The Huda Mustafa who entered the “Love Island USA” villa and the one who walked out just before the finale were two different people.
What happened in between — a toxic relationship that played out on national TV, a challenge performance that broke the internet, and the hard-won realization that sometimes the strongest thing you can do is walk away — is a story of growth, controversy and the power of choosing yourself.
From day one, the North Carolina native was impossible to ignore. Her bold energy and intense approach to connections made her one of the season’s most talked-about contestants, generating equal parts admiration and criticism from viewers who couldn’t look away. She threw herself into villa life with the kind of all-or-nothing intensity that reality TV thrives on, but that same intensity would soon become her biggest challenge.
Her relationship with Jeremiah Brown started like a wildfire — passionate, consuming, and ultimately destructive. What began as one of the villa’s strongest couples quickly devolved into something viewers and fellow Islanders alike recognized as toxic, marked by love-bombing, explosive fights and drama that extended far beyond their personal bubble. It was messy, it was painful and it was all happening under the unforgiving gaze of cameras and public opinion.
Then came the Heart Rate Challenge, the moment that would spark conversations that extended far beyond the show. A fan-favorite challenge, the Heart Rate Challenge tasks Islanders with performing steamy dances to see who can raise heart rates the most, often triggering tension and jealousy.
When Huda decided to do her “biggest one,” as she puts it to TODAY.com, the performance sent shockwaves through the villa and ignited viral speculation across social media. It was bold, it was controversial, and it was quintessentially Huda — unapologetic and competitive to her core.
But perhaps the most surprising chapter in her “Love Island USA” journey came at the very end. After a brief romance with Chris, Huda made a decision that stunned viewers: she chose to walk away on her own terms, right before the season finale. For many fans, it wasn’t just an exit — it was a redemption arc, a moment where she finally listened to her own voice over the noise of expectations and pressure.
“I’m not going to fake something if I don’t believe it’s there,” Huda tells TODAY.com in an exclusive interview.
Now, safely removed from the villa’s pressure cooker environment, she’s ready to unpack it all: the love, the criticism, the personal growth, and the power that comes with choosing to move on.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
How does it feel to be back in the real world?
It’s overwhelming, but in a good way. It really is. I’m honestly so happy that I went through that experience, and I’m so happy to come out of that with so much love, especially while being in there and thinking I’m completely hated. Mind you, like there are people that don’t like me. That’s fine. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But just seeing all of the love, which is obviously what I’m focusing on, it’s like, wow — I’m speechless. Like, it’s overwhelming. I’m trying to get up to date on everything.
In the moment, it was a shock when America voted to pair Iris with Jeremiah when, at the time, you two were probably the strongest couple in the villa. How do you look back on that moment now and how do you look back on your connection overall with Jeremiah?
I think that we were toxic. We were both very toxic. Was I perfect in that? No. Was he perfect in that? No. I can understand why they would have separated us. America’s vote, it took me by surprise in the moment, because I wasn’t seeing things from an outside perspective. But looking at it from a different perspective, I can understand why.
He told me himself, like he was learning through us. Things that I told him to do, he was changing to do it for other women. And I think that people can relate to that. I think a lot of girls, you know, have been the girl that kind of prepared a man to be in a relationship.
Have you spoken to Jeremiah at all since leaving the villa, or do you plan on reconnecting with him?
Naur, no, no. Uh-uh, no no.
I think a lot of women can relate to going through a bad relationship and coming out stronger on the other side, which we saw through your relationship with Jeremiah. What have you learned that you’ll apply in future relationships?
Communicating in more of a mature way. Not letting my emotions get the best of me. Figure out a way to compromise in ways instead of just focusing on getting my point across. Really hearing the other person out.
I think I would hold a lot of things in out of fear. It’s better to just say it. Even if it ends things, it’s just better to talk about it. There’s a lot of things — slowing down in relationships, not getting too physical too fast, really getting to know somebody. It was a good learning experience in all honesty.
The Heart Rate Challenge sparked tension in the villa. Why do you think that specific challenge caused so much fighting?
I went in with a competitive mindset. It’s just a challenge. I don’t have feelings towards these guys in that way, but I’m doing it to win. It’s out of my control whether or not I’m raising their heart rate or not. Talk to your man about that, not me.
Everyone had really high expectations for me. Every girl and every guy was like, “Huda, do your big one. Huda, this is your time to shine.” I’m like, OK, cool. But I will do my big one. I