Ariana Madix is speaking out after Love Island USA viewers claimed the voting process is rigged.
The host, 40, replied to an Instagram comment after Caleb McDaniel and Sol Dean were not announced as a top couple during the Thursday, June 18, episode of the show — despite an online campaign for the season 8 bombshells.
“Unfortunately, they were not in the top 4,” Ariana wrote in response to a message that read, “They @loveislandusa messing up the show.” Ariana also “liked” a comment which stated that “legally” production “can’t tamper with results” despite the speculation on social media.
Fans were left frustrated when Sol and Gabriel Vasconcelos ended up dumped from the villa following a group vote. This came after America chose their favorite couples — and the bottom three were left at risk of elimination, leaving the remaining girls to decide which guy went home and vice versa.
This isn’t the first time Ariana has had to step in to debunk rumors. In June 2025, Ariana slammed the insinuation that the show was “rigged,” telling The Wrap, “You can have whatever opinions you want to have about the show itself, but I will tell you: Don’t you start making up conspiracies.”
She continued: “I’m not a conspiracy theorist, so I’m the debunker.”
At the time, Ariana also denied that any Islanders were coming into the villa with a plan on how to win.
“As much as someone might try to gamify the show for themselves while they’re in there as an Islander, you cannot for 24 hours a day,” she added. “It’s nearly impossible to really be able to fully keep that mask on at all times.”
Ariana encouraged viewers to show their enthusiasm by voting, saying, “If America does feel a certain way about certain Islanders, they do get their say. So if someone is trying to super gamify everything, and if they find out that they’re in the bottom, they’ll be like, ‘Wait, oh.’”
Season 8 has already seen its fair share of voting drama when users were met with glitches and a message that read “network error” earlier this month after opening the Love Island application on their phones.
“Vote tonight to choose which Islanders the new Bombshells — Sol, Jen and Caleb — should couple up with!” read the initial post from the show’s official Instagram account. “Voting opens at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT and closes at 1 a.m. E.T./10 p.m. PT. Voting is open in the U.S. only. Link in our bio.”
After voting closed, Love Island USA posted an update on Instagram addressing the issue, which read, “For those of you experiencing issues registering to vote, we apologize for the inconvenience. Our team is actively working on it. Stay tuned for updates.”
There was another clarification after the app crashed.
“Your overwhelming enthusiasm for America’s first vote caused the app to crash. But don’t worry, we are extending the voting window until 3 pm ET / 12pm PT on Wednesday, June 10!” read the new post.
New episodes of Love Island USA are released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
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