person they're not coupled up with as their office crush and then make out with them a little bit. Then they choose someone to the answer of a question that's designed to stir shit up, and then they go into a room, and that is where our new bombshell Corbin is making out with each of the girls, keeping it secret from the guys, which I don't know, you'd think they gotta be a little bit suspicious when the girls are just in that room for like five minutes and come out just with some money stuffed in their bikini. And then the girl makes out with the person they're coupled up with. Uh so who we got on here? Anaya chose Sean as her office crush, dumped Casey in the slime, and then obviously made out with Casey right after that. Uh uh Bea, she chose Sincere as her crush and made out with him. He went hard in the paint for that, then dumped Kenzie in the slime for not really essentially not liking how she was moving with uh Gabriel and all of that. Jazz that we've seen the last episode and a half. Trinity chose Sean to make out with. Sean was very popular this episode, and then chose Bryce to dump in there, which he was a little butthurt by, because it was for who do you think isn't really necessarily genuine in their couple, essentially, just because she's on the friend zone vibe, she doesn't see the romantic spark, and we got that later when they're having their conversation afterwards. Can you tell that I've been running on like four hours of sleep the past few nights doing these recaps and editing it and work and all that fun stuff? It's been great. But, anyways, Bryce butt heard about it, they have a conversation later, and I I'll get into that later. I'm gonna be somewhat chronological this time. Uh, then Melanie chose Casey to make out with, and both of them went hard, and Naya wasn't very happy, both about Melanie choosing Casey, and then how into it Casey seemed, which it is the name of the game. Uh, you did the same thing with Sean earlier, so you a little different. And then Melanie dumped Kata, which we knew is gonna happen. She did say her name right, she said Kata instead of Katie, but she did the talking to Anaya earlier. She's like, and what's her name? She's like, Kata. And so we got that whole thing. But then to Anaya, Melanie said Raya and said, Oh, Kata. But, anyways, she dumped Kata, obviously being a little petty with that, wasn't happy about since you're in Kata having a chat. Then Kenzie went and she chose Gabriel as her office crush, which no surprise there. And then uh she dumped Anaya as it was the person essentially that you think is the island gossip, and she said just because Anaya has the tea. And Kenzie was on one in this challenge. She kissed Kata, she was doing the splits, she threw papers at Zack, just really doubling down on the being petty and a little immature to Zach, which is gonna bite her in the ass because Sincere and Sean were having a conversation after the challenge, and Sean was saying, like, how she was acting with Zach is basically a red flag for him, showing some emotional immaturity, which, yeah, she's in her early 20s, and you've seen how she's acted. And that's what I said in my recap last night. Kenzie's gotta be mindful of these things because everyone else is seeing how she's acting, they're seeing when she's acting petty, she they're seeing how she's just digging her heels in after she says she's not gonna talk about it or she's over it or moving on. Same with what we saw Melanie do at the end of the episode. But Kenzie was on one in this episode, and hats off to her for that. Uh, and she kissed Sean at the end so she wasn't coupled up, so they went after it. And Sean was vocal as hell during this challenge. Um, gave strip club vibes, uh hardcore. Uh, he seems like a strip club guy. But then after that, Kata went, she was the final one. She picked Sincere as her office crush. And Sincere for her question was who do you think needs a promotion from their couple? And she chose Sincere for that, just being petty as hell, which I'm not gonna lie, I loved the shit out of it. Like I said, that drama and the messiness is what I like about the show. So I loved that move. And then afterwards, when all the girls were chatting, Melanie was kind of pissed about choosing Sincere, and Kata straight up said, like, no, you chose to dump me, and I was gonna choose you to dump no matter what the question is. But then when I read it, I chose him kind of like as a jab to you. And then in the talking head, Melanie's like, she probably was just trying to like get back at me with respect. It's like, well, yeah, no shit. She explicitly told you to your face that she did it to get back to you. So, whatever. Overall, fun challenge. All the girls made out with the new guy, got some action, everyone was hooting, hollering. The only person that really seemed kind of upset from the challenge, from what we saw, was Melanie, uh, when Casey, not Casey, Melanie when Sincere and Kata were making out, and then Kata picked Sincere to dump, and then her like petty smile and stuff when she chose Kata to dump as well. And then Bryce, just because Trinity dumped him, he's like, No, I'm gonna show her, I'm gonna show out with this kiss. And then