Latest news with #NicVansteenberghe
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who is Cierra from 'Love Island USA'? What to know about Cierra Ortega
University of Arizona alum and former Phoenix resident Cierra Ortega's journey on "Love Island USA" 2025 has come to an end. Cierra joined Season 7 on Day 2 and was there until she left due to a "personal situation," according to narrator Iain Stirling during Episode 30. While no official statement has been made by Peacock or "Love Island USA" regarding Cierra's departure, she has been receiving backlash in the past few days after old posts and stories on Instagram and TikTok resurfaced. Cierra entered the villa as a bombshell and grabbed the attention of a lot of the men, as everyone except for Jeremiah Brown stood up to couple with her. She was also friends with past "Love Island USA" contestants, including Carmen Kocourek from Season 5, Kassy Castillo from Seasons 5 and 6 and Phoenix resident Johnnie Garcia from Season 5. Here's what to know about Cierra Ortega from "Love Island USA" Season 7. Cierra is a former contestant on "Love Island USA" Season 7. She was removed from the show due to a "personal situation." Many fans had been asking for her removal from the show after screenshots started to resurface of her allegedly using a racial slur. Before leaving the show, Cierra had been coupled up with Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old registered nurse and model from Jacksonville, Florida. The two were coupled up for the majority of her time in the villa, except when Cierra had to briefly couple up with Elan Bibas, a 24-year-old tech consultant from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, in Casa Amor. Cierra Ortega is 25 years old. Cierra is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. Cierra is a marketing professional. According to an Instagram post made while Cierra was in the villa on June 17, Cierra was born in Chicago. According to the "Love Island USA" PR team, Cierra is a native of Phoenix. Similar to former Islander Yulissa, Cierra may have been removed due to racial slurs she allegedly used against East Asian people. When describing her Botox on her social media, Cierra said she loved how it made her eyes look and used a derogatory racial slur aimed at Asian people. She used that same slur in a 2015 Instagram post of herself at the top of "A" Mountain in Tempe. If Cierra has gotten her phone back from her time on "Love Island USA," she has not posted any response as of July 8. Her family posted a statement on her Instagram story on Sunday, July 6, following the episode where she left. "While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away," the story said. "She hasn't had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she'll face this with honesty, growth, and grace." You can stream "Love Island USA" 2025 exclusively on Peacock. A premium monthly plan on Peacock costs $7.99, or there is a deal for a premium annual plan at $24.99 for one year. The premium plus plan, which is ad-free, costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 a year. Reach the reporter at Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Bluesky @ Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Cierra Ortega from 'Love Island USA' Season 7
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cierra Ortega controversy: Why did Cierra get kicked off 'Love Island'?
Cierra Ortega has suddenly left the "Love Island USA" villa a week before the finale. The Arizona bombshell entered Season 7 on Day 2 and was coupled up with Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old registered nurse and model from Jacksonville, Florida. Cierra and Nic were the first and only couple on the Island, at the time of Episode 25, to have become closed off. Nic is now "officially single" after Cierra was abruptly removed from the show due to "a personal situation." Here's what happened to Cierra on "Love Island USA," why Cierra was sent home and what Cierra said. During "Love Island USA" Season 7 Episode 30, narrator Iain Stirling announced that "Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation." Cierra was abruptly removed from "Love Island USA" due to "a personal situation." The marketing professional from Phoenix was recently getting a lot of backlash due to Instagram stories and posts with racial slurs that had resurfaced. Similar to former Islander Yulissa, Cierra may have been removed due to racial slurs she used against East Asian people. When describing her Botox on her social media, Cierra said she loved how it made her eyes look and used a derogatory racial slur aimed at Asian people. She used that same slur in a 2015 Instagram post of herself at the top of "A" Mountain in Tempe. The word Cierra used originated in the 19th century as a racial slur against people of Chinese descent. It was intended to insult someone's appearance, particularly their eyes. It's now more broadly used against people of Asian descent. Cierra's family commented on the situation on Cierra's Instagram account. "We're not here to justify or ignore what's surfaced," the Instagram story from her account @ on July 6 states. "We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what's happening online right now has gone far beyond that." They went on to say that the threats, cruel messages and attacks on her family, friends and supporters are heartbreaking and uncalled for, no matter the mistake. "While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away," the story said. "She hasn't had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she'll face this with honesty, growth, and grace." Former Islander Belle-A shared a story on Sunday, July 6, as well. "As a proud Asian American woman, I'm deeply appreciative of the Love Island USA producers for taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated," Belle-A wrote. "When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken. But I wanted to wait until they left the villa and were able to address the situation, genuinely apologize and commit to learning from the experience before deciding how our relationship would look moving forward." But as more screenshots surfaced, she wrote, she could no longer support this person and unfollowed them. And she said she hoped the situation would help shed light on the issue of anti-Asian hate. Cierra is 25 years old. