'Love Island USA' Season 7: Unseen Behind-the-Scenes Drama and Revelations!

Attention, Love Island fans! Less than 24 hours after exiting the Love Island USA villa in Fiji, stars Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales, along with their fellow Islanders, used their newly returned phones to chat about their time on the show. The hit series followed s--- singles as they coupled up and tackled steamy challenges, all while striving to avoid being dumped by viewers and co-stars.

The eight Islanders — Espinal, 25; Arenales, 28; Nic Vansteenberghe, 24; Olandria Carthen, 27; Chris Seeley, 27; Huda Mustafa, 24; Iris Kendall, 25; and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez, 27 — recently spent up to six weeks under the watchful gaze of 115 cameras, completely cut off from the internet and the outside world. With episodes edited and streamed in near real-time, the show boasts a whopping 1.2 billion minutes streamed for its initial nine episodes.

Before you dive deeper, here are some key takeaways from our chat with the Islanders. Yes, Espinal truly speaks in mixed metaphors ("We are not playing math here. We're not going to subtract and make ourselves smaller!" she quipped during her joint interview with Arenales). No, Vansteenberghe and Carthen, a.k.a. "Nicolandria," were not created by producers.

Plus, fans will be shocked to know the cast really did devour pancakes every day, consuming a staggering 130 boxes of mix throughout Season 7.

The Islanders shared a single room, curling up with their current partners each night. For Garcia-Gonzalez, the endless sleepovers felt like being part of a "big family."

"This particular family was doing a lot of hooking up," he added with a laugh. Here's some good news: there are 40 sets of sheets in constant rotation, and five to eight bags of laundry head out daily.

KENDALL: "There's definitely a lot of snoring, and there's definitely a lot of kissing."

VANSTEENBERGHE: "After Casa Amor [the second villa on set], there were 20 people in that room who were three inches from each bed. You just hear everything."

SEELEY: "Only getting three hours of sleep and being woken up by the voice of God like, 'Good morning, Islanders,' is crazy. That bright light shines — it really blinds you in the morning — and you have no choice but to get up."

GARCIA-GONZALEZ: "Everybody's giving hugs to each other. It's kind of like one of those things you do with your cousins on Christmas when you all get together and sleep in the same room."

ESPINAL: "It's really crazy how much you forget that you're being recorded. The cameras are so small; it's like security cameras. You don't even see them."

After her breakup with Jeremiah [Brown], Mustafa shed tears around the villa and was caught eavesdropping. While some deemed it reality TV gold, others expressed concern for her well-being. Mustafa asserted she was fine and would handle the same situation differently.

MUSTAFA: "I definitely went to the [show] psychologist when I needed it. … TV only shows a fraction of what's going on in the villa; I wasn't crashing out every two seconds!"

The challenges, designed by a dedicated nine-person team alongside additional builders and painters, were anything but ordinary. One standout was the "What's Your Beef?" challenge, where the men transferred milk from fake udders to their partner's mouths, while the heart rate challenge tested the Islanders' trust and connection.

KENDALL: "They make [the challenges] really entertaining for us. You're getting soapy, milk spit in your mouth… I was just like, 'This is fun.'"

VANSTEENBERGHE: "Once you do one, it gets easier. By the last challenge, you're like, 'Oh, this is just another Tuesday.'"

CARTHEN: "They always called [Vansteenberghe and me] the challenge king and queen. We gotta take it there every time."

The Islanders rocked bikinis and heels daily, but only Espinal brought a wardrobe change, debuting the season's first-ever muumuu.

KENDALL: "For me, it was easy wearing bikinis every day because I was born and raised in California."

CARTHEN: "There are cameras — I'm gonna wear heels! … I had no choice but to be in heels every day."

ESPINAL: "There were some days where some of the girls and I were like, 'F--- it, we're just not gonna wear makeup.' … I just wanted to breathe!"

Earlier this season, Zak Srakaew shared his regret about a missed connection with Mustafa. Seeley also looked back at not exploring other potentials.

SEELEY: "I'd say Olandria and Amaya. … I didn't take it seriously because Chelley was who I came in there for."

Cierra Ortega was eliminated after controversial social media posts surfaced. Vansteenberghe felt lost without her and struggled while adapting to changes.

VANSTEENBERGHE: "I had no idea what was going on — all of a sudden your strong connection leaves the villa, and you don't know why."

From the beginning, fans supported Vansteenberghe and Carthen, even coining the ship name "Nicolandria." Their chemistry blossomed despite challenging sidelights.

CARTHEN: "We were mind-blown when we found out the fans were rooting for us."

Espinal captured viewers' hearts with her unapologetic self-love affirmations.

ESPINAL: "If they think you're too much, baby, go find less! … I promised myself that I would never lose it again."

Espinal and Arenales enjoyed intimate moments in the Hideaway, while Kendall and Garcia-Gonzalez found ways to connect under the radar.

ESPINAL: "Not only did we yap away all night, we woke up and had such beautiful moments staring at the sea together."

In a first for the series, Mustafa and Seeley ended their relationship before the final results due to mid-fight misunderstandings.

SEELEY: "I didn't understand her [actions]. In the real world, would you bring me to your bed and try to have s-- with me before you kiss me on a date?"

MUSTAFA: "There were so many things going on with me and him off-camera that weren't shown."

In addition to love, the Islanders competed for a $100,000 prize. Arenales didn't hesitate to share the fortune with Espinal, even planning to donate to charity.

ARENALES: "Everybody in there is trying to build connections. … It wasn't even a question [to split it]."

Arenales and Espinal, Vansteenberghe and Carthen, as well as Garcia-Gonzalez and Kendall are looking to explore their connections beyond the villa while taking their time.

VANSTEENBERGHE: "Our relationship is something that we haven't labeled yet. We're just taking our time."

ARENALES: "[Espinal and I] are exclusive and taking steps to [be boyfriend and girlfriend]."

The Islanders are starting to embrace their viral fame, with celebrity fans like Coco Gauff and Demi Lovato acknowledging their existence.

ESPINAL: "Fenty Beauty wants to work with me. … RiRi, hi!"

A reunion special hosted by Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen will bring the group together on Peacock this August. Expect revelations and closure!

ESPINAL: "It's definitely to clear up any air that needs to be cleared up. If things are a mess, we're coming with a broom."

The Love Island USA reunion special premieres on Peacock on Monday, August 25, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. Don't miss it!