Love Island USA wrapped its seventh season this Sunday. Watching the finale, I couldn’t help but wonder, who’s in it for love, and who’s in it for the prize money? Episode 36 and the contestants were still wearing masks. Olandria uses tactfully platonic words to describe her bond with Nic, and Chris forces Huda into a breakup — way too late. Last season we got crashouts and confessionals; this season we got “cool girls” and guys. 

Earlier in the season, Cierra found out that Nic kissed Olandria. She didn’t get upset — at least not out loud. 

“Am I crazy for not feeling a type of way about it?” she asked Iris. 

“Yeah, I mean I guess, cool, like — you’re a cool girl,” Iris responded sarcastically. 

16-year-old Gwen says, “There’s the idea that girls would be dramatic, and a boy wants a chill girl.” But what does being a “chill” or “cool” girl mean? The “cool girl” trope was popularized by the Gone Girl book and film, but it exists everywhere in pop culture. A “cool girl” is laid-back and relaxed; she is hot and fun and accepts men’s shortcomings. Moreover, she’s a fantasy. In this season of Love Island USA, being a “chill girl” is a strategy. 

Speaking more on the “chill girl” strategy, Gwen adds, “Girls think they should act [cool] in order for a guy to want a connection with them.” But if being a “chill girl” is what attracts a guy, when can you drop the mask? And how can a relationship based on a false personality last?

Greta, 17, describes how Love Island producers edit female contestants to look “crazy.” Maybe it’s advice from friends, to “try and look chill, because they’re going to make you look as crazy as possible.” Last season, the contestants leaned into the dramatics. This season, the contestants are mostly influencers who stay poised to protect their image. But when the masks finally drop, those repressed feelings are much more toxic. “It makes the drama bitter.”

“Chill” and “crazy” become an interesting dichotomy for female Love Island contestants. If you’re emotional, you run the risk of a “crazy” edit, like they attempted with Amaya in her early episodes. But playing the “cool girl” role may leave you so desensitized that you lose touch with your own emotions. Being the cool girl is a double-edged sword, where you might get the guy, but you definitely lose yourself. 

Finally, Amaya, one of the women whom I would not categorize as “chill,” ended up finding love and winning the season. While others prioritized image management, Amaya stayed true to herself and found the guy who loves her for it. Her win proves that, in a season full of contestants playing it cool, sincerity stands out. As she put it: “I know my worth plus the tax. I don’t beg no man to see my value.”