Kenzie, just so mean, doubling down on now multiple times, saying that Bryce just has a turtle tongue. And he's like, Oh, she was getting all of that turtle tongue, and it's just it's mean, but I I'm not the biggest Bryce fan. I think he's awkward. Like, right now, if we're being honest, the strongest couples in the show are Sincere and Sean and Bryce and Zach. Those are strongest couples right now, just like straight up, that's how it is. Afterwards, that night when people are having their conversations, Trinity and Bryce are talking, and Bryce said, No, like I took that like a little personal, and so like you're my favorite person to talk to here. And Trinity just hit him with the aww. And that that was cringy. I had secondhand embarrassment on that. Like, that was not like a man, I really like that you said that. And then he was talking about like, no, after that, I knew I need to show out, show you that I'm a dog, and you're gonna see that side of me. It it just seems there's something about it, it just seems so forced from Bryce. I don't know what it is, it just seems awkward and weird. And then at the end of the conversation, Trinity was just like going for pecs, and Bryce was on it, like obviously, keep trying to do more, opening his mouth and going in more, and then her just pulling away and then doing another peck and then saying, like, oh, I just don't want to mess up my makeup. But then she's talking to Anaya saying, I think that conversation really was good. Like, we're both on the same page where he said that that friendship can build a fan foundation, and I think, yeah, I'd never thought of it that way. I think that's good. I that to me gave more like, okay, I want to make sure that we don't get cut with the first dumping for who's not the strongest couple, and so I gotta make sure that it seems like we do have a spark so we don't get dumped. That could just be me reading too much into it, but nothing she is doing or is giving the vibes that she is into Bryce whatsoever. Anyways, they get called, everyone goes to the fire pit. Corbin, our new bombshell, comes down. He's 22, he does seem young as hell, so he's right in Trinity's age range. Uh, Casey clocking immediately when he said, It's nice to see you all again. Melanie was acting giddy as fuck when he came in and was talking. It was just so excited. All the girls were really excited and like giggly about it. Um, Corbin revealed to the guys, and just like you could tell he was like scripted with this information, and it was so kind of cheesy. Like, well, should I reveal to the guys, or ladies, do you want to tell them? And he's like, Well, since the ladies won't tell you, I it's my duty to tell you that he was in the room they already made out with the girls. Um, the guys go out, and you could tell Sincere's upset with how into it Melanie's acting. And I don't have a complete read on Melanie if if she's genuinely into him, or if this is just I am going to show out. Like she even said at the beginning, when she's talking to Anaya, no, I told him he's gonna pull people for chats. I'm gonna pull people for chats tomorrow. Like, is she just trying to be petty and doing jabs and getting back as sincere? I don't know. Like that shit, like that shit I'm too old for. It is entertaining to watch on TV, but if that was me, I'd be like, miss me with that shit. I'm out. Um, and then Corbin's chatting with all the girls, and in the middle of them all having a group conversation, Melanie interrupts and says, Can I pull you for a private chat really quick? And just leaves with him and goes and chats with him all giddy, and then just comes back to the girls. And while she's gone, the girls are talking about how Melanie was kind of blocking other people, it almost seemed like, and getting really into it, and she needs to calm down. And they all thought Kenzie should have been first, and she's the single person, and that she would go next. Bea was kind of the ringleader of this as well. Like, don't I think Bea is calculating as well, and she is very good at being measured in her response and tempering things with she knew that calling Melanie out when she came back for her moves with blocking people and then pulling him was going to set Melanie off. Melanie has been just kind of, I don't know if insecure is the right word, but she has been just on the edge this entire episode, the entire day. And I think there is a part of Bea that knew how this was going to go if she brought it up and tried to confront Melanie. And I think that is why Trinity, uh Anaya didn't really say anything, but she was agreeing with them when Trinity Bea and Anaya were all talking about it. Uh Anaya didn't really say anything that we saw when Melanie came down there, but Trinity started to say something at the beginning that she kind of agreed, and then Melanie started like getting defensive as hell and just arguing and then doing uh okay then and just a smile. It was scary. And then she's saying, Well, then we can just move on. And cause Bea's like, Yeah, that's fine. And then Melanie brings it up and starts going at it again, and then gets up and leaves and saying, uh, Bea she thinks Bea did too much, she didn't know what she's on