Love Island USA Season 7 has been a whirlwind of drama, romance and unexpected twists, not just inside the villa in Fiji, but spilling over into the real world as well. From shocking recouplings and emotional exits to off-screen controversies, this season has kept fans on edge every step of the way.

One of the most unexpected moments of Love Island USA Season 7 came when Cierra Ortega abruptly left the villa just as the season was approaching its final stretch. Her sudden departure followed the resurfacing of past social media posts in which she was seen using a racial slur. In response, producers made the decision to remove her from the show. However, it appeared that the Islanders left in the villa were not given an explanation for her abrupt exit.

Love Island USA Season 7’s Zak Srakaew Shares What Producers Really Told The Villa About Cierra Ortega’s Sudden Departure

Producers Left The Islanders In The Dark About Cierra Ortega’s Exit

When the July 6 episode of Love Island USA aired, viewers were left puzzled as there was no direct acknowledgment or clear explanation for Cierra Ortega’s exit, with narrator Iain Stirling sharing that she left after a “personal situation.” It also appeared that the Islanders, including Nic Vansteenberghe, whom Cierra had been closed off with, were equally in the dark about what had happened.

However, it wasn’t until after his own exit that Zak Srakaew, who was dumped shortly after Cierra’s departure, shed light on what really happened behind the scenes. Taking to social media, Zak revealed what producers allegedly told the Islanders about Cierra’s sudden removal from the villa, but it was little to help the Islanders fully understand why she was sent home.

Zak said the producers told them that this was “the only information we can give you guys.” Although the Islanders weren’t given total clarity about why Cierra had to leave, Zak shared that they had all made assumptions.

“So when we were all in there, we didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “But that is all they said to us. And if we needed someone to speak to, we can speak to them.”

Cierra Broke Her Silence Following Her Exit

Cierra’s Exit Came After A Resurfaced Post Saw Her Using A Racial Slur

Cierra’s sudden exit from the villa came after a resurfaced social media post from her past showed her using racial slurs. According to People, several racist social media posts had resurfaced and targeted primarly those of Asian descent. These posts have dated back to 2015, with the earliest one being in 2023.

Cierra faced intense backlash from Love Island fans after the resurfaced posts came to light, with many demanding her immediate removal from the show. In fact, the outlet also reported that her follower count on Instagram saw her losing over 200,000 followers within two days.

Just three days after she was removed from the show, Cierra broke her silence. In a video post on Instagram, she shared:

“I want to first start by addressing, not just anyone that I have hurt or deeply offended, but most importantly, the entire Asian community,” she began. “I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry. I had no idea that the word held as much pain as much harm, and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it. I had no ill intention when I was using it. But that’s absolutely no excuse, because intent doesn’t excuse ignorance.”

“I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur. In that moment, I was embarrassed,” she said. “I, of course, immediately deleted the post. I was apologetic, and I educated not only myself on the true meaning and history of the word, but also anyone around me who was accidentally holding space for this slur.”

In her statement, Cierra shared that she believed producers were right in removing her from the show. However, she reveaeled that her family and friends had been getting wrongfully targeted because of her past actions, including having I.C.E. called on her family.

She concluded her statement with, “I know that no apology could ever be enough for the harm that I’ve caused and the offense that’s taken place. I know that moving forward, my actions and how I decide to live my life from here on out, is going to speak louder than any apology ever could. But I do need it to be known that I am sorry, and I did mean no harm.”

Cierra wasn’t the first Islander this season to be removed over resurfaced content involving racial slurs. As fans will recall, Yulissa Escobar, one of the original cast members, was swiftly removed when video clips showed her using a racial slur.

How Did Nic Feel After Cierra Was Removed From Love Island?

Zak Revealed That Nic Didn’t Know How To “Express” His Feelings After Cierra Left

From what Zak shared on his social media post, the Islanders were given little to no context about Cierra’s sudden departure, leaving many confused, especially Nic Vansteenberghe. Having just closed off their coupling, Nic was not only single in the villa, but also visbly unsettled by her exit.

Without a clear explanation, he was left to process both the emotional fallout and unanswered questions about where he stood with Cierra and why she had really left.

According to Zak, Nic did not know how to go about her abrupt removal. “Nic was really upset that she left, but at the same time, he couldn’t really be super upset or he couldn’t express how he felt about the situation until he found out what she had done or said,” he shared. “At the end of the day, as much as you want to feel sorry for somebody, if you know they got removed from a show for saying something offensive, you can’t really feel sorry for them until you know what it is,” he added.

When the July 6 episode aired, Nic shared, “I don’t really know. I think now that my strongest connection has gone, I will figure it out from here. I was not expecting this.” He again shared that he was “lost” because he had made up his mind up being with Cierra.

Before Cierra left, most of the couples were beginning to really form. He soon found himself reconsidering things with Olandria Carthen, as both had previously been dumped and then re-entered the villa together. With no strong connections elsewhere, especially after Taylor chose to pursue something with bombshell Clarke, Olandria and Nic decided to explore whether there was still something between them. However, it remains to be seen whether these two will make it outside the real world.

Fans will also have to wait until Nic comes back to the real world to see how he feels about everything that’s unfolded, and whether he will reconnect with Cierra.

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