Some eagle-eyed Love Island USA fans think they caught the exact moment Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa during the episode that aired Sunday, July 6.
During Sunday’s episode, host Iain Stirling said, “Cierra has left the Villa due to a personal situation.” The show did not elaborate further on what exactly caused her abrupt departure, however, it is likely due to the backlash she received after social media posts resurfaced of her using an anti-Asian slur.
Though the show did not make any more mentions of the ousted islander, some fans believe the episode contains audio of Ortega being asked to leave the villa.
One fan posted a slow-motion clip from the episode on TikTok. At the 27:30 mark, viewers can hear what presumably is a woman’s voice seemingly shouting, “You can’t do this!”
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The audio can be heard in the background of contestant Olandria Carthen‘s confessional. Carthen coupled up with Ortega’s love interest, Nic Vansteenberghe, after Ortega’s departure left him single.
Though it is unclear who exactly made the noises, many fans are convinced that the audio is Ortega’s response to being removed from the show. However, others believe that the voice sounds more like another islander, Amaya “Papaya” Espinal.
Ortega’s departure comes after fans of the show demanded she be removed from the villa to be consistent with Yulissa Escobar‘s removal earlier in the season. Last month, Escobar was removed from the villa after podcast clips resurfaced online where she used the n-word several times.
Along with Love Island USA fans, Ortega received criticism from castmate and friend Belle-A Walker for her actions.
