Whether they’re part of the starting cast or come in as bombshells, the beauty of Black women has been spread across the whole “Love Island” franchise. It’s no wonder that the islanders are flooded with brand deals after they exit the villa. But diversity has long been a challenge for reality television shows, and "Love Island" is no exception.
The U.K. franchise crowned its first Black winners, Michelle "Mimii" Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan, in 2024. In 2020, "Love Island USA" chose its first Black winners, Justine Ndiba and Caleb Corprew. While the franchise still has some work to do in terms of supporting its Black cast members and setting them up for success, it certainly doesn't need help casting extremely gorgeous women — we just always need more of them. Check out part one of our list of beautiful Black women, in no particular order, who entered the "Love Island" villa across its U.S. and U.K. franchises.
1. Serena Page
Serena Page was the winner of "Love Island USA" Season 6 and has been unstoppable ever since. The Texas native became a fan favorite thanks to her fun personality, girl's girl nature, and reusable quotes like, "I support women's rights and wrongs." The brand deals came rolling in for the Season 6 champion. Serena has been at the center of campaigns for Savage X Fenty, Spotify, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cécred, Shea Moisture, CoverGirl, and more. The reality queen also added cover girl to her résumé after gracing the cover of Essence GU following her win.
2. JaNa Craig
JaNa Craig is one-third of the popular trio PPG (named after the cartoon “Powerpuff Girls”) alongside "Love Island USA" Season 6 stars Serena Page and Leah Kateb. JaNa was an original cast member who made it all the way to the finals with her bombshell partner, Kenny Rodriguez. Though she had a rough time in the villa at the start, the Hawaii native captured viewers' hearts as she looked for love. Becoming America’s sweetheart came with a lot of perks for the former military brat after leaving the villa. The reality star has partnered with tons of brands and even did a cute Raising Cane’s commercial with Kenny.
3. Michelle "Chelley" Bissainthe
Chelley Bissainthe joined the U.S. franchise of "Love Island" for its seventh season as an original cast member. The Haitian queen worked as both a model and a day trader in New York City. The dating show contestant has been acknowledged by celebrities like Lizzo, who said one of her songs is for Chelley on TikTok.
4. Olandria Carthen
The "Bama Barbie" is an OG cast member of “Love Island USA” Season 7. Hailing from Alabama, the Southern belle came to the island looking for a country boy. Fans loved Olandria so much that when she was presumably dumped from the island during Casa Amor, the producers chose to save her and secretly move her back to the main villa.
5. Coco Watson
Los Angeles native Coco Watson turned heads when she entered the main villa as a bombshell during Casa Amor in Season 7 of "Love Island USA." The hair and makeup artist immediately became a trending topic from her face card alone. Viewers loved her, and she made her mark despite only spending a few days in the villa. Seeing her get dumped from the island was hard, but we look forward to seeing her take over the internet with every post.
6. Clarke Carraway
This queen, a behavioral health specialist, joined the "Love Island USA" Season 7 cast as one of the bombshells who entered the main villa while the girls were away at Casa Amor. Carraway originally coupled up with Nic and later with Taylor. The South Carolina native built a strong connection with Taylor in just a few days — so much so that the OG islander chose to couple up with Clarke instead of his weeks-long partner, Olandria, in a shocking recoupling that shook the internet.
7. Justine Ndiba
Justine Ndiba made history in 2020, winning "Love Island USA" with Caleb Corprew. The couple, known as "Jaleb," split in 2021, but that didn’t stop the brand deals and opportunities flowing Justine’s way. The Season 2 champion racked up tons of partnerships with amazing brands, including signing on to be a brand ambassador for Savage X Fenty. In 2023, Justine was invited to compete on "Love Island Games," a version of the franchise where former contestants compete in challenges. At the end of the season, she won AGAIN in amazing fashion, splitting the grand prize of $100,000 with her partner, Jack Fowler.
8. Michelle "Mimii" Ngulube
Mimii Ngulube won Season 11 of "Love Island UK," making history as the first Black woman to win the series. The Zimbabwean islander was an original cast member who was adored by fans from the start. That love launched the competition winner into brand success, earning the mental health nurse deals with major brands, including a beautiful collaboration with jewelry brand Abbott Lyon.
9. Indiyah Polack
This original cast member energetically entered the "Love Island UK" Season 8 villa. She finished in third place with her partner Dami Hope. Life outside of the villa came with an abundance of opportunities: the finalist became the first ambassador for the PrettyLittleThing Marketplace and also launched Boots x Indiyah Premium Beauty Box with the popular U.K. drugstore. The booked and busy influencer went on to ink more incredible deals, including serving as a host on the after-show "Aftersun," the "Love Island" podcast "The Morning After," and other TV presenting opportunities.
10. Kyra Green
Kyra Green entered the villa as a bombshell during the first season of “Love Island USA.” After opening up about her sexuality while filming the series, she joined a small group of islanders who have come out as bisexual. Though the native New Yorker did not win the show, she was invited back to compete in the “Love Island Games.”
11. Yewande Biala
This former scientist joined the villa for Season 5 of the U.K. franchise and was very vocal about her experience as a Black woman on the show. "We didn't find anyone who liked us. It was always someone coming in and saying, 'My type is blonde and petite,'" she told 1Xtra Talks after leaving the villa. "We'd just look at each other and say, 'They're obviously not here for us.'" In 2022, the star turned her truth into power when she released the book, “Reclaiming: Essays on finding yourself one piece at a time,” where she covers topics like colorism, navigating dating apps, and career woes.