“Love Island USA”’s Gabriel Vasconcelos Reacts to the Public’s Perception That He Was Only There to Make Out (Exclusive)

Yamillah HurtadoWed, June 24, 2026 at 11:21 PM UTC

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Gabriel Vasconcelos on 'Love Island USA' season 8Credit: Ben Symons/Peacock -

Gabriel Vasconcelos opens up about his time in the villa as a bombshell

"Okay, if I'm leaving now, at least I did my thing. I was being myself 100 percent," he tells PEOPLE

Back from Fiji, Vasconcelos reveals his reaction to being voted off the island, where his relationship with Beatriz Hatz stands and what surprised him most from his experience

Love Island USA season 8 contestant Gabriel Vasconcelos would like to clear up a thing or about his time on the hit reality dating show.

Coming into the villa with confidence, the Brazilian bombshell, 26, did what a bombshell does best. When Beatriz Hatz remained open for exploration after coupling up with Sean Reife, Gabriel swept her away and formed a connection with her. Then, he coupled up with fellow bombshell Jen Terry after Beatriz was sent home.

However, Gabriel's time in the villa came to an end when he was voted off the island alongside Sol Dean by his fellow islanders. It was a ruling that caught Jen and the other men in the villa off guard and sparked tension among the contestants. Many online had much to say about his removal from the island, and he, too, tells PEOPLE it was unexpected.

Gabriel Vasconcelos on 'Love Island' season 8Credit: Ben Symons/Peacock

"I was hearing, and I wasn't understanding," Gabriel says of the logic behind his elimination. "I was like, 'What? Me?'"

Melanie Moreno, the contestant who sent him home, expressed that the women believed Gabriel was in the show for the wrong reasons. She explained that it seemed like he constantly looked for the "next best thing" and was too eager to kiss the new bombshells, referring to Gabriel kissing Jen the same night his former connection, Beatriz, left the villa.

Gabriel says he disagrees with their choice and doesn't believe he did anything wrong. Coming into the villa as a bombshell, he feels he did exactly what he needed to do and points out a double standard.

"I was kissing people out of the challenge, but everyone's kissing everyone out of the challenge too," he notes. "But when it's Gabriel, when it's a Latino, it's wrong?"

The turn of events was shocking, but his surprise quickly turned to peace. In that moment, Gabriel said to himself, "Okay, if I'm leaving now, at least I did my thing. I was being myself 100 percent." And if he had the chance to do it all again, Gabriel says he wouldn't change a thing.

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Upon returning home from Fiji, Gabriel saw that Love Island fans thought of him as a "Latin Lover," with some even thinking his behavior was "crazy." At first, he didn't understand this perception of him, but it all clicked when he watched the show.

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"When I started watching the episode, I was like, 'Oh s---, you have a reason to be saying that,'" he explains. "Most of my conversations with the guys and the girls weren't there because it's 24 hours in one hour. Production preferred putting me kissing and making out."

As for the way he kisses, Gabriel says it might seem intense for a viewer, but it's normal in Brazilian culture. "I haven't seen one Brazilian saying that I'm kissing weird, but I understand," he says, before revealing that the girls didn't seem to have a problem with it.

"Everyone was okay with that. I never heard from them," he explains, adding that he made sure to be respectful toward everyone's preferences. "Not everyone's going to be the same, but it doesn't mean that it's worse or better than someone else."

Corbing Mims, Sincere Rhea, Gabriel Vasconcelos, Caleb McDaniel, Kuman Chandler, Bryce Dettloff and Zach Georgiou on 'Love Island' season 8Credit: Ben Symons/Peacock

When he first opened his phone, Gabriel also saw Beatriz's shock over him coupling up with Jen as soon as she left the villa. Knowing how she felt, Gabriel said he wanted to talk to her.

"Me and Bea, we're friends," he says. "We talked, and we are good with each other, but I'm respecting her time. Now, I'm trying to think of myself because I'm overwhelmed a little bit with everything that is going on. I'm just respecting my time and her time, but we're friends."

Gabriel says his connection with Beatriz was strong, but he didn't expect to cry when saying goodbye to her. It wasn't until that moment that he realized how intense his feelings for her were.

"When I saw her leaving, I couldn't control it," he says. "I'm not afraid to show my emotions, you know? I'm confident with my situation, with everything, but I have feelings."

"I understand now that nobody was seeing that [side of me], but I'm emotional," Gabriel continues. "I'm emotional and that's not a bad thing."

Gabriel says he also bonded deeply with the other men in the villa, revealing that they were all "super close." His closest friends on the show, he reveals, were Sean and Sincere Rhea.

"Sean, he's the funniest guy out there. Everyone agrees with me," Gabriel notes. "I was closer to Sincere when I was in the villa. We had a long conversation, and that's why he was really sad when I left."

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”