'Love Island USA' Winner Amaya 'Papaya' Reveals Her Advice for Season 8 Islanders Ahead of Finale: 'Trust the Process'

Love Island USA Season 7 winner Amaya "Papaya" Espinal is looking back on her unforgettable villa journey while sharing advice for the remaining Islanders ahead of the upcoming finale.

In an exclusive interview with OK! in partnership with her latest Herbal Essences campaign, Amaya opens up about the unpredictable nature of the show, the Islanders she’s rooting for, her future plans and the full-circle moment of co-creating the brand-new Papaya + Citrus Strength Collection.

After experiencing the highs and lows of the villa herself, Amaya says she has enjoyed watching the current cast navigate relationships and form connections.

“I feel like all of the islanders so far have been doing a great job of indulging in the experience and really getting to know people, making different connections,” Amaya tells OK!. "I genuinely do feel like everyone’s there to form some type of connection. I really do feel like everyone so far has been genuine, and I really hope that’s the case.”

The Season 7 winner admits that while she sees some similarities between herself and certain Islanders, she knows better than anyone that Love Island can change in an instant.

“There are some people where I can see a little bit of myself,” she says, noting she sees herself in Kayda Bosse and Melanie Moreno. “But it’s so unpredictable.”

The reality star reflects on her own experience, revealing she never expected to walk away as the Season 7 winner when she first entered the villa.

“The first week I ever went there, I would have never, ever imagined that I would have been the winner of Season 7,” Amaya says. “So if you think you know what’s going to happen next, you don’t.”

When asked what advice she would give to the Islanders still competing, Amaya notes the most important thing is to trust the journey.

“I would say to literally trust the process,” she explains. “It’s very unpredictable, and the future is undetermined, but just trust yourself. Know that your intentions are pure, and keep focusing on any connection that makes you feel good. You’d be surprised who you end up with.”

Amaya also reveals which couples she's found herself rooting for throughout the current season of Love Island USA, praising Melanie’s handling of her recoupling with Corbin Mims.

"I feel like the way Melanie handled the whole situation with Sincere, it was very mature and gracious," she praises. "I think that’s the whole part of the Love Island experience: when one connection doesn’t work, you go, ‘I want you to see if another connection works.’"

While Amaya is happily moving forward outside the villa, she said she has no regrets about her time on the show.

“I’m someone who lives with no regrets,” she says. “You can never change the past, but I would definitely love to time travel and give just a little whisper in my ear and say, ‘Keep going, Amaya. Don’t worry. All of those fears will be worth it.’”

For Amaya, the biggest goal moving forward is continuing to make her younger self proud.

“I really just want to keep on making little Amaya proud,” she shares. “I want to keep on just making her proud and look at the woman that she’s becoming.”

One of those full-circle moments came through her latest partnership with Herbal Essences, where Amaya helped co-create the brand-new Papaya + Citrus Strength Collection.

“We decided to keep the journey going and make the connection even deeper,” Amaya says of the collaboration. “This is such a full-circle moment for me, especially since it’s papaya-scented. Everything papaya just brings me back home. It brings me back to my roots.”

The strengthening shampoo and conditioner collection marks Herbal Essences’ first new scent launch in years and features a tropical papaya-and-citrus scent that Amaya describes as “a little extra.”

The collection, which launched at Walmart on June 27, was inspired by Amaya’s iconic nickname — a name that actually dates back to her childhood.

“My grandma used to always make me papayas, so she would be like, ‘Amaya Papaya,’” she explains. “But when I went to Fiji, when I went to the villa, Austin [Shepard] was actually the first one who ever called me Amaya Papaya.”

The nickname quickly became a fan favorite, eventually leading to the new beauty collaboration.

“I was like, ‘Wait, hold on, that’s what my grandma calls me. How does this boy know?’” Amaya recalls. “And then it just kind of spread — everyone was calling me Amaya Papaya, and here we have it, guys: Amaya Papaya with the Papaya Herbal Essences set.”

Amaya said affordability was also important when choosing brand partnerships, especially when it comes to products her fans can actually access.

“I want everything to be reasonable,” she says. “I feel like Herbal Essences does such a perfect job of making everyone feel included. And the fact that it’s available at Walmart, I’m like, ‘That makes my life easy. Head to Walmart!’”

The Herbal Essences Papaya + Citrus Strength Collection launched June 27 at Walmart.