Entertainment
‘Love Island USA’ Beatriz on Gabriel Moving On, Beef With Melanie and Casa Amor Predictions

“Love Island USA” Season 8 star Beatriz Hatz’s time in the villa was short but meaningful.
The 25-year-old Paralympian from San Diego was an OG islander this season who entertained fans with her decision on the first episode to explore a connection with Gabriel Vasconcelos over Sean Reifel, her blunt conversations with Melanie Moreno, and her jokes about her limb difference.
But in Episode 9, Beatriz’s time in the villa ended abruptly after America voted to partner Gabriel with new bombshell Jen Terry, leaving the athlete single and vulnerable. She was dumped from the island after Corbin Mims chose to couple up with Melanie and shared a tearful goodbye with Gabriel.
Since then, Beatriz tells TODAY.com that she has been following all the drama that has unfolded with the islanders after her departure, and what fans have been saying about the cast on social media.
Below, Beatriz opens up about her experience on the show, revealing if there is any “beef” between her and Melanie after their argument and how she felt seeing Gabriel move on so quickly. She also shares her thoughts on being a representation of people with disabilities, how she thinks the islanders will behave when Casa Amor starts next week and which islander is misunderstood.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
When you learned you had been cast, what did it mean to be on ‘Love Island USA’ and be a representation for people with disabilities?
It was so cool when I got cast. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, no way! This is insane.’ They reassured me that, like, ‘Hey, we picked you because we like you, not because you’re disabled.’ But these two things are amazing: I get to be on the show, and I also get to be the representation. There’s a lot of stigmas around disability that I’m just happy that I was there to break these stereotypes.
Were you able to share what your life is like having a disability with the other islanders?
I think I was able to talk a bit more with the girls about that, and they were able to ask me questions. It was really cool to share this knowledge. Then with the boys, they were so interested in the running blade. It was like a car. They were like, ‘Oh, what is this? What does it feel like? How heavy is it?’ I’m sitting there, show and tell, like, ‘Hey, do you want to hold it? Do you want to hold the prosthetic? You can.’ I felt so much love from my fellow cast members and it was really cool that everybody was so supportive about it.
Now that you’re out of the villa. Have you been keeping up with the show? Have you been following along with people’s comments on social media?
I’ve been following the show. I’ve been watching the current episodes. I need to go back and watch from the beginning because I want to see how I’m portrayed, what was going on, all the things that were happening that I didn’t particularly know about. I’m curious.
After seeing what fans have been discussing online, what do you think is the biggest misconception you’ve seen, either about you or another islander in the villa?
I think I’ve been seeing everybody call Corbin AI. OK, no, he’s a person. He’s multifaceted. He’s got different layers, and maybe we’re just not seeing all of them. I think that’s a misconception. I think everybody has different sides of themselves. Whether or not you’re willing to show that to everybody or just maybe a select few of people, that’s a different thing.
You said on ‘Aftersun’ that Corbin was playing a game. So do you think he is genuine and it’s not translating to the audience?
I think two things can be true at once. I think he may still be playing the game. But also I do think that he’s an individual who will probably have different layers, and maybe I just didn’t get to know those sides of him.
One of the most talked about moments so far has been your conversation with Melanie and her reaction after. You guys made up, but fans seem to think there is still drama between you two. How would you describe your relationship with her?
We’ve actually told all the girls and all the people in there, like, ‘Hey, no matter what, when we get out of here, we’re the ones that know what actually happened in here. I know that there’s going to be things that we can’t talk about, but we know what happened. So that’s the only thing that matters.’ There’s no one-sided beef, there’s no beef at all. I think when you have friends around you, your friends are able to tell you, ‘Hey, I actually don’t like this.’ Or, ‘I do like this.’ Or, ‘Can you help me with this? Can you help me with that?’ I think that’s just different levels of friendships that maybe people aren’t used to seeing, or maybe they’re not used to seeing that communication style. Like I said, we made up. I shared something very deep. She did as well. You continuously develop those friendships. And what makes a friendship is if you can have a discussion and be open and (say), ‘OK, I’m willing to take responsibility for this and this.’ And then, OK, squash (it). We are now growing our connection as friends. That deepens the friendship.
