What Is the ‘Love Island USA’ Prize? Inside the Reality Show’s Winnings

While Love Island USA contestants are trying to find love, they’re also competing for a cash prize.

During six weeks in the colorful Fiji villa, contestants form friendships and relationships with each other in the hopes of falling in love and creating a serious relationship. As the season plays out, contestants participate in different challenges, go on dates and couple up with each other.

As the drama plays out on-screen, America votes multiple times for their favorite couple. However, the most important vote is the final one, where fans choose one of four final couples to win the entire season and score the $100,000 grand prize. Of course, in true Love Island fashion, the show doesn’t simply hand it to the winners.

After the winners are selected, each contestant receives an envelope — one including the money and one including nothing. From there, the person who receives the $100,000 must choose whether to split the prize or take it for themselves.

So, what do the winners of Love Island USA get? Here’s everything to know about the $100,000 prize fund and the money the rest of the contestants receive during and after the hit dating show.

What do the winners of Love Island get?

While the goal of Love Island USA is to explore connections and create a meaningful relationship, there is an additional monetary prize. After just four couples remain in the final episode, American fans vote for the couple they’d like to win the $100,000 prize. Unless one member of the winning couple chooses to take the funds for themself, they split the money.

However, since the prize is considered taxable income, the winners have to pay federal and state income taxes on the money. The fact that they’d get individually taxed for their winnings was something season 5 winner Marco Donatelli considered before he split the fund with his now-fiancée, Hannah Wright.

“I wanted to take all 100 and double it, then give her 100. I knew there would be a tax on it. I said it about 10 times, and they cut it out every single time,” Donatelli claimed to the Cincinnati Enquirer in September 2023. “But no, I had to split it, but I really did want to take 100 and double it and then give her 100. So, we’re going to rock with just splitting the 50. We’ll double it from here.”

After Kordell Beckham and Serena Page won season 6 of Love Island USA and split the fund, they each said that they planned on saving most of the money.

“I’m saving it up and just going to navigate life normally,” Beckham told USA Insider in July 2024. “I’m saving, but I’m also investing into my career, you know, business opportunities to grow more and get, you know, tenfold for the modeling, endorsement sponsors, whatever happens, you know, those opportunities I’ll take them in.”

Page echoed that sentiment and told Collider in July 2024, “I was living without it, so I’ll just pretend it’s not there and put it in my savings.”

What is the twist in the Love Island USA prize?

As Love Island USA is all about forming genuine connections and having relationships tested, the producers continue testing the winners’ relationship after they’re crowned the champions. In the final episode, host Ariana Madix announces which couple was voted that season’s winners.

Shortly afterwards, she separates the couple and gives them each one envelope — one empty one and one with the $100,000. The contestant that gets the money can choose whether to keep the money for themselves or split it with their partner.

In every Love Island franchise — including USA, Australia and UK — all of the past winners have chosen to split the money.

Do the rest of the contestants get paid?

Contestants on Love Island are reportedly paid for their time.

Former Love Island UK season 6 star Demi Jones said in a since-deleted TikTok, per Buzzfeed, that she got paid £250 a week, which converts to around $245.

“Yes, you do get paid to go on the show,” Jones said in 2024. “I personally got paid £250 a week. This is obviously to cover all your bills at home because you could have a flat, you could have a car to pay, all the things like that.”

She continued, “So obviously Love Island want to make sure that’s all covered for you so you don’t get into any financial difficulties while you’re like away on holiday.”

What else have former Love Island contestants received as a result of the show?

In addition to finding love on Love Island USA, many of the contestants also find newfound fame and exposure with millions of new social media followers. Over the years, fan favorite contestants have scored several brand deals, acting gigs, modeling jobs and spots on other reality TV shows.

Season 6 star Leah Kateb boasts over 4 million followers on Instagram, while Page has racked up over 2 million. The former has partnered with dozens of successful brands — including Jose Cuervo, Amazon and Neutrogena, among others. Meanwhile, the latter has also worked with brands like Pepsi, Nordstrom Rack and Truly.

Kennedy Meehan, who founded the Azure Agency and has worked with several former Love Island USA contestants, told Business Insider in 2024, “Some of our girls, straight out of the villa, are making $20,000 to $30,000 in a month off of, let’s say, five videos. And that’s on the lower end.”

In addition to each person’s social media successes, the cast members of season 6 saw an all-time viewership high in 2024. Peacock capitalized on the fanbase by continuing to film several of the cast members for a first-of-its-kind spinoff series, Love Island: Beyond the Villa.

The reality TV show, which premieres July 13 on Peacock, stars Kateb, Page, JaNa Craig, Aaron Evans, Miguel Harichi, Kaylor Martin, Connor Newsum, Kenny Rodriguez, Olivia Walker and Kendall Washington, with appearances from Beckham and Nicole Jacky.