Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai Are Still Choosing Each Other

In a room full of people, Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai look for each other. It feels instinctual, primal even. As if there’s always something tugging them back to each other. It’s why it feels unseemly to be sitting between them in this greenroom, Trinity getting her makeup done for their Cosmo shoot, and Bryce slouched on a stool in the corner with freshly coiffed hair.America’s favorite couple is back from Fiji and the beginning of the rest of their lives is here.It seems dramatic, but given the ways in which the Love Island USA universe has grown in the last three years, it’s true. The normalcy most can return to post–dating show does not exist anymore. Which is maybe why Trinity and Bryce (lovingly known as Brinity) are always looking at each other—for support, for comfort, for a reminder of simplicity when they were just two kids siloed away in a six-week Truman Show–esque summer camp, oblivious to the internet and outside opinions.Brinity’s love story first started like that of a very slow-to-boil pot of water, the one where if you stare at it too long, nothing simmers to the top. But only when you look away is when it starts to overflow. It started out as friends (who have to incessantly and sloppily kiss each other daily), with both of the stars realizing over time that they definitely would be ruining the friendship.There’s a calmness as both of them speak, the other gazing softly, like an enamored newborn puppy. It’s as if they can’t get enough of hearing each other talk. They cut in often, their words gelling together like they’re using shared brain cells. And maybe they are—after experiencing the Fijian sun and being phoneless for weeks, there are probably many ways their brain chemistry has been altered this summer.We know how important we are to each other. No one can really make us feel differently. —Bryce AlakaiThe Love Island USA season 8 winners haven’t spent a day apart since taking home the grand prize. They’ve been on a nonstop run, which won’t end for a while. They spent several days in Los Angeles (Trinity’s first time) and then made their way to Newport News, Virginia, so that Bryce could see where she grew up. After our interview, they’d head back over to Los Angeles to film the reunion, and then from August 20 through December 12, they’d be heading across the country for Bryce’s first tour as a music artist. Trinity says she plans to be by her man’s side and go wherever Bryce does.Although there’s an eight-year age gap between Bryce and Trinity—something the two were very worried about at the beginning of the show—it doesn’t feel very apparent. Bryce is calm, good-natured, and rather charming. It’s even more visible in person than it was onscreen. Trinity holds that same sureness about herself in person as she did on the show. It’s something you don’t see in many 22-year-olds—especially during this era of online fame and internet personas. There’s a coolness to her, reminiscent of an early 2000s socialite entering one of those dating or reality television shows, before influencing was a thing. She’s someone who was meant to be a star without the visible thirst for it. The two together aren’t in for a traditional romance or life now that they’ve been crowned a Love Island couple, but this new life doesn’t intimidate them.One thing is for sure though: Fame has found them. But for Bryce and Trinity, it will always be about each other first and foremost. Everything else is second best.Top Hanes, skirt Etro, shoes Gianvito Rossi, rings Pandora and (left hand) Miraki, anklet Trinity’s own. First things first: Are y’all having Villa withdrawals?Bryce: A little bit, yeah. When you’re there, you’re safe. The public can’t talk to you. No one can talk to you. You’re protected.Trinity: You don’t see what the outside opinion is. And you don’t get in your head about certain stuff.Bryce: Because you have no idea what’s getting clipped either.Trinity: You’re just living your life. I kind of just miss being around my friends every day.Bryce: You wake up and you’re not worrying about money. You’re not worrying about where your next meal is coming from. Everything’s preplanned.Did y’all each have your own personal rules that you set before going on the show?Trinity: I told myself I wasn’t going to have sex.Bryce: Yeah, same thing. [Both laugh]Just comparing him to his peers in the Villa, he was a breath of fresh air. —Trinity TatumHow are you both showing up for each other during all of this craziness? Bryce: Trinity always makes me feel like she’s here for me. She’s like, “I don’t care about any of this stuff on Twitter. I don’t care about any of this noise. I just care about you. So as long as you’re good, I’m good.” And I feel the same way. It is so reassuring in this whole mess. I know that we have each other.Trinity: If he’s in his head about something, I’m there to be like, “Pay it dust. You have so much love and support; weed out the trauma.” If I’m down, he tells me the same exact thing. It’s a good balance.Have you discussed what external pressure and fan expectations look like? Do you feel like there’s a third person in your relationship?Bryce: In a way, I feel like it doesn’t. We’re