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2021 with a degree in Care, Health, Society, a minor in Business Administration and in Fashion and Retail Consumer Sciences. When does 'Love Island USA' end: When is the 'Love Island USA' finale 2025? You can stream "Love Island USA" 2025 exclusively on Peacock. A premium monthly plan on Peacock costs $7.99, or there is a deal for a premium annual plan at $24.99 for one year. The premium plus plan, which is ad-free, costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 a year. Reach the reporter at Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Bluesky @ Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What did Cierra from 'Love Island' say? Why she left the villa
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who won 'Love Island USA'? All the highs and lows of Season 7, from 'mamacita' to Cierra Ortega's exit
Hello, Islanders! What a summer it's been. After six weeks of searching for love, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were announced as the winning couple of Love Island USA on Sunday night. Arenales picked the $100,000 cash envelope but chose to split it evenly with Espinal. Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen placed second, while Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez and Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley were finalists too, based on viewers' votes. While none of them received cash prizes, they have hopefully found genuine love with each other or, at the very least, will gain more followers across their social platforms and profit from future brand deals. The entire cast of this season will soon film a reunion together in New York, which will air on Peacock on Aug. 25. This past season of Love Island USA seems to have drawn more attention than the first few seasons of this American version of the show, an adaptation of the popular U.K. series that's aired since 2015. Within the first week after its June 3 premiere, Season 7 had already become the second-most-watched streaming show across all platforms, with more than 1.2 billion minutes viewed across the nine episodes available at that point, according to streaming data and insight company Luminate. The season was also Peacock's most-watched series on mobile devices, NBC Universal reported, with nearly 30% of viewers tuning in on their phones or tablets. Audience votes also set new records for the platform, with over 1 million people casting their votes on who should get voted off in six minutes after the July 8 episode. But before we leave the villa, let's revisit some of the highs and lows of this past season. Peacock reported that 39% of viewers this season were new to the series, and some Love Island fans have a theory as to why the show exploded this summer. Two Love Island fans told Yahoo they think the success of the previous season contributed to the massive popularity the show experienced this summer. Season 6 — which was the first to be hosted by former Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix — skyrocketed past all earlier seasons of the franchise in terms of weekly viewership, according to data from Luminate. 'I truly felt like it exploded last year,' Naomi, who has been a fan since Season 5, tells Yahoo. 'However, this season is the first time I've seen this type of fan interaction.' A subreddit dedicated to the series, which was created in 2019 and has become a hotspot for episode discussions, reported that 150,000 new members joined in June. (On July 2 alone, despite there not being a new episode, there were over 90,000 comments in the subreddit.) Some bars in New York and L.A. have started hosting viewing nights where they play the newest episode live for groups of fans. 'The fandom has definitely grown,' fan Terrell Coates tells Yahoo. Coates has watched the last three seasons live. 'I've seen more social media presence for the show, local bars and sporting venues hosting watch parties, and this cast is particularly young (maybe too young), giving it that extra boost with Gen Z audiences.' Love Island narrator Iain Stirling had to inform viewers twice this season that some contestants had to leave the villa for 'personal' reasons. Most recently, it was Cierra Ortega, who departed the show one week before the season finale amid backlash over resurfaced social media posts from 2015 and 2023 in which she allegedly used a racial slur. Earlier in the season, cast member Yulissa Escobar, 27, was also asked to leave after just two episodes, after fans found videos of her using racial slurs in several podcast appearances. The Season 7 cast delivered bizarre conversations, relatable one-liners and funny facial expressions that inspired plenty of memes on social media. While getting to know contestant Nic Vansteenberghe in Episode 