Love Island USA season 8 may have only just premiered, but viewers are already convinced producers made last-minute casting adjustments following contestant Vasana Montgomery’s controversial removal ahead of launch.
According to Cosmopolitan, speculation intensified after fans noticed contestant Gabriel Vasconcelos did not receive the same social media rollout as the rest of the original Islanders before the June 2 premiere. Many viewers now believe Gabriel’s role was altered after Montgomery exited the villa days before the show debuted.
Montgomery was removed from the cast on May 28 after resurfaced videos allegedly showed her using racial slurs.
As US Weekly previously reported, one video allegedly captured her singing lyrics with racial slurs.
The backlash spread online, with viewers criticizing Peacock for allegedly casting another contestant linked to racist controversy. The Los Angeles Times noted that the incident added to growing scrutiny surrounding the franchise’s vetting process after multiple similar controversies in recent seasons.
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Gabriel’s rollout sparked online theories
Soon after Montgomery’s removal became public, fans on Reddit began speculating that producers may have quietly reshuffled the lineup before the premiere episode aired.
Cosmopolitan reported that viewers noticed Gabriel never received the same introductory video package posted for the other Islanders through the show’s official Instagram account.
“We never got Gabriel’s intro video yesterday like we got the rest of the cast so I’m assuming that means Gabriel will come in as a bombshell instead?” one Reddit user wrote.
Fans also pointed out that Season 8 originally appeared set to feature 12 Islanders, including Montgomery. However, after her exit, viewers believed producers may have adjusted Gabriel’s entry format to balance the number of men and women inside the villa before the first coupling ceremony.
Another Reddit user noted that all 11 contestants listed in the official Love Island USA app, including Gabriel, were still labeled as Islanders who “entered the villa day 1,” further fueling theories that production plans changed shortly before premiere night.
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Premiere appearance adds fuel to speculation
Theories gained more traction after the Season 8 premiere showed Gabriel entering the Fiji villa as a Bombshell rather than appearing alongside the original Islanders at the start of the episode.
According to Cosmopolitan, many viewers interpreted the entrance as evidence that producers may have modified the format following Montgomery’s sudden removal.
The outlet also reported that another mystery Bombshell could arrive during the premiere week.
Neither Peacock nor Love Island USA producers have publicly confirmed that any casting reshuffle took place.