'Love Island USA' Crowns Season 1 Winners, and Fans Have Some Thoughts

The first season of the U.S. version of Love Island wrapped up Wednesday, with happy endings and [...]

By Jose Bastidas

The first season of the U.S. version of Love Island wrapped up Wednesday, with happy endings and one couple heading back home with a lot more money. The CBS dating competition series ended its first season, revealing America's vote on their favorite couple, and whether or not they split the $100,000 prize money.

Spoilers ahead for the Love Island Season 1 finale

The episode saw as the final four couple — comprised of Dylan Curry and Alexandra Stewart, Weston Richey and Emily Salch, Zac Mirabelli and Elizabeth Weber, and Ray Gantt and Caroline "Caro" Viehweg — prepared to say goodbye to the villa and find out which couple would go home with love, and the grand prize.

The episode began with the islanders being invited to a summer soirée to celebrate the end of their journey. Before finding out the results, the couples were tasked with exchanging their feelings for each other in prepared speeches in front of the other islanders.

Host Arielle Vandenberg arrived at the villa as the islanders partied for the last time to deliver the news of which couple would be leaving the villa with the grand prize. At the end of the episode, the winners of Season 1 turned out to be Zac and Elizabeth. The couple unsurprisingly decided to split the money and leave the villa hand-in-hand.

Fans of the series shared a mixed response on social media after finding out the winner, with many being happy for the winning pair.

Other fans were not happy after seeing their favorite couple's not win the big prize, but ultimately were happy to see them going home with love.

With one season in the books, fans can expect the summer series to return in 2020 with a new cast hoping to find love, and their chance at winning the big price money.

The show sees as the singles go through physical challenges and face the arrival of new singles looking to shake things up. The drama is shaped by fans, who have the chance to weigh in on what goes on island-side from home. In the end, the winning couple must test their trust to see if they'll split the prize or betray one another for the money.

The Season 2 announcement came earlier this month, with CBS president Kelly Kahl complimenting fans' investment on the show on social media.

"The passion of Love Island's audience is incredible," Kahl said in a statement announcing the new season. "The intensity of their social media engagement has created tremendous enthusiasm for the series here at the Network. We love the show's creative execution and can't wait for next season."

Thom Sherman, Senior Executive Vice President of Programming at CBS Entertainment, added "After its first season, the U.K. version exploded via word of mouth and social media to become a huge hit, and its viewership has grown every year. We believe first season U.S. fans are just as passionate and engaged and we look forward to building on that foundation with another fun season next summer."

Love Island will return for Season 2 in summer 2020. Fans interested in participating on the show can visit CBS.com/casting for more information.

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