so close that we genuinely, for the most part, really don’t care what people think of our actual relationship because we feel so good about it, and we know how we feel and we know how important we are to each other. No one can really make us feel differently.How are you guys deciding what parts of your life you want to keep private and what you’re going to share with other people?Trinity: If we have an issue with each other, that’s nobody’s business—which we haven’t, thank god. [The internet] will just see it when they see it. Whatever I decide to share with them is just that.Shirt, jeans, and belt Fendi, top Hanes, briefs Bryce’s own, necklace John Hardy. Did y’all have any conversations off-camera about what it would mean to be in an interracial relationship outside of the Villa?Trinity: It was a thought in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t a huge factor for me.Bryce: We immediately chose each other from the gate. So it was never really even on our minds, to be honest. The only time it came up was when we talked about exes.Trinity: And also we’re not the first or the last interracial couple. I think that people have such expectations because they expect a white man to not be attracted to a Black woman. [But] this is not the ’50s. There are so many interracial couples. I think that if roles were reversed and he was a Black man and I was a white woman, nobody would really question it. But I think because I’m a dark-skinned woman, they’re like, “Oh, does he really like her?” I think it’s such a nonfactor.Since leaving the Villa, is there anything y’all have been doing solely for yourselves? Bryce: We love eating. She has a new fascination with oysters. [Laughs]Trinity: Stop saying new. Say raw oysters.So you’ve never had raw oysters before?Trinity: I’ve had regular steamed ones. I love oysters. I’ve never had it raw though.Bryce: Now she loves raw oysters.Trinity, you previously did makeup and hair. Is that something you’re still interested in exploring post-Villa, career-wise? Trinity: I love hair and makeup. It’s been like two years since I did it on people. I liked doing makeup then just to make ends meet. But I definitely want to tap into it for myself because I think that I’ve always loved makeup. I love getting dolled up and being feminine, so that’ll definitely be something I focus on down the line.I met her, I felt it, and it’s crazy. I just wasn’t anticipating that. —Bryce AlakaiFor the Black women on Love Island specifically, there’s always so much discourse around their hair and makeup. When we first got cast photos, so many people were like, “Oh my gosh, she chose to do her hair this way.” Was that something that crossed your mind before you were getting ready to go into the Villa?Trinity: Yes and no. Because I know how to do my own hair. I wasn’t gonna look a mess. Anytime my hair looked a mess, it wasn’t me that did it. Being a Black woman, there’s so much versatility in doing your hair, and I know there was a lot of discourse on why I didn’t go with braids. I didn’t go with boho braids because I didn’t want to do boho braids. Like, I don’t have to do boho braids if I don’t want to. I love boho braids though. [Laughs]And you proved all the haters wrong because people had so much to say about how your hair was going to be bad by week two, and then you popped up with a new style every time.Trinity: Baby! And I came with multiple wigs. Growing up, my mom wasn’t paying for me to get my hair done, so I had to learn how to do it myself.I also feel like that moment between you and Aniya where you gave her one of your wigs after her hair had gotten messed up at the water park was peak Black girlhood.Trinity: I want to make sure all my friends look good. Like, I’ve never been one to be like, “No.” I’ve never been one to be stingy; I’m used to sharing my stuff.On Trinity: Jacket Brooks Brothers, bra and underwear from Vintage Heritage, stockings Calzedonia, sunglasses Chimi, rings Pandora. On Bryce: All clothing and accessories Brooks Brothers. And Bryce, I know music is top of mind. So what are you looking forward to doing now career-wise?Bryce: I’m going on tour. It’s a testing period to see who even is interested in my music. It’s my dream in life and somehow we’re here.You have been around in the industry for a while. What has this post–Love Island second wind been like for you?Bryce: It’s super interesting because this is always what I wanted to be able to do, and being able to have this platform and opportunity is so amazing. I’ve been around it, I’ve been in it, but I was never doing well per se. I was always struggling, hustling, trying to make things happen. It’s nice to finally catch a break for once.What did y’all learn about each other by going through this process together?Trinity: I learned how emotionally mature he was, how calm and selfless he is—which a lot of that wasn’t really shown from other people inside the Villa. Just comparing him to his peers in the Villa, he was a breath of fresh air. I think that some people can come off as a victim or narcissistic; he doesn’t show any of that. He’s the complete opposite. He’s so emotional. I think he’s a little bit more emotional than me, but that’s a good thing.Bryce: Trinity blew me away with how mature she