9, Huda Mustafa shared that she's a single mom. Vansteenberghe didn't seem to take the information that seriously at first, which sparked an unusual first date conversation. Mustafa: "I'm a mommy." Vansteenberghe: "Mommy?" Mustafa: "I'm a mom." Vansteenberghe: "Mamacita!" Mustafa: "No, I'm a mommy." Vansteenberghe: "A mom of what? Like a dog?" Mustafa: "I have a daughter." Vansteenberghe: "Like in real life?" Mustafa: "Yeah." Vansteenberghe: "Like a daughter, like a real baby?" Mustafa: "Yeah, like a human child." The exchange was quickly circulated on TikTok, with users jokingly mimicking Vansteenberghe's confusion as a response to the news that someone in their life is about to be a mother. Mustafa unintentionally inspired another meme in the 12th episode of Love Island. This time, Mustafa and Jeremiah Brown were broken up after viewers voted for Brown to pair up with new cast member, Iris Kendall. Mustafa's friend Amaya Espinal couldn't help but cry over the situation. As she sniffled on behalf of her friend's forced breakup, Espinal's partner at the time, Ace Greene, shot her a side-eye look that instantly became a hilarious reaction meme. In the 13th episode, Mustafa, who was still looking for love at that point, learned about her crush Jeremiah Brown's date with newcomer Iris Kendall after they were paired together in the previous episode. Mustafa and Kendall sat together, and Kendall said the date with Brown was 'just, like, sitting down on, like, the beach.' Crushed, Mustafa responds, 'My dream date. Cute. And he knows that.' The soundbite of her response inspired people to create lip dub memes, like this one in which a TikToker pretends it is her dog's reaction to learning that her owner went for a walk around the park and enjoyed the weather without her. All episodes of Love Island USA Season 7, and previous seasons of the franchise, are available to stream on Peacock.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
5 Best Moments From The ‘Love Island USA' Season 7 Finale
"Love Island" season 7 winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. In the Love Island USA finale on Peacock Sunday night, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales emerged as the winners, earning the $100,000 prize after surviving weeks of viewer votes and earning fan-favorite status. Season 7 delivered so many surprises. From Yulissa Escobar's dismissal after damaging footage of her using racial slurs came out to bombshell Cierra Ortega's exit following a similar issue (a social media post with a racial slur), the season had tons of drama both onscreen and offscreen. It's no surprise, then, that the finale was jam-packed with similarly dramatic developments. Here's a look at the five best moments from the Love Island season 7 finale. 1. Olandria Knew Nic Kissed Hear On Love Island Episode 1 Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen were one of the remaining final four couples, but Carthen had coupled with Taylor Williams on the first day at the Villa. During the finale, though, it became clear that there were already some sparks between Vansteenberghe and Carthen. He admitted to kissing her when she was blindfolded during a challenge on episode one—and she then admitted that she knew who she'd been kissing (blame the beard). 2. Huda And Chris Break Up On Love Island Finale This perhaps wasn't that hard to predict in hindsight, considering Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley had already shown some lingering tension between them. But on their first official date, the two discovered that they had differing feelings on public displays of affection and had trouble communicating. Mustafa finally said they would be better as friends, ending their connection. 3. Bryan Celebrates Everything He Loves About Love Island Fan Fave Amaya Amaya Espinal became a fan-favorite cast member (dubbed Amaya Papaya online) for her sweet personality and occasional mispronunciations of words. After their formal date in the finale, Arenales leaned into her personality and told her that he loved her 'zoomies' and the way she offered him a safe space. The sincerity of the moment stood out. Iris Kendall, Olandria Carthen, Amaya Espinal, Huda Mustafa, Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe, Bryan ... More Arenales and Chris Seeley on the season finale of "Love Island." 4. The Love Island Finalists Show Off Their Black-Tie Attire The final date of the season is a formal affair—all four of the couples get dressed to impress before heading out on their last dates and sharing their final reflections. After seeing them in bathing suits for most of the season, it's fun to see the couples take things to another level and see how their formal styles match up. 5. Amaya And Bryan Announced As Love Island Winners Viewers' adoration of Espinal and her spark with Arenales during the second half of the season made this one a no-brainer—and Espinal made it even more memorable as she took a final run around the courtyard, celebrating the victory with another case of the zoomies. Of course, it will be another few weeks before it's clear whether the final remaining couples stayed together. Peacock announced that Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen will host the Love Island USA reunion on August 25 at 9 p.m. ET. It will include winners, other contestants and bombshells, who offer a post-villa look at their lives. And Love Island: Beyond the Villa is already available to stream.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Who Won ‘Love Island USA' Season 7—And Are They Still Together Now?
