Love Island USA Star Reveals What Cast Members Were Told About Cierra Ortega’s Abrupt Exit
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Cierra left the villa in the July 6 episode amid calls for her removal after several resurfaced racist social media posts
By Liza Esquibias
Former Love Island USA season 7 contestant Zak Srakaew revealed how producers told the cast that Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa
Her sudden exit occurred in the July 6 episode after posts, in which she allegedly used a racial slur, resurfaced
Zak also shared how Nic Vansteenberghe, who was in an exclusive couple with Cierra at the time, reacted to the news
More details about Cierra Ortega’s sudden exit from Love Island USA are emerging.
Zak Srakaew, a Casa Amor contestant who was eliminated from the hit dating series hours after Cierra was sent home, addressed her departure in a TikTok Live on Tuesday, July 8. Revealing how the cast learned the news, he explained that they weren’t given any specifics.
“The producers gathered us all together, and then they said, ‘Unfortunately, Cierra has broken some of the policies of our guidelines. She will no longer be here in the villa, and that’s the only information we can give you guys,’” Zak shared. “So when we were all in there, we didn’t really know what was going on, but that’s the only thing they said to us.”
Cierra Ortega, Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe. Love Island
Cierra Ortega and Nic Vansteenberghe.
Ben Symons/Peacock
At the time of her exit, Cierra was in a closed-off couple with Nic Vansteenberghe, leaving him single.
In the July 6 episode, narrator Iain Stirling announced that Cierra left the villa due to a “personal situation” after fans called for her removal over several resurfaced racist social media posts.
“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 feels about a situation until he found out what she’s done or what she’s said,” Zak noted. “Because 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.”
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Fans discovered at least two posts allegedly made by the 25-year-old content creator that contained slurs offensive to Chinese people.
In one from January 2015, she appeared to use a racial slur to describe her smile, before using the slur again in February 2023 to describe her smile while getting Botox.
Shortly after she was taken out of the villa, Cierra’s parents took to her Instagram Stories with a statement calling the situation “one of the most painful weeks of our lives.”
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced,” they wrote. “We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.”
Within 48 hours of the posts resurfacing, Cierra reportedly lost 200,000 followers, according to the Daily Mail. Over 17,000 people also signed a petition campaigning for her removal from the show.
Cierra Ortega on Love Island USA Season 7.
Cierra Ortega.
Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty
Cierra is the second person to be removed from Love Island USA season 7.
Earlier this season, Yulissa Escobar made an unexpected departure during episode two because she said the N-word during two separate podcast appearances. In a lengthy Instagram post on June 6, she issued an apology.
“In those clips, I used a word I never should’ve used, a racial slur,” it read in part. “I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history or pain behind it.”
“I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use,” she continued.
“...To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize. I am sorry,” Yulissa added.
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Love Island USA season 7 airs daily, except Wednesdays, at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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