about. She's doing too much there. I don't know why she's coming at me, and then just walks away, starts freaking the fuck out, tries to ask Kata, saying, I need to talk to someone, and trying to talk to, I think it was Keda she was trying to pull, not Zach. And you could tell Kata wanted no part of that. Thankfully, Anaya came up and said, Let's go talk. And she's like, Okay, where do you want to go? And and Anaya says, back to the couch. He's like, I'm not going back to the couch. She kept saying that over and over, and then give me 10. Give me 10. Like, we are dangerously close to the point where the staff therapists that they have are going to take Melanie out before she freaks the fuck out hardcore on someone. But I don't know. That's where the episode left us. We're promised there's no new episode tomorrow night, there's no after sun tomorrow night. So we all get to take a break, do some other stuff on a Saturday night, and then we get to come back Sunday, and there is going to be the first dumping. So also, they had put stuff out through the app giving notifications yesterday about getting ready to vote, but then I didn't get any notification or see anything about a vote in the app. So I don't know if plans changed or what. Maybe I missed something. I don't think I did, but the voting aspect is why you gotta watch live. And technically, they cannot rig games legally because there is a cash prize on the line and people are voting. However, they can still edit things however the fuck they want. They still control what we see. There are producers pulling the strings, so we don't need to get too break the fourth wall and meta about it, but it is just something to keep in mind, especially like I've said, these people are real people behind the screens. Let's not give them a shitload of hate in real life. Like I said, I'm commenting on the actions on the show. They are in just a bubble, so everything is gonna be heightened. You are stuck there where it is just you, 12 people, 13 now, and a bunch of cameras, producers, everything like that. You have no connection to the outside world, anything like that. You are going to ghost her crazy. They put you in these situations so that you like and tests have said before, you get little sleep, you're just in this bubble, you're hearing things from producers, other people feeding things to you. So, and they've said like the challenges to film them actually take like four to six hours. Like, it is an insane amount of time. Which before the challenge, I do think it's funny just to picture like that everyone's doing like an individual photo shoot beforehand because we had all the individual pictures of the girls and their outfits on the table before it. So that's just a funny visual to me. Like everyone's just waiting, and they're like, Hey, we gotta give everyone do let's do multiple poses, shoot multiple scenes of you solo for the intro. So everyone's probably just chilling for like an hour waiting for this challenge to start as well. So I do find that kind of funny. Um honestly, if I'm looking at it right now, who we have who I think will be dumped. If people are voting, depends. If Melanie doesn't lock her shit down, people might vote her off. I I'm getting the vibe from Centers like, well, now, like that they're gonna prove it more. So this could be the oh, we're gonna have our troubles early and then lock in and be good the rest of the season. I don't want that. Let's break them up, each go separate ways, stop trying to throw things in the other person's face. Kenzie needs to chill the fuck out about Zach. She's done it like I get it's fresh. Uh, it it's been a couple days now, though. Move on. You say you're moving on, actually move on and let it go so you don't scare off everyone else. Guys, can you stop gaslighting people and just let's keep the drama going. Let's keep the discourse fun and not hateful. All right, so hopefully you liked this compilation format, and so I will be doing this every Saturday, uh as time and everything permits. But that's my plan as of now. I don't have any vacations planned. So for right now, I have no life besides work, Love Island, and podcasts. So that's what it is. So you get to benefit from that. Turn on notifications, subscribe, like, comment, follow, all that fun stuff. Appreciate you if you just found me because of Love Island. I do a lot of other fun stuff on the pod. I do weekly coffee videos on short form platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels. So go to those platforms and follow us there at Down Once More Pod on almost everything. And I also do weekly episodes. Full episodes drop on Wednesdays, and I talk about a mix of things. I give a streaming and theater preview of what's coming every month. That's the first episode of the month. I do movie reviews, I do musical movie reviews. This did start primarily as a musical podcast because musicals are another one of my passions, my three passions probably uh musicals, coffee, and love island. So I just throw all of those into the one podcast, and you all get to suffer through it with me. So thank you if you're here for the ride. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to go down once more. Later.