‘Love Island: Beyond the Villa’ Will Show More ‘Intimate, Private’ Side of Season 7 Islanders’ Lives (Exclusive)

The islanders of Love Island USA Season 7 are back and showing a whole new side of their lives post-Fiji in Love Island: Beyond the Villa Season 2.

Prior to Wednesday’s premiere of the Peacock reality show, PopCulture.com sat down with former islanders Amaya Espinal, Bryan Arenales, Jeremiah Brown, Clarke Carraway, Hannah Fields, Iris Kendall, TJ Palma, Chris Seeley, Belle-A Walker and Taylor Williams for a preview of what fans can expect to see of their lives outside the villa after the life-changing experience of Love Island USA.

“You’re just going to see a [much] more intimate, private side of each and every one of us,” Amaya teased of Season 2, which picked up filming right on the heels of her split from fellow Season 7 winner Bryan.

“The audience is just going to witness me, my journey [and] just real-life emotions, real-life things that could happen,” she told PopCulture, adding that people might find her post-breakup life “relatable,” because while she’s “not perfect,” she is “real.”

“I’m really, really excited for the audience to witness me on my music journey,” she added. “They’re going to see the first time in the studio … the way I make my music and that New York life!”

Bryan added that while there was “definitely hesitation and nerves” to get back in front of the camera for Beyond the Villa following his split from Amaya, he thinks viewers will see more of his true self outside of the “bubble of the villa.”

“Coming out of it, [there are] clips and perceptions and narratives that you can’t really go against, because that’s what people are set on,” he told PopCulture. “So I think getting back in front of a camera made me excited because I get to show who I really am.”

Clarke agreed that she was excited to be able to showcase more of her relationship with Taylor outside of the pressures of Love Island USA, noting, “People can get to know me and my morals and what I stand for and what I have planned. So I think I’m looking forward to that.”

While Belle-A joked that she was excited for people to “just see more of” her following her abbreviated time in the villa, Jeremiah told PopCulture that he was hoping people could see his “sense of humor” now that he’s not embroiled in villa drama.

“When I got out, people were like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know he was this funny,’” he admitted, revealing that as someone whose “baseline is joy,” he felt like his time in the villa didn’t fully showcase his true self.

Chris was also “a little bit more conservative” with his personality in the villa, noting that it was “cool to see people crack jokes and be their full selves” in the more relaxed environment of Beyond the Villa.

“I think in the villa I had a lot of nerves and anxiety, and I wasn’t really myself,” TJ chimed in, “and I think on Beyond the Villa, I felt much more comfortable and I had much more fun.”

TJ and Iris, who reconnected outside of the villa post-Season 7, agreed that they were ready to show off their romance for the world, as Iris noted she felt “way more free” to express herself on Beyond the Villa than during her original season.

“I think the villa was a weird experience,” Hannah noted of her experience on Love Island USA. “This was also kind of a weird experience, but in different ways.”

Allowing herself to show the “struggle” of post-villa life, Hannah explained, “I learned a lot, or I had to relearn myself a lot, the past few months. Maybe I’m not there yet, but I’m getting there.”

Love Island: Beyond the Villa Season 2 hits Peacock with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, April 15.