Pepe on Love Island USA Season 7: Basketball Star’s Dramatic Entry, New Romance & Secrets Revealed

Social feeds lit up overnight after former pro-basketball player José “Pepe” Garcia strode into the Love Island USA Season 7 villa and turned an already chaotic coupling week on its head. Within hours, the Cuban-Spanish bombshell’s name was trending across TikTok, Reddit and X as fans dissected every raised eyebrow, flirtatious wink and courtside analogy. Who is Pepe Garcia? • Age: 27 • Hometown: Madrid, Spain (raised in Miami) • Past career: Six years playing professional hoops in Europe before opening a fitness studio back home • Social clout: 700 k+ Instagram followers and counting Instant Chemistry With Iris Pepe arrived during Episode 9, whisking Iris Jardiel away on a date that immediately threatened her slow-burn romance with TJ. The resulting love triangle delivered the most-watched clip of the season on Peacock, sparking the hashtag #PepIris and fueling more than 15 million TikTok views in 24 hours. Villa Drama & Fan Reaction • TJ’s exit confession that Iris “deserved better” fanned support for Pepe’s respectful approach. • Reddit voting threads show the couple hovering near the top spot despite entering late. • Commentators praise Pepe’s “grown-man energy” and bilingual charm, a refreshing pivot from earlier macho clashes in the villa. Post-Finale Status According to insiders who attended the wrap-party in Fiji, Pepe and Iris left hand-in-hand and have since been spotted together in Los Angeles, where he is said to be scouting gym locations while she pursues modeling shoots. Entertainment site StyleCaster reports the duo are “still going strong” two weeks after cameras stopped rolling, planning joint content drops to keep momentum alive. Why the Buzz Matters 1. Cross-platform presence: Pepe’s basketball backstory attracts sports audiences unfamiliar with Love Island. 2. Cultural crossover: His Cuban-Spanish roots tap Latino fan bases often under-served by mainstream dating shows. 3. Memefication: Screen-grabs of his animated sideline coaching of Iris have become the season’s “green flag” meme template. Where to Watch & Follow • New episodes stream nightly on Peacock (with next-day repeats on USA Network). • Catch Pepe’s behind-the-scenes reels @pepe.garcia15 on Instagram and POV commentary on TikTok under #PepeLoveIsland. With the final vote looming, search interest shows no sign of cooling. Whether Pepe and Iris claim the $100 k prize or not, the “basketballer-turned-boyfriend” storyline has already cemented itself as Season 7’s breakout romance—and a click-magnet headline fans can’t resist refreshing.