Now one thing I honestly did not expect from this season of Love Island USA was to be in tears. I feel as if I wasn’t the only one either. Season 8 of Love Island has been a whirlwind of emotions. From no one standing behind KC’s door to Kenzie’s non stop clam slams, this season was truly a breath of fresh air from the previous one. The ending of this season really felt wholesome & genuine compared to the others. But one of the contestants that stood out to me in particular is Melanie Moreno.
Born & raised in Philly but independently moved to LA,Melanie started this season as one of the few original contestants. Coming in she was already starting to create a buzz & excitement to see on people’s screens. Immediately as well the audience started to speculate on who she would look best coupled up with and everyone’s minds & eyes went to Sincere, another one of the original contestants. The audience came to be right as they immediately formed a connection as soon as they saw each other and were able to lock lips. Since then they had been inseparable, or so we thought.
Fast forward, it was a cute but very rocky start with Melanie being a little too excited to explore the new male bombshells at the moment Corbin & Caleb and that made Sincere feel a certain way. Most especially during a challenge where Melanie was blindfolded with paint in her hands and she had to try to find Sincere in a big bed with the rest of the male contestants, but as soon as everyone thinks she has found her partner, she surprises everyone & the audience as she goes between Sincere & Corbin kissing them both very passionately before finally deciding on Sincere. From there, Sincere took it upon himself to explore his connection with the new female bombshell at the moment, Sol.
By all means explore your connections, its the name of the game on that show. But the way Sincere continued to lie as if he wasn’t being filmed is what probably gave production the idea to actually do a Movie Night episode this season. He continued to lie when he went to Casa Amor and found a connection with Cassa Amor girl Amora. He was very heavily deceiving Melanie without possibly thinking that production was stacking up their clips. Finally on Movie Night, the entire truth of what Sincere was doing behind Melanie’s back was revealed to her and she heartbreakingly broke down in front of everyone as she let out her frustrations. For a split second I honestly saw myself in her exact shoes because I was put in that position. It sucks.
After talking it out with Sincere yet again, she decided to give him another chance to show his growth & change. Then comes the next day that everyone was waiting for. Family day. Both Melanie & Sincere were very nervous because neither of them obviously knew who was coming and neither of them knew how their families were going to react to them as a couple given their very rocky journey so far. After all the couples got to see their respective families and even Aniya’s mother telling her to be honest with Melanie how she should not be with Sincere, Melanie’s & Sincere’s were the last to walk in. For Melanie, her mother & sister came and for Sincere it was his step father and little brother. Immediately both families were expressing their displeasure & disappointment with the way Sincere had been treating Melanie. After both families said their piece to them as a couple, they split up to have their own private discussions most especially after not seeing each other for a while.
This is where the water works honestly kicked in for me. Melanie’s sister was immediately honest with her and told her to leave Sincere. That she didn’t deserve what she was going through, when she saw Melanie cry it broke her and she wanted to immediately fly to Fiji to comfort her. She kept reassuring Melanie that she is strong and knows she will be fine because of the way she was determined to move to LA by herself while everyone around her was telling her not to. As much as Melanie was hearing out her sister, she turned to her mom because she felt as if she would understand how people make mistakes. I was already tearing up hearing her sister but as soon as her mother spoke I immediately broke. Her mom spoke to her in spanish which honestly hit me more and felt as if she was speaking directly to me. She said, “Your heart is sacred. You haven’t been given the opportunity but never let them steal your essence. That’s non negotiable. I understand that a person can make a mistake. Once, twice, but how many times? Why are you going to give him a second chance when there are so many others waiting for their first?”
It immediately took me back to when I was literally in her exact position except I wasn’t on an island surrounded by people who were just simply feeding into the idea that the person I was with is actually a good person. I had people all around me supporting me yes but also wanting wants best for me especially if that meant being away from the person that hurt me most. In that moment not only did I realize that I obviously made the right decision when I did but also as much as I wanted to be upset with Melanie continuing to choose Sincere even after her talk with her mother and sister I really couldn’t. Not only because I obviously don’t know her personally & she’s allowed to make her own decisions but also I was once her. Hoping someone would change no matter how much hurt or damage they had caused me.
Something people need to realize about these situations is that yes sometimes it does work out for the better. (Not for everyone results WILL vary). But a lot of the times if it doesn’t work out, Melanie will need to realize that she needs to leave at her own time on her own terms because at the end of the day only ones self knows what is truly best for them even if that means other people might not understand. I fear a whole lot of us were Melanie at one point or another whether it was for a short period of time or longer, it’s very important to know at the end of the day that she is only human who is also navigating this thing we call life on this big ball we call planet earth. We’re all learning how to live, love and enjoy life. That also doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to be a bad person but it is room for growth. (Depending what you did).
What did you think of this season of Love Island USA? Who were your favorites? Did you like Melanie & Sincere together? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments down below♡
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