You said on ‘Aftersun’ it was challenging at first bonding with the girls but you were able to make strong connections and mentioned Trinity. When you left, would you say that you were still close friends with Melanie and had a tight bond with the other girls?
I think we all have our people that we gravitate the most towards and hang out the most with. I think Melanie and I were really able to relate when we speak Spanish, what our cultural similarities are. That was something that was very deep. But then I have my friendship with Trinity (Tatum) and Kayda (Reese Bosse). We just will shoot the s— all day and make jokes. Kenzie (Annis), she’s really bubbly. Aniya (Harvey), she’s very wise. We each had different little types of friendships. But I would say that I’m the closest with Trinity and Kayda.
I want to talk about your coupling with Gabriel. On ‘Aftersun’ you said that you were still interested in him. How have you felt watching the episodes since you’ve left?
When I left the villa, I felt that the connection was strong. Seeing how he was emotional over me leaving, as well, I think strengthened that for me. I had said, ‘Hey, he knows where to find me.’ I think that’s still true, but also seeing how he is moving in there — and yes, it’s ‘Love Island.’ So I don’t know if he would even come out of this single or what. But I know whatever is meant to happen is meant to happen. If he ends up with Jen, then I hope they continue to strengthen their connection, in and outside the villa. If not, then I hope he finds the person that he needs to make himself happy.
You mentioned Trinity and Kayda being your close friends. In one of the episodes, they were talking about Gabriel’s connection with Jen and how surprised they were by how fast he moved on. Were you thinking the same thing while watching Gabriel and Jen?
Oh, my girls had my back! Oh my gosh. I figured they would say something and when they did, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re real ones, for sure.’ I was surprised. But, at the same time, it’s like, what can you expect? It is ‘Love Island.’ You are expected to recouple. But I was like, ‘Dang, same night that I left, you’re already … you know.’ It is what it is, it’s not like I’m mad about it. It’s not anything like that.
Aside from Gabriel, has anything else that’s happened or any connections surprised you?
I thought that Sol (Dean) and Sincere’s (Rhea) connection was deeper. I wasn’t sure, but I think that his connection with Melanie is very deep. So I really didn’t know what to expect with that. I was on the edge of my seat (watching). I was like, ‘I don’t know what either of them are going to do right now.’
Casa Amor starts next week. Do you have any predictions about what you think is going to happen with the couples currently in the villa?
I think what typically happens is the men explore more or that they experience some short-term memory loss a lot quicker than the girls do. They’re a lot more emotionally available, quicker than the girls, but I can’t really predict too much. I think Corbin will be willing to explore. I think Sincere will also be willing to explore. I think Gabriel, for sure, is exploring. Those are the top three. I think all the boys will explore. I think Zach (Georgiou), KC (Chandler) and Bryce (Dettloff), they will probably still explore, but keep their current couple in mind.
Then out of the girls, I could see Kenzie exploring. It’ll be really interesting.
What would you say was the highlight of your time in the villa? Is there anything you would change or regret about your experience?
My highlight from being in the villa was becoming friends with Trinity and Kayda. I wouldn’t change anything. I think my experience was what it was and it was meant to be short-lived. It might be a blessing in disguise, who knows.
Entertainment
Harry and Meghan to visit UK with family for the first time in 4 years, British media reports
Britain’s Prince Harry and his family will return to the United Kingdom for a visit next month, British media reported Wednesday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to be accompanied by their two children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in what would be their first trip to the UK as a family in four years, according to the BBC, the Telegraph and ITV News.
Harry and his wife Meghan, who live in California, left the UK for North America in 2020 after stepping back from royal life, and have since been involved in a long-running, public falling out with his family.
The Sussexes cited a toxic cocktail of tabloid intrusion, entrenched racism in British institutions, online abuse and complex family dynamics, alongside a desire for financial independence as reasons for leaving the UK, in televised interviews and a memoir.
In the years since, Harry, 41, has made several short trips back to the UK, most notably attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and his father King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.
Harry returned to England in September last year when he reunited with his father –– their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months. His last visit to the country was January this year, when he attended court as part of a lawsuit he and others have brought against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
Harry has previously shared his desire to reconcile with his family, and the meeting triggered speculation the royal family’s rift might be abating.
