Amaya Espinal

Amaya Elizabeth Espinal^[5] (born November 9, 1999) also known by the nickname "Amaya Papaya",^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]} is an American reality television personality. She appeared on the Peacock reality show Love Island USA in 2025, winning the season alongside Bryan Arenales.^[12] They are the first Latino couple to win in the franchise's history.^{[13] [14] [15] [16]}

Espinal was born on November 9, 1999 in New York City,^{[17] [18]} She is of Dominican descent,^{[14] [19]} and is a first generation American citizen.^[17]

She became a licensed cardiac registered nurse in December 2021 and worked at a hospital in New York prior to her appearance on Love Island.^[20]

Espinal entered the Love Island villa in episode 4 of the seventh season.^[19] She stood out for her humor, authenticity, and iconic^[16] one-liners,^{[10] [21]} slowly but surely becoming a fan favorite^{[8] [9] [22]} and the season's breakout star.^{[10] [17] [19] [23] [6] [9] [10] [24] [25]}

Various clips of her impromptu singing, often while alone in the makeup room, quickly went viral.^{[8] [17] [23]} In one widely circulated moment, she sang, "I never said I was perfect. I never said I didn't have any flaws."^{[8] [17] [26]} (As of July 2025, the phrase appears as an animated banner when users search "Amaya Papaya" on Google, accompanied by papaya emojis raining down on the page.^{[5] [10] [11]} A Google spokesperson confirmed the feature was added in response to the popularity of the moment.^[9] )

During the "Stand on Business" challenge in episode 26, Espinal responded to criticism from her former connections — who claimed she cried "more than needed"^[27] and came on too strong^[28] — with remarks such as "God forbid I'm a sensitive gangsta"^[21] and "I’m just not your cup of tea to be drinkin', so don't f—ing drink it."^{[14] [19]} Bryan Arenales, who at the time was coupled up with Andreina Santos,^{[24] [29]} defended Espinal.^{[7] [14]} He said that being affectionate is a common aspect of Latino culture and that terms of endearment such as "babe," "mi amor," and "mi vida" are frequently used.^{[19] [24]} Espinal and Arenales later coupled up^[29] and eventually won the seventh season, taking home the 100,000ドル prize together.^{[30] [31] [32]} The duo stated their intention to donate a portion of the winnings to charity.^{[16] [24] [33] [34] [35] [36]} (In August 2025, Espinal announced via social media that she and Arenales had separated.^{[37] [38]} )

In July 2025, Espinal signed with Gersh and Untitled Entertainment for representation in all areas.^[39]