“Love Island USA” Season 8 star Beatriz Hatz’s time in the villa was short but meaningful.
The 25-year-old Paralympian from San Diego was an OG islander this season who entertained fans with her decision on the first episode to explore a connection with Gabriel Vasconcelos over Sean Reifel, her blunt conversations with Melanie Moreno, and her jokes about her limb difference.
Beatriz Hatz was an original member of “Love Island USA” Season 8 before getting dumped from the villa.Ben Symons/PEACOCK
But in Episode 9, Beatriz’s time in the villa ended abruptly after America voted to partner Gabriel with new bombshell Jen Terry, leaving the athlete single and vulnerable. She was dumped from the island after Corbin Mims chose to couple up with Melanie and shared a tearful goodbye with Gabriel.
Since then, Beatriz tells TODAY.com that she has been following all the drama that has unfolded with the islanders after her departure, and what fans have been saying about the cast on social media.
Below, Beatriz opens up about her experience on the show, revealing if there is any “beef” between her and Melanie after their argument and how she felt seeing Gabriel move on so quickly. She also shares her thoughts on being a representation of people with disabilities, how she thinks the islanders will behave when Casa Amor starts next week and which islander is misunderstood.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
When you learned you had been cast, what did it mean to be on ‘Love Island USA’ and be a representation for people with disabilities?
It was so cool when I got cast. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, no way! This is insane.’ They reassured me that, like, ‘Hey, we picked you because we like you, not because you’re disabled.’ But these two things are amazing: I get to be on the show, and I also get to be the representation. There’s a lot of stigmas around disability that I’m just happy that I was there to break these stereotypes.
Were you able to share what your life is like having a disability with the other islanders?
I think I was able to talk a bit more with the girls about that, and they were able to ask me questions. It was really cool to share this knowledge. Then with the boys, they were so interested in the running blade. It was like a car. They were like, ‘Oh, what is this? What does it feel like? How heavy is it?’ I’m sitting there, show and tell, like, ‘Hey, do you want to hold it? Do you want to hold the prosthetic? You can.’ I felt so much love from my fellow cast members and it was really cool that everybody was so supportive about it.
Beatriz with the fellow OG Islanders.PEACOCK / Ben Symons/PeacockNow that you’re out of the villa. Have you been keeping up with the show? Have you been following along with people’s comments on social media?
I’ve been following the show. I’ve been watching the current episodes. I need to go back and watch from the beginning because I want to see how I’m portrayed, what was going on, all the things that were happening that I didn’t particularly know about. I’m curious.
After seeing what fans have been discussing online, what do you think is the biggest misconception you’ve seen, either about you or another islander in the villa?
I think I’ve been seeing everybody call Corbin AI. OK, no, he’s a person. He’s multifaceted. He’s got different layers, and maybe we’re just not seeing all of them. I think that’s a misconception. I think everybody has different sides of themselves. Whether or not you’re willing to show that to everybody or just maybe a select few of people, that’s a different thing.
You said on ‘Aftersun’ that Corbin was playing a game. So do you think he is genuine and it’s not translating to the audience?
I think two things can be true at once. I think he may still be playing the game. But also I do think that he’s an individual who will probably have different layers, and maybe I just didn’t get to know those sides of him.
One of the most talked about moments so far has been your conversation with Melanie and her reaction after. You guys made up, but fans seem to think there is still drama between you two. How would you describe your relationship with her? 
Beatriz and Melanie right before a recoupling that resulted in the athlete being dumped.Ben Symons/Peacock
We’ve actually told all the girls and all the people in there, like, ‘Hey, no matter what, when we get out of here, we’re the ones that know what actually happened in here. I know that there’s going to be things that we can’t talk about, but we know what happened. So that’s the only thing that matters.’ There’s no one-sided beef, there’s no beef at all. I think when you have friends around you, your friends are able to tell you, ‘Hey, I actually don’t like this.’ Or, ‘I do like this.’ Or, ‘Can you help me with this? Can you help me with that?’ I think that’s just different levels of friendships that maybe people aren’t used to seeing, or maybe they’re not used to seeing that communication style. Like I said, we made up. I shared something very deep. She did as well. You continuously develop those friendships. And what makes a friendship is if you can have a discussion and be open and (say), ‘OK, I’m willing to take responsibility for this and this.’ And then, OK, squash (it). We are now growing our connection as friends. That deepens the friendship.
You said on ‘Aftersun’ it was challenging at first bonding with the girls but you were able to make strong connections and mentioned Trinity. When you left, would you say that you were still close friends with Melanie and had a tight bond with the other girls?
I think we all have our people that we gravitate the most towards and hang out the most with. I think Melanie and I were really able to relate when we speak Spanish, what our cultural similarities are. That was something that was very deep. But then I have my friendship with Trinity (Tatum) and Kayda (Reese Bosse). We just will shoot the s— all day and make jokes. Kenzie (Annis), she’s really bubbly. Aniya (Harvey), she’s very wise. We each had different little types of friendships. But I would say that I’m the closest with Trinity and Kayda.
I want to talk about your coupling with Gabriel. On ‘Aftersun’ you said that you were still interested in him. How have you felt watching the episodes since you’ve left?
When I left the villa, I felt that the connection was strong. Seeing how he was emotional over me leaving, as well, I think strengthened that for me. I had said, ‘Hey, he knows where to find me.’ I think that’s still true, but also seeing how he is moving in there — and yes, it’s ‘Love Island.’ So I don’t know if he would even come out of this single or what. But I know whatever is meant to happen is meant to happen. If he ends up with Jen, then I hope they continue to strengthen their connection, in and outside the villa. If not, then I hope he finds the person that he needs to make himself happy.
You mentioned Trinity and Kayda being your close friends. In one of the episodes, they were talking about Gabriel’s connection with Jen and how surprised they were by how fast he moved on. Were you thinking the same thing while watching Gabriel and Jen?
Beatriz calls Trinity and Kayda “real ones.”Peacock / Peacock
Oh, my girls had my back! Oh my gosh. I figured they would say something and when they did, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re real ones, for sure.’ I was surprised. But, at the same time, it’s like, what can you expect? It is ‘Love Island.’ You are expected to recouple. But I was like, ‘Dang, same night that I left, you’re already … you know.’ It is what it is, it’s not like I’m mad about it. It’s not anything like that.
Aside from Gabriel, has anything else that’s happened or any connections surprised you?
I thought that Sol (Dean) and Sincere’s (Rhea) connection was deeper. I wasn’t sure, but I think that his connection with Melanie is very deep. So I really didn’t know what to expect with that. I was on the edge of my seat (watching). I was like, ‘I don’t know what either of them are going to do right now.’
Casa Amor starts next week. Do you have any predictions about what you think is going to happen with the couples currently in the villa?
I think what typically happens is the men explore more or that they experience some short-term memory loss a lot quicker than the girls do. They’re a lot more emotionally available, quicker than the girls, but I can’t really predict too much. I think Corbin will be willing to explore. I think Sincere will also be willing to explore. I think Gabriel, for sure, is exploring. Those are the top three. I think all the boys will explore. I think Zach (Georgiou), KC (Chandler) and Bryce (Dettloff), they will probably still explore, but keep their current couple in mind.
Then out of the girls, I could see Kenzie exploring. It’ll be really interesting.
What would you say was the highlight of your time in the villa? Is there anything you would change or regret about your experience?
My highlight from being in the villa was becoming friends with Trinity and Kayda. I wouldn’t change anything. I think my experience was what it was and it was meant to be short-lived. It might be a blessing in disguise, who knows.