“Love Island USA” Season 8 winners Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai started the season as singles looking for love and left the villa as boyfriend and girlfriend, sealing their romance with their first “I love you,” said on national television.
The happy couple joined TODAY on July 15 for their first TV interview since leaving the luxurious Fiji villa. The two were crowned Season 8’s winners during the July 12 finale and were awarded a $100,000 prize to share as a couple.
Bryce told TODAY’s Craig Melvin that the reality of the show is intense emotions, anxiety and pressure.
“One thing that brings us closer is that comfort in those moments. We look at each other, like in those challenges and all of these things, I can confide in her and feel safe,” he said.
“Bringing that in the world, it’s almost like, life is the challenge,” he added.
Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai are the winners of “Love Island USA” Season 8!PEACOCK / Ben Symons/Peacock
During “Love Island USA,” the two spent six weeks isolated alongside dozens of other contestants. Bryce and Trinity coupled up on Day 1 of the show. While each considered “exploring” other potential relationships in the villa, Trinity said Bryce’s personality made her “want to work this out instead of try other people.”
In the first few episodes of the season, the biggest hurdle facing the couple was their age gap. Trinity is 22, while Bryce turned 30 while filming Season 8.
Bryce said he found Trinity to be “the most mature person on the show.”
“I felt so comfortable with her, and our laughter, she understood, like, her level of comedy and everything just showed she was just so intelligent and so beyond her age, that the age gap ended up just like completely disappearing in my mind,” he said.
Trinity added that now, “I honestly forget.”
“I honestly see it as a positive thing, because he can be very funny, he can be like — I don’t want to say childish,” she said with a laugh, “… but when it’s time to be serious and have those conversations, he knows exactly what to say. He gives the best advice.”
Craig noted that most couples don’t reach the “I love you” stage after just six weeks. But for Trinity, the pace of their relationship made perfect sense.
“We’ve been around each other for what, six weeks. We’re around each other all day, 24 hours, we’re having intimate conversations that sometimes you don’t see,” she said. “Genuinely, I feel like if you could be around somebody that long and you think you won’t fall in love? … That’s kind of insane.
“We’re so alike that it’s like, we’re always in sync,” she added. “So genuinely, just being around him and getting to know him and the little sweet gestures and the things that he does, it definitely made me fall for him hard.”
Now after leaving Fiji, Trinity said they are currently experiencing “a little separation anxiety” whenever they’re apart.
“Something we weren’t anticipating was just like how much our connection has affected us outside of here, too,” Bryce added. “Anytime she’s like, ‘I’m gonna go run this errand,’ I’m like ‘Where’s she going?’ Like my heart rate starts, I’m like ‘What’s going on right now?’”
As for what’s next for the couple?
“We were just in Fiji like less 20 hours ago,” Bryce said. “So coming back in … 50 days without our phones, without any access to the outside world, it’s been unreal to see everyone’s responses. It’s a little overwhelming, to be honest.”
Trinity said she doesn’t expect to spend much time in her home state of Virginia. Instead, she’s looking forward to “explore L.A. more” alongside Bryce, who calls the city home.
“I definitely want to be wherever Bryce is, that’s for sure,” she said. “I don’t like being away from him.”