Bryce Alakai and Trinity Tatum won the 2026 series of the reality TV show, in which strangers enter a villa in the hopes of finding a romantic match. The couple who has proved most popular with audiences wins via a public vote.
Alakai and Tatum decided to split the winnings of $100,000 (individuals in winning couples can, in theory, choose to steal the entire amount and keep it for themselves, though this has never happened) and shared their practical plans for the windfall.
Tatum said her funds were going “straight to my student loans,” while Alakai added: “I have some bills I’ve got to pay.” The duo, speaking to People, added that if they had any money left over, they might have a “little shopping spree.”
While $50,000 would be better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick for many U.S. households, the sum isn’t nearly as valuable in 2026 as it was for previous contestants. Those who won the first season of Love Island USA in 2019 also took home $100,000 in winnings—though in today’s currency that’s equivalent to more than $130,000.
Inflation has eroded the value of money significantly in the U.S. Over the past decade, consumer prices have compounded upward 30.6%, between 2019 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
