‘Love Island USA’ Week 1 recap: The islanders get sticky and feisty as relationships blossom

• The bombs have arrived

  

  Knock, knock! The OG Islanders could not arrive until 24 hours before two shells hit the villa’s door. After the islanders initially paired up and spent their first night together, they saw their first development when Gabriel (who was initially advertised as an OG islander but was turned into a bombshell) and Kayda walked in and stole two girls and two boys, respectively, to spend their second night with (yes, I can confirm it was a weird triple bed situation). During the second episode, Gabrielle and Kaeda had to choose which islander they wanted to rob, with the former choosing Beatrice and the latter choosing Zach.

  But if you thought that this duo would be the only bomb during the first week, you were wrong, as Corbin was the surprise bomb during the first challenge during the fourth episode. Let’s just say he got in a fair number of kisses before the boys even knew he was there.

  Before the first week concluded, the Islanders faced another major development when three bombshells – Caleb, Jen and Sol – crashed their lingerie slumber party, locking lips and leaving colorful marks on the Islanders.

• Lots of sticky challenges

  

  Things got really tough during the season’s first challenge, “Boss Bitch,” in episode four. Drama was certainly stirred up when the girls chose a male islander they were not currently paired with as their ‘office crush’ to share a kiss with. Some facts are then revealed after the girls are asked some blunt questions, leading to some of the islanders getting sucked into a tank of slime.

  One of the most surprising moments during the challenge was when new bombshell Corbin secretly locked lips with the girls when they went to the ‘accounts department’, leaving the boys clueless until later in the episode.

  And then during episode six, things got decidedly exciting during their lingerie slumber party when they played a game on a king bed (yes, literally a king size bed) where they saw the girls blindfolded, crawling over all the boys and marking them with paint, looking for their current partner to be handcuffed. But there is one thing Love Island: Always expect the unexpected. Three new bombshells also secretly got the chance to make their rounds on the bed, much to the surprise of the girls and the guys.

• Melanie has a breakdown

  

  One of the most talked about moments (or multiple moments) during the first week was Melanie’s numerous meltdowns in the villa where she was going through all the emotions, no doubt. After igniting a spark with Sincere on the first day, it started to fall apart when he also showed interest in the bombshell Kaeda (if you’re wondering how long he’s been at this point… literally 24 hours).

  In response, she began pursuing the new bombshell Corbin when he arrived in episode four. However, Beatrice later confronted Melanie for disrespecting her after she was the first to pull Corbin into a chat, instead of giving Kinsey (who was single at the time) the first chance to speak to him privately. And let’s just say that Melanie didn’t like being called out by her fellow islander, leading to an emotional outburst after she left (a reference to Melanie’s memorable “give me a 10, give me a 10…” moment).

  Although Melanie and Sincere eventually reconciled (as did Melanie and Beatrice), she was about to jump out of bed in excitement when new bombshell Caleb walked in during episode six. However, she later explained in episode seven that she was passionate about Kenzi, as Caleb was her type. Melanie also had another shock at the end of the episode when she learned that Sincere kissed Sol the new bombshell during one of their one-on-one conversations. Fans will just have to keep watching to see how Milani’s current duo will play out, especially with the results of the first fan vote approaching.

• Let the dumping begin

  

  When you’re on a show that’s all about finding love, there’s bound to be heartbreak. And America’s heart broke at the end of episode five when Sean (a former police officer from Pennsylvania, I say former because he was unlikely to return to his job after the mayor of Bethlehem called him out of his position to go on a reality show) was kicked out of the villa.

  Sean struggled to form a romantic spark after Gabrielle stole Beatrice from him at the beginning of the season. Although he was slowly getting to know Kensi, he was ultimately left single and vulnerable when the explosive Corbin chose Kensi during the season’s first pairing. That’s when host Ariana Madix revealed that he was leaving and needed to pack his bags and say goodbye.

• Couples (for now)

  

  Season 8 has certainly started with a bang, and with five weeks remaining, this is just the beginning of an exciting but chaotic summer. While the romances have already begun to blossom, there’s one thing the islanders and viewers should keep in mind: “This is… Love Island in the USA. And just when you think you have it all figured out, everything can change. “So my advice: Don’t get too comfortable,” Madix reminded during the first episode. Here are the current pairs as the first week ends:

  • Anya and KC
  • Kenzi and Corbyn
  • Beatrice and Gabriel
  • Kayda and Zack
  • Melanie and Sadiq
  • Trinity and Price
  • Sol (solo)
  • Caleb (solo)
  • Jane (solo)

  New episodes of Love Island in the USA Low Thursday through Tuesday, with Love Island afternoon (hosted by Ciara Miller and creator Teffi Pessoa) airs every Saturday.

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