It is not yet known whether the King will meet with his grandchildren during the reported visit next month. They last saw each other in person in 2022, when the Sussex family returned to the UK for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Their visit coincides with an event marking one year to the start of the Invictus Games, the biennial sporting competition Harry founded more than a decade ago.
Entertainment
‘Heated Rivalry’ Musical, Honorary Awards For Will Ferrell & Lisa Kudrow & All The Winners Of The Night
The 2026 Las Culturistas Culture Awards, hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, celebrated the best in pop culture.
It was a jam-packed two-hour telecast of the award ceremony in its second year on Bravo.
Yang and Rogers started off the night with a nod to Heated Rivalry, breaking out into song in their hockey gear. Hunting Wives stars Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman also joined the duo to sing Tatu’s “All the Things She Said,” which was needle dropped in the Canadian series.
In their opening monologue, Yang and Rogers mentioned the Summer House scandal, which rocked the Bravoverse. Later that night, Ciara Miller won the Allison Williams Cool Girl Award and delivered a speech that resonated with fans.
“Thank you so much. If by ‘cool’ you mean, ‘Utterly disappointed by everybody around me,’ yes, I am so f**king cool,” she said. “Obviously, this year has been a little rough, but you know what they say – the best revenge is winning the Allison Williams Cool Girl Award.”
She added, “And booking Love Island USA. And being in Shaboozey’s music video. And also being a registered nurse. And a model. So I’m going to put this in the bathroom of my new house.”
RELATED: Megan Stalter Is Open To A ‘Hacks’ Spinoff & Praises “Beautiful Ending”: “It Couldn’t Have Ended Any Other Way”
Will Ferrell was honored with the Titan of Culture award and gave audiences advice to “be proud of yourself,” adding, “I think we should all celebrate our pride.”
“I have pride about being an actor and a filmmaker, but I also have pride about being a husband to a wife,” the SNL alum said. “I guess what I’m saying is, I’m proud to be straight. God, it feels good to finally say that.”
Ferrell continued his funny bit, saying, “The second, more important thing after pride is to be happy, be joyful, be gay. Have gay pride! Starting this month, I hereby declare June — Pride Month!”
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Lisa Kudrow received the Lifetime of Culture honor, with Ben Platt taking the stage for a rendition of “Smelly Cat,” the song Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay sang on Friends.
“Thank you so much. Winning this Lifetime Culture award is everything to me,” Kudrow said after receiving her trophy from her The Comeback co-star Malin Akerman. “I know what got me here tonight, it’s a career of meticulous planning to impress Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.”
Kudrow joked that it was Romy & Michele that “was going to be enough” to impress Rogers and Yang “when they were in grade school.”
“When I auditioned for Friends in 1994, I thought, ‘This is the show I should do cause you know who’s going to love it? Four-year-old Matt and not-yet-born Bown!’ Kudrow said, eliciting laughs from the audience. “All culminating in, not a coincidence, the third season of The Comeback. I knew Matt and Bowen would have to give me this award this year. So, thank you, gentleman, for playing right into my hands. And a bigger thanks to me, Lisa, for having my priorities straight.”
RELATED: Bravo Teases ‘The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th’ With First Look Video
Performances of the night included Megan Stalter performing “Prettiest Girl in America,” Rachel Zegler, Pikachu, and Mandy Moore.
List of All the Winners Televised At the 2026 Las Culturistas Culture Awards
Artist of the Millennium: RuPaul
Allison Williams Cool Girl Award: Ciara Miller of Summer House
The All Good Either Way Award for Bisexuality In Media: Hannah Einbinder of Hacks
Titan of Culture: Will Ferrell
Best Vibe, Hands Down: Mia Calabrese of Summer House
Best Part of “Where Is My Husband!” Song: Sarah Sherman and Aidy Bryant
Eva Longoria Award for Tiny Woman, Huge Impact: That Girl From Duolingo (The Owl)
Shhh Don’t Repeat This Award For Rumor We Are Making Up: Kamala Oh, Mary!
