The first fan vote of Love Island USA Season 5 brought an interesting predicament as one couple found themselves vulnerable to having to leave the show.
However, a twist arrived, allowing their castmates to decide on one to stay while the other had to leave, with no more chance to explore romantic connections at the Fiji villa.
In Episode 9, it was revealed that Carmen Kocourek and Victor Gonzalez had the least votes of all the couples in the fan vote, which made them vulnerable.
When their castmates got together to vote on who should leave and stay, it was tied at five votes for Carmen and five for Victor.
That brought a serious discussion, with Carsten “Bergie” Bergersen at the heart of the matter, being asked if he truly felt he could have a romantic connection with Carmen.
The episode ended on that cliffhanger, with fans clearly frustrated by having to wait to see what happens. However, many fans were also irritated by the behavior displayed by Victor during the recent episodes of the show.
Victor involved in Season 5 drama with Carmen and Bergie
During Love Island USA Season 5 episodes, viewers saw Victor and Carmen couple up, but then Carmen decided she no longer wanted to pursue anything romantically with him.
Part of that may have stemmed from his behavior, including his telling Bergie that Carmen only had a “friendship” vibe with him, which Carmen later stated she never told Victor.
After Bergie informed Carmen what Victor told him, she confronted Victor about the situation. After Victor brought up how Bergie “gets the fun stuff,” Carmen told Victor maybe they weren’t compatible and she was taking a step back in their romantic situation.
That led to Victor confronting Bergie in front of the other guys at the villa and explaining that what he told them was supposed to stay amongst the guys rather than going to Carmen. Victor also reiterated that Carmen told him there were only friendship vibes between her and Bergie.
It led to another chat with Bergie telling Carmen this again and her once again confronting Victor for saying something she didn’t. This time she included Bergie in the conversation, despite him not wanting additional drama. It didn’t go well, as Victor called out Bergie again in front of the other guys, suggesting he violated a guy code.
After feeling upset over what happened, Bergie said in a confessional that he would put it all behind him and try to enjoy his day as much as possible. A pep talk from castmate Hannah Wright also helped him realize he wasn’t at fault for any drama or fallout between Victor and Carmen.
When the cast discussed later who should stay and leave between Carmen and Victor, Marco Donatelli seemed to be trying hard to convince Bergie to vote for Victor to stay. However, as the episode ended, Bergie seemed in favor of keeping Carmen around, saying he was willing to risk exploring a connection with her.
Fans call out Victor for ‘bullying’ and ‘disgusting’ behavior
Many Love Island USA fans expressed frustration over seeing Victor treat Bergie this way during the show.
“I know scenes are edited but if there is bullying going on. You need to address it and take action. That type of behavior should not be tolerated just for ratings,” one commenter wrote.
Another individual brought up how “All he wants to do is bully Bergie with his little macho man attitude” and that it was due to him being unable to handle someone else being “in the same lane as him.”
“How could Victor even be an option to stay? He has no romantic connection and has treated Bergie and [Carmen] horribly,” another wrote.
Additional comments called out Victor’s behavior toward Bergie and other cast members.
A commenter called the bullying “unacceptable and honestly disturbing to watch,” also adding that they would no longer watch Season 5 if Victor gets to stay and Carmen leaves the villa.
Another individual said that none of the guys seemed too concerned when “Victor lied twice about Carmen’s feelings for Bergie and what she said about it.”
“Weird vibes and red flags from the villa guys this season,” the commenter said.
One commenter said they were “absolutely mortified” to see “mental abuse” occurring on the show and being allowed to happen, with others in the cast staying silent about it.
Another Instagram post from Love Island USA’s account arrived on Friday, featuring a carousel of photos of the cast. However, many fans were still riled up about Victor and his friend Marco.
One individual said production should’ve taken Victor off the show because “bullying should never be tolerated when so many people take their own lives daily because of it.”
“Victor needs to go home! Hopefully they make the right choice,” another commenter wrote.
“Victor and Marco need to leave. I’m so tired of them honestly,” yet another commenter said.
With Season 5’s cliffhanger to be revealed in Episode 10, expect many fans to be heated if Victor is chosen to stay at the villa and Bergie’s romantic interest, Carmen, is selected to leave.
Love Island USA airs Thursday-Tuesday at 9/8c on Peacock.