LOVE ISLAND USA — Episode 736 — Pictured: (l-r) Iris Kendall, Olandria Carthen, Amaya Espinal, Huda ... More Mustafa, Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe, Bryan Arenales, Chris Seeley — (Photo by: Ben Symons/Peacock) Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Love Island USA Season 7 finale. We finally have our Love Island USA Season 7 winners. America voted for the last time this season, and the results were revealed during the highly-anticipated finale on Sunday, July 13. Read on to learn who won the latest installment of the dating competition, whether they're still together and what happened during the finale. Season 7 returned in early June, and over six weeks, viewers watched a new group of Islanders live together and couple up, seeking love and competing for a cash prize of $100,000. Bombshells entered the villa to test existing relationships, and the contestants faced the ultimate challenge: Casa Amor, which broke up fan-favorite pair Taylor and Clarke. O.G. Islanders and fan favorites were sent packing, including Belle-A, Charlie, Hannah and TJ. Ace and Chelley were the last couple to go home after becoming closed off and spending a night in the Hideaway. Ultimately, America chose Bryan and Amaya, Nic and Olandria, Chris and Huda, and Pepe and Iris as the final four couples to compete for the $100,000 prize. In the finale, each of the couples left the villa for their final dates. Olandria and Nic were up first, enjoying a romantic beachside date where they read messages from their loved ones and fans back home. Next, Iris and Pepe went on a sailboat date and talked about their future outside the villa. LOVE ISLAND USA — Episode 736 — Pictured: (l-r) Olandria Carthen, Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe — ... More (Photo by: Ben Symons/Peacock) Huda and Chris went on a romantic dinner date, where they aired their frustrations with one another. Huda admitted she wasn't sure how they would work on their physical relationship long-distance, while Chris questioned her confidence in their connection. Huda ended the date by saying they should 'just be friends.' Amaya and Bryan were the last couple to go on a date. They looked through a sweet album of childhood photos, and Bryan let Amaya know how much he cares about her and how he loves her energy. He also asked to make their relationship exclusive as they head into the outside world, to which she happily said yes! Read on to learn which couple won the show and the latest on their relationship. Who Won Love Island USA Season 7? LOVE ISLAND USA — Episode 736 — Pictured: (l-r) Olandria Carthen, Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe, ... More Amaya Espinal, Bryan Arenales — (Photo by: Ben Symons/Peacock) The winners of Love Island USA 2025 are Amaya and Bryan. Iris and Pepe placed fourth, followed by Huda and Chris in third. Nic and Olandria were the runners-up for Season 7. 'I feel like I'm flying in the sky right now. But to feel so seen and validated, and for people to see how powerful our connection is — and like, boy, was this a ride here on Love Island,' she said. 'I would do this ride all over again if it led me to him.' Amaya also gave a message to anyone out there who might be feeling misunderstood. 'Nobody should ever be tamed, and that there's always someone out there for you who's going to love you for you and appreciate all of your craziness, or whoever you are. Don't ever settle for nobody,' she added. When asked how he was feeling, Bryan responded, 'I don't even know how to put it into words. Meeting Amaya here turned my experience around ridiculously. I'm so thankful to meet this person,' he said. 'I would do this experience a hundred times over. It feels surreal.' Amaya and Bryan were each handed an envelope, but only one had the $100,000 prize inside. Bryan chose the envelope with the money and he decided to split the earnings with Amaya, proving that he came on Love Island 'for love' and not just the money. Are Amaya And Bryan Still Together? LOVE ISLAND USA — Episode 736 — Pictured: (l-r) Amaya Espinal, Bryan Arenales — (Photo by: Kim ... More Nunneley/Peacock) As of July 13, it's unknown whether Love Island USA winners Amaya and Bryan are still together following the finale. The dating series typically films one to two days in advance, which means Amaya and Bryan are likely still in Fiji or heading back to the States. We'll likely get an update on their relationship soon, especially on their respective Instagram pages, @amayaelizabeth_ and @brizzzworks. When Is The Love Island USA Season 7 Reunion? LOVE ISLAND USA — Episode 736 — Pictured: (l-r) Bryan Arenales, Jose 'Pepe' Garcia-Gonzalez, Chris ... More Seeley, Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe — (Photo by: Ben Symons/Peacock) At the end of the finale, Madix announced that the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion will take place on August 25, 2025 on Peacock, which is just over a month away. Check back for details about the reunion, which will bring together all the stars from the past season. Love Island USA Season 7 is streaming on Peacock.