Most Beautiful Name for a Daughter You Haven’t Even Thought of Yet: Ricochet
Jaws Award for Water Diva: Me, When I Was Young, They Used To Call Me a Fish At the Beach!
Hilary Duff Award for Millennial Excellence: Indoor Fern
Best New Artist: Stacey Rusch of The Real Housewives of Potomac
Lifetime of Culture: Lisa Kudrow
Most Surprising Snack: Eric Nam
30 under 30: Pikachu
Most Iconic Building or Structure: The Barclays Center, AKA Ellie the Elephant’s House
Tokyo Disneysea Land of Great Beauty Award: Roku City
Yess!!! Award for Girl We Learned About This Year (And Loved): Olandria of Love Island USA
Scariest Moment in History: Hereditary Lil’ Diva Head Come Off
Eternal Lesbian of the Pop Culture Mind: Wanda Sykes
The Shrek Award for Top Thing We Want to Do to That Green Guy: Double-Sided Dildo
Entertainment
Olivia Wilde Reacts to Photo Looking “Sick,” Like “Dead Body” on Red Carpet
“NBD but I just achieved a major milestone as a woman online,” Reese Witherspoon and ex-husband Ryan Phillippe’s daughter wrote in a TikTok video posted in May 2024. “I saw 2 different strangers commenting on my body.”
She continued, “The first said I should get on Oz*mpic because I’m too fat. The second accused me of starving myself because I’m too thin. My weight did not change in the time period between their comments. (& it wouldn’t be any of their business if it did!)”
Ava said that “no one deserves to be picked apart for what they look like.” She added, “You don’t always know what someone’s gone through or what they struggle with. But no matter who you are… Your beauty exceeds such superficial measures.”
After some critics accused the House Bunny actress of looking too skinny in an Instagram photo, the star fired back, writing, “I know I don’t need to do this but in an effort to spread some awareness and shed some light on body shaming tactics i felt the need to share. After the barrage of some really inappropriate comments left on my pic I posted yesterday I was left really bummed cause I was really enjoying the silly pics I took. It was a weird angle that even made me feel life I looked smaller than I do in real life. But regardless even though you may think it’s your job or even your right to leave unfiltered thoughts or judgements about my body for me and others to read… it’s not.”
“Coming for me in my comments and telling me how I’m too skinny or I need to eat is absolutely not helpful and extremely body shaming,” she continued.”Body shaming of any kind is something I will not stand for.”
More than a week later, she shared a photo of herself sunbathing in a bikini, writing, “For the haters….with love and gratitude kindly [kiss emoji] my [peach emoji], I’ll keep smiling regardless [peace sign emoji].”
After being called “too skinny,” the legendary singer addressed the negative comments, telling Entertainment Tonight, “Is there anything wrong about my body? I’ve always been very thin. I do ballet. I do a lot of stretching and I work out because it helps my mind, body and soul.”
“If you don’t want to be criticized, you are in the wrong place. I take what’s good for me. I leave behind what is not good for me,” she explained. “I let my management take care of that, and if it hurts anyone, they will take care of that. And I need to focus on what’s right for me, how I feel and, last but not least, you can’t please everybody.”
The “Señorita” star previously took to Instagram Stories to send a message to her haters.
“I haven’t gone on social media AT ALL with the conscious intention of avoiding things that hurt my feelings,” she began her lengthy post. “My eyes accidentally ran over a head line of people ‘body shaming me.’ Honestly, first thing I felt was super insecure over just IMAGINING what these pictures must look like, oh no! My cellulite! Oh no! I didn’t suck in my stomach! But then I was like…of course there are bad pictures, of course there are bad angles, my body’s not made of f–king rock, or all muscles, for that matter. But the saddest part of young girls growing up in an airbrushed world is they’re seeking a perfection that’s not real.”
“I’m writing this for girls like my little sister who are growing up on social media. They’re constantly seeing photoshopped, edited pictures and thinking that’s reality and everyone’s eyes get used to seeing airbrushed skin, and suddenly they think THAT’S norm. It isn’t. It’s fake. AND FAKE IS BECOMING THE NEW REAL. We have a completely unrealistic view of a woman’s body. Girls, cellulite is normal. fat is normal. It’s beautiful and natural. I won’t buy into the bulls–t today!!!! Not today satan and I hope you don’t either.”