is. Even coming out of the Villa, her ability to handle any form of pressure is insane. It doesn’t make sense for a 22-year-old. She’s like a brick wall when it comes to criticism, and it’s really impressive. She’s teaching me things.I think that that emotional maturity and respect are everything, because men don’t have that now. That red pill stuff is crazy. —Trinity TatumIs there anything specific in your life that shaped that maturity, Trinity? Trinity: I grew up with an old-school Christian mom, and she was also very intelligent. She worked with kids and people with mental health issues. My brother has a mental illness, and I’m the youngest. My siblings are all older than me. I’ve always been around older people. And my siblings are always there to put me in check. My mom is gonna sugarcoat and be soft and sweet about it. My siblings are gonna be straightforward and tell me how it is.Speaking of maturity: One of my favorite tweets to come out of this season was someone saying, “I don’t think we’ve ever heard someone in the Villa use the phrase ‘moral paragon’ before.” Bryce, is that just how you naturally talk? Bryce: My grandma was a teacher. My brother went to NYU for liberal arts. I feel like I’ve been surrounded by such intelligent people that I’ll just have moments randomly where I say stuff like that. The whole “moral paragon” remark, that’s probably the second time I’ve ever used that phrase in my life. But in the moment, it just felt right because everyone was getting this sense of righteousness when everyone’s relationships were so shaky. I feel like the psychology of that place is bizarre.I feel like people always make comments or remarks about how it’s Love Island, not Friendship Island, but I think—like any reality show—you need friends to survive. Has there been a concerted effort to shield your fellow Islanders from vitriol, given how intense the fandom has become? Trinity: Yes, for sure. This is a dating show. It’s meant to be competitive. At the same time, we are literally all regular people that are hours away from home. I think that in an environment like that, you should have friendships. You need to have somebody that you can trust. I love every single one of those people that were there, even if I don’t agree with certain things that are said. I think that they’re all good people. And I think that with the media, people see us as characters. People sending death threats to Titi and KC, that’s completely unacceptable. You don’t have to agree with what they did, but stuff like that is out of pocket. And even with Melanie getting hate for who she’s with—that’s who she wants to be with. We’re all human. We’re young. We’re all in our 20s—except Bryce. [Laughs]Bryce: I’m just catching strays.Is there an upcoming time frame where you guys will have to be apart? Have you discussed what that will look like?Bryce: I don’t know how many shows she wants to go to. I’m sure it’ll get to a point and she’ll say, “I want to do my own thing.”Trinity: We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.Bryce: It’s kind of a scary thought. With her, I never feel like I need alone time. It never feels like I need space….Obviously, it’s been two weeks. [Laughs]If y’all ever got a house or apartment together down the line, what would be the vibes?Trinity: Well, I know he definitely wants a bidet in there.Bryce: I’m big into bidets. I’m getting her adjusted. You gotta have a bidet. Once you use it, you can’t go back.Trinity: It’s so weird!Bryce: Also, I think, I mean, for me personally, having a music studio.Trinity: And a bar—yeah, a minibar!What is your favorite thing about each other? Bryce: How much she stands up for what she believes in. It’s like one of her best qualities. She will put herself on the line or on the chopping block if she feels like it’s right and needed, and she will do it to the maximum extent. And I think that’s a very admirable thing.Trinity: He’s very open with his feelings. He’s not afraid to be like, “I felt some type of way about this.” He told me he loved me. He told me that he wanted to make me his girlfriend. I think that that emotional maturity and respect are everything, because men don’t have that now. That red pill stuff is crazy.If y’all didn’t go on Love Island, do you think you would have met somewhere else? Bryce: I’d hope so, but the odds…like, Virginia—Trinity: And L.A.Bryce: The odds are so low.Perfect meet-cute on Love Island. Bryce: It’s amazing that a show like this could be something that brought us together. When I was thinking about being on it, I thought maybe something could work out, but I wasn’t anticipating telling someone I love them within that time. I met her, I felt it, and it’s crazy. I just wasn’t anticipating that.On Bryce: Jacket and shirt R13, jeans Levi’s, boots Manolo Blahnik, ring John Hardy, belt Artemas Quibble. On Trinity: Dress and shoes Gucci, earrings and rings (right hand, ring finger) Marli, rings Pandora, bracelet Miraki, anklet Trinity’s own. Styled by Ronnie Hart. Trinity’s hair by Kadijah Balde at OPUS Beauty. Trinity’s makeup by Mollie Gloss for Maybelline. Trinity’s manicure by Pika at See Management. Bryce’s grooming by Magdalena Major for Dior Beauty. Shot on location at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.