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Amaya Espinal
American television personality (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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Early life and career
Espinal was born on November 9, 1999, in New York City, New York.[17][18] She is of Dominican descent,[14][19] and is the first generation in her family to be born in the United States.[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]
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Espinal entered the Love Island villa as a bombshell 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] Some media outlets and fans began referring to Espinal as the "people's princess."[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] Throughout the season, she explored connections with Ace Greene, Austin Shepherd, and Zak Scakrew.[19]
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,[29][24] defended Espinal[7][14] explaining 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 prize together.[30][31][32] The pair have stated their intention to donate a portion of the winnings to charity.[16][24][33][34][35][36]
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Filmography
References
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