In May 2019, the singer posted a video of herself performing at Hangout Music Festival in a black leotard. After seeing the video, a social media user tweeted, “Okay don’t mean to disrespect but aint too thiccccck!?? I mean never saw her like that BEFORE!! from the song with other two country dudes!!” However, the pop star quickly clapped back, replying, “I gained weight get over it.”
She also called out the fashion industry after she claimed several designers refused to dress her for the Grammys because of her size. “Empower women to love their bodies instead of making girls and women feel less then [sic] by their size,” she shared on Instagram in January 2019. “We are beautiful any size! Small or large! Anddddd My size 8 ass is still going to the Grammys. #LOVEYOURBODY.”
Just a week after she welcomed her baby, the podcast host took to Instagram to send a message to her followers.
“A few things because honestly I’m so frustrated and I need to vent this,” she wrote in December 2018. “I wanted to post this photo (showing my stomach) because I wanted to show my journey back to healthy and my goodness I’m so glad I didn’t which is why this photo is now cropped. It’s amazing the comments and how rude some people can be from my last photo I took yesterday. A few things, no I didn’t get a tummy tuck, no I don’t have a personal chef, no I don’t have fortunes so I didn’t train everyday. Yes I had a c section, yes I am still in pain and on meds but I do have a high pain tolerance. I have had 3 stomach surgeries before this (appendix, gallbladder, and c section).. In that photo I had a belly bandit wrapped tightly, and high waisted pants and wow here I am defending myself. Why?!? If I would have posted the photo of my actual stomach in this photo I would have probably been shamed too even when I was wanting to be vulnerable with my journey. Why do we women have to compare ourselves to each other and then shame? I say this to myself as much as I say this to y’all…why can’t it be that we are all different. Our bodies are all beautiful and crafted differently, they heal different, they react different, they simply look different. Why do we need to shame someone for not looking a certain way? Or feel bad about ourselves for looking a certain way? Can we be kinder to ourselves and know that every women has a different journey but yet we are all beautiful? Can we lift women up but not tear yourself down in the process with comparing? Let’s give that a try…..I love y’all. Back to my baby.”
Entertainment
‘Survivor’ Animated Movie Set In Animal Kingdom In Works At Paramount
The tribe that is CBS has spoken, and Survivor is getting the animated comedy treatment.
An animated Survivor movie set in the animal kingdom is in the works at Paramount Animation, the reality competition series’ longtime host Jeff Probst enthusiastically announced Wednesday.
“I’m so excited to be teaming up with Paramount Animation to bring you Survivor like you’ve never seen it before…in the animal kingdom!” wrote Probst on Instagram. “This will be an all-out comedy with animals competing for the chance to be crowned the sole Survivor. Let’s go!!!!”
Probst said in the video that the movie will have “everything we love about Survivor: big personalities, funny characters, surprising alliances, competition, chaos, and of course, a lot of heart. But this time, the players aren’t humans.”
The film’s official synopsis reads, “Set on a remote and mystical island, animals from all around the globe compete for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be crowned the sole Survivor.”
Probst serves as executive producer on the film, with Banijay, Amazon MGM and CBS as rightsholders.
Premiering in 2000, the show’s milestone Survivor 50 season finale marked the franchise’s most-watched in six years, with 5.78M live + same-day viewers.
New seasons of Survivor are currently filming in Fiji, set to air this Fall.
Entertainment
Jimmy Kimmel Sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez Joins ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35
Guillermo Rodriguez is adding another gig to his resume … ‘cause TMZ has learned the beloved “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” personality is joining the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Production sources tell TMZ … Guillermo has signed on to compete in Season 35 of the ABC competition series and will be hitting the ballroom this fall.
The longtime sidekick and fan favorite has become a staple of late night television through his work alongside Jimmy Kimmel, earning laughs with his celebrity interviews, red carpet antics and comedic bits.
Guillermo is the latest celebrity to join the cast as ABC gears up for another season of the hit dance competition.
Reality TV stars Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller have already been announced for the upcoming season. Social media star and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson is also set to compete.
The full cast is expected to be revealed soon.
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