“Love Island USA” has officially returned for the summer of 2026, bringing recouplings, drama and lots of bombshells back to the screen.
This season, the first female bombshell to enter the villa is from New Hampshire, making her the second-ever contestant from the state across the show’s eight seasons. Entering during the Season 8 premiere, Kayda Bosse turned lots of heads, both inside and outside the villa – but fans’ opinions of the New Hampshire local remain mixed.
Here’s what to know about Kayda Bosse, the New Hampshire bombshell competing on Season 8 of “Love Island USA.”
Who is Kayda Bosse?
Kayda Reece Bosse is a 22 year old of Haitian, German and Irish descent from Manchester, New Hampshire. She is a graduate of Manchester Central High School, where she played both basketball and volleyball.
According to her LinkedIn, Bosse is a server and business manager, though she also shared on “Love Island USA” that she used to model, quitting because she did not like the fast pace.
Bosse chose to couple up with Zach Georgiou during Episode 2, and the pair have stayed together since then, so far. Beyond her romantic journey, fans immediately latched on to Bosse for her confidence. After describing herself as “10 out of 10” during her first bombshell introduction, Bosse has stood up for herself to various other islanders, including Melanie Moreno and Corbin Mims.
Some fans have even gone so far as to credit Bosse with putting New Hampshire on the map, with one Threads user writing “New Hampshire needs to put her face on its state flag my god.”
However, for as much love as Bosse has received, she has also received plenty of backlash since entering the villa. Various TikTok and Reddit posts have accused Bosse of being a bully in high school, including one video where Bosse gets into a physical altercation with another girl – though Bosse’s mom spoke out to say she was only defending herself.
While some viewers have attempted to cancel Bosse for her past behavior, the “Love Island USA” fanbase remains divided.
How does ‘Love Island USA’ work?
Hosted by Ariana Madix, “Love Island USA” brings together a group of single men and women with the hopes of finding love to a villa on a tropical island for the summer. In the premiere, each woman chooses a man to couple up with after a first impression.
From that point, the islanders face a challenge: will they stay with their chosen partner and develop their relationship, or will their heads be turned by “bombshells,” late arrivals who join the villa throughout the season?
Along the way, the islanders will live through plenty of drama, including “recouplings” and eliminations. Because new episodes air within days of filming, these consequences can be affected by viewers, who are prompted to use the Love Island USA app to vote for their favorite – or least favorite – contestants or couples throughout the season.
Viewers also vote to choose the winning couple, who is awarded with a $100,000 cash prize and a choice of whether to split the money between themselves.
Who are the current couples on ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8?
As of Tuesday, June 9 after episode six, the current couple pairings are:
- Kayda and Zach
- Aniya and KC
- Melanie and Sincere
- Trinity and Bryce
- Beatriz and Gabriel
- Kenzie and Corbin
How to watch ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8
New episodes of “Love Island USA” air at 9 p.m. on Peacock every day except Wednesday, when there is no new content, and Saturday, when the show’s companion talk show “Love Island Aftersun” airs instead.
Watch ‘Love Island USA’ on Peacock
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Catherine Messier.
