Teens Share Their Takes on Love Island USA — & What It Says About Gen Z’s Quest for Authenticity

Love Island has long been a show best enjoyed in your late teens and early 20s, thanks to its young stars and daily episodes that aren’t compatible with a full-time job. However, more than ever in the franchise’s history, season 7 of Love Island USA has played out like a Gen Z social experiment that is teaching us plenty about a chronically online generation.

To learn more about what the show has to say about Gen Z, SheKnows talked to the experts: teens who are following the highs and lows of the Peacock show, who shared their takes in the video above.

17-year-old Greta told us that Amaya Espinal, a fan favorite who has affectionately been dubbed “Amaya Papaya” both inside and outside the Villa, is her top Islander of the season. “I would just say that she’s the most authentic, and I think she’s real, and she doesn’t seem like she’s trying to win the show,” Greta says. “And she’s not fake to anyone.”

Juliet, also 17, favors Nic Vansteenberghe for his “funny” and “natural” demeanor, while 16-year-old Gwen is all about Huda Mustafa, whose redemption arc from her antics in the early part of the season has given fans whiplash. “I’m just like, happy for her that she’s not hated right now, and she’ll come back to something better,” Gwen says.

To score points with young fans, the Islanders need to show realness, whether it’s through being unapologetically themselves or making mistakes and learning from them.

As for who is the “fakest” and “least favorite” in the Villa, the teens hashed it out over contestants like Chelley Bissainthe and TikTok’s most-talked about pairing, Nic and Olandria Carthen, Nicolandria for those following.

“Fakeness” has repeatedly been the biggest insult someone can throw an Islander’s way across several recent seasons of the show, both on this side of the Atlantic and in the UK, where the franchise began. It’s a nod to Gen Z’s quest for authenticity in a world filled with filters, carefully-crafted online personas, and a lack of real human connection.

Our teens questioned whether Nic and Olandria are trying to appeal to the audience, a mortal sin among fans of the reality dating show who want honesty from contestants. Other charges against the teens’ least favorite Islanders include things like “not consistent” and “mean girl,” another major criticism that has emerged after last season’s focus on female friendships.

There’s no denying that Love Island USA is heavily produced and carefully edited; viewers know that. But it’s clear that young fans of the show (and sometimes their parents!), who are dedicating time to the show that could be spent watching heavily filtered TikTok videos, are crying out for authenticity and stars who aren’t playing to the cameras.

Before you go, click here to see a parent’s guide to all the biggest teen shows of the summer.