‘Love Island USA’ has removed a cast member ahead of the season premiere after videos surfaced of the islander using racial slurs.
Sources confirmed to USA Today that 25-year-old Vasana Montgomery was removed after two videos surfaced of Montgomery using a racial slur. One video shows her singing it along with a song, and the other shows her saying it while playing an arcade game.
This is the second year in a row that ‘Love Island USA’ cast members have been removed for using slurs, a pattern many fans have found concerning. In Season 7, Yulissa Escobar was removed after the second episode for her use of the same slur. Later in the season, Cierra Ortega was removed for using a racist slur for Asian people in a caption of one of her Instagram posts.
The only difference this time is that Montgomery was removed before she even made it into the villa.
TMZ was first to report the news. The USA TODAY Network reached out to the Peacock show’s representatives for comment.
Who is Vasana Montgomery
Montgomery is the owner of Vanity Square Studios in Salem, Oregon, which is a salon that offers tattoos, facials, lash extensions and lifts, brow laminations and lash extension trainings, according to the salon’s website.
She is from Beaverton, Oregon, and has a TikTok account called “Vasanaeats,” where she brings her followers along with her to try and review food at different restaurants.
Montgomery was included in the 12-starting-cast lineup that was announced last week. In her “Love Island” intro, she called herself the “whole package” as she owns a business and is living alone.
On May 30, an Instagram page called “The Reality Rundown” posted videos of Montgomery using the slur, only days after the cast announcement. Within the following days, she was removed from the show, though it is not clear exactly which day.
What is ‘Love Island USA’?
‘Love Island USA’ is just one of the many ‘Love Island’ franchises around the world, following the original series in the United Kingdom. The reality show puts a group of single men and women in a shared house in Fiji as they navigate the summer, trying to build connections, find love and hopefully win the grand prize of $100,000.
Hosted by the former Bravo star, Ariana Maddix, ‘Love Island USA’ usually begins by either letting the cast decide who they want to couple up with, or sometimes it is left up to the viewers to cast their vote on the ‘Love Island’ app to decide what couples will start out the show together.
The show airs almost every day of the week and follows the cast as they take on challenges and as new “bombshells” enter the villa with the task of breaking up couples. The islanders are faced with deciding if they want to stay in their couples, or find a connection with someone else.
Throughout the summer, the islanders face a lot of drama with eliminations and “recouplings.” The episodes air within days of them being filmed, so American viewers often get a hand in how the season plays out. Many times, viewers are able to vote for their favorite islanders and who they want to be coupled up together, which can result in sending people home or breaking up couples.
Viewers also decide the winners at the end of the season, who are awarded the $100 thousand prize and then are tasked with deciding whether to split the money between their couple.
When does ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8 start?
Season 8 of ‘Love Island USA’ is set to premiere on Peacock starting on June 2 at 9 p.m. ET.
‘Love Island USA’ episode schedule
Peacock has confirmed that Season 8 of ‘Love Island’ will air daily on Peacock, except on Wednesdays.’Love Island’s’ weekly talk show, ‘Aftersun,’ will air on Peacock every Saturday and will feature behind-the-scenes clips, exclusive interviews with the islanders and more.
How to watch ‘Love Island USA’
‘Love Island USA’ will stream exclusively on Peacock at 9 p.m. ET.
NY’s Ciara Miller to co-host ‘Aftersun’
New York’s beloved ‘Summer House’ star, Ciara Miller, will co-host ‘Aftersun’ with Tefi Pessoa.The ‘Love Island’ talk show will air every Saturday on Peacock to go over all the drama and gossip from the week’s episodes.
Contributing: USA TODAY
—Madison Scott is a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York State. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: ‘Love Island USA’ drops contestant over racial slurs
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
