Why Love Island season 8 winner Trinity could take home more prize money than Bryce despite splitting the $100K

After weeks of romance, drama, and public votes, Love Island USA season eight crowned Trinity and Bryce as the winners during Sunday's finale, earning the show's $100,000 grand prize. But while the couple won the same prize together, they likely won't end up with identical amounts in their bank accounts because of taxes.

Host Ariana Madix announced that Trinity and Bryce had received the most viewer votes, beating finalists Aniya and Carl, Melanie and Sincere, and Kayda and Zach to claim the title.

As with every Love Island finale, the winning couple first faces the show's signature envelope twist. One envelope contains the full $100,000 prize, while the other contains nothing. The envelope is assigned at random, and the person holding the winning envelope is given the choice of either splitting the money with their partner or keeping it all.


Although the format allows for one contestant to walk away with the entire prize, no winner in Love Island history has ever chosen to keep all the money, with every winning contestant opting to split it.

Why Trinity's payout could be higher than Bryce's

Assuming Trinity and Bryce divide the $100,000 prize equally, each would receive $50,000 before taxes. However, the amount they ultimately keep depends on where they live. According to calculations shared by The Tab, every winner would first face an estimated $18,500 in federal taxes on their $50,000 share.

Bryce, who lives in California, would then owe an estimated $6,650 in California state income tax, reducing his final payout to approximately $24,850.

Trinity, meanwhile, lives in Virginia, where the estimated state tax on her winnings would be significantly lower, about $2,875. That means she could take home roughly $28,625 after taxes.

As a result, Trinity would end up with about $3,775 more than Bryce, despite both receiving an equal share of the grand prize.