The Love Island USA girls were accused by the guys of “slut-shaming” Gabriel Vasconcelos after a controversial elimination.
During the Friday, June 19, episode of the Peacock show, the men in the villa questioned why the women sent Gabriel home — despite him having a connection with Jen Terry. Their reasoning didn’t clear up their decision and led to more fighting between the group.
“They are basically just saying, ‘We think Gabe is a f***boy,” Zach Georgiou told the rest of the guys.
Bryce Alakai Dettloff agreed with that assessment, saying, “Just because he is promiscuous doesn’t mean he is not capable of loving somebody. That is the most slut-shaming s*** I have ever seen in my life.”
Gabriel’s elimination was met with backlash off screen following a group vote. Host Ariana Madix had to speak out after viewers claimed the voting process is rigged.
The host, 40, replied to an Instagram comment after Caleb McDaniel and Sol Dean were not announced as a top couple during the Thursday, June 18, episode of the show — despite an online campaign for the season 8 bombshells.
“Unfortunately, they were not in the top 4,” Ariana wrote in response to a message that read, “They @loveislandusa messing up the show.” Ariana also “liked” a comment which stated that “legally” production “can’t tamper with results” despite the speculation on social media.
This isn’t the first time Ariana has had to step in to debunk rumors. In June 2025, Ariana slammed the insinuation that the show was “rigged,” telling The Wrap, “You can have whatever opinions you want to have about the show itself, but I will tell you: Don’t you start making up conspiracies.”
She continued: “I’m not a conspiracy theorist, so I’m the debunker.”
At the time, Ariana also denied that any Islanders were coming into the villa with a plan on how to win.
“As much as someone might try to gamify the show for themselves while they’re in there as an Islander, you cannot for 24 hours a day,” she added. “It’s nearly impossible to really be able to fully keep that mask on at all times.”
Ariana encouraged viewers to show their enthusiasm by voting, saying, “If America does feel a certain way about certain Islanders, they do get their say. So if someone is trying to super gamify everything, and if they find out that they’re in the bottom, they’ll be like, ‘Wait, oh.’”
New episodes of Love Island USA are released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
Join Us Weekly and Bracketology.tv in our first-ever Love Island USA fantasy league! This is your chance to predict who you think will win Season 8 and rank the Islanders weekly based on how confident you are that they will survive the next elimination. You will be playing against our editors, get access to exclusive content and have the chance to win fun prizes. Sign up for free today!
