Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez Reveal Why They’re Staying Friends with TJ and Hannah
Hold onto your coffee cups, because I am jittering with the juiciest post-Love Island USA update! Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez have officially spoken out about their recent meetups with former flames TJ Palma and Hannah Fields, and spoiler alert: there is zero drama, only closure and friendship.
Fresh off the season seven finale on July 13, where Iris and Pepe earned a respectable fourth place, fans flooded social media wondering if these two would run back into the arms of their villa exes. Iris, 25, who had an emotional coupling with TJ before getting dumped and finding love with Pepe, wasted no time setting the record straight. She was spotted in Los Angeles on July 14 sharing a warm hug with TJ Palma, and she clarifies that this was all about closure, not rekindling romance. “I had a closure conversation with TJ, and I just let him know my feelings and my thoughts,” Iris said exclusively to E! News. “We all love each other. There is no hate. We are all going to be friends.”
Meanwhile, basketball star Pepe, 27, is equally committed to keeping things cordial with his brief but intense connection to Hannah Fields. “Both of us have been very respectful to everybody and their feelings, so we will just continue to stay like that,” he told E! News. He admits he was genuinely sad when Hannah left the show and wants to clear the air. “It is a little irrational to say you fell in love with someone in three days,” he laughed, adding that he hopes to tell Hannah, “What I felt for you was real. I was extremely sad when you left. I’m sorry it played out the way it did.” He emphasizes that there are few people who have shared the Love Island experience this season, so scrapping friendships after the villa would be a real shame.
Iris also confirmed there is no bad blood on her end. “Hannah is great. She is hilarious,” Iris gushed. “No bad blood or anything.” Now happily coupled with Pepe off camera, she is focused on nurturing her new relationship while maintaining respectful lines with TJ and Hannah.
How does Love Island USA whip up these intense storylines so quickly? Thanks to 85 hidden cameras dotting the Fijian set and a production team working around the clock, editors turn each day’s footage into a polished episode in just hours. According to executive producer Claudine Parrish in a 2024 interview with The Wrap, footage from breakfast scenes or surprise recouplings gets tagged and edited almost immediately—electronic bins fill up fast, and by the time islanders wake up, their moments are ready for broadcast. With editors, producers and a dedicated story team, the show decides whether a scene will change tomorrow or become a narrative thread.
On Love Island USA, breakfast is king, with the guys making coffee and morning meals for the girls in a nod to classic reality romance rituals. It may look effortless on screen, but behind the scenes there is a small army of 30 editors and 20 producers racing against the clock—and a 16-hour time difference between Fiji and the East Coast—to keep viewers hooked.
Okay, I need to grab another latte after all that gossip!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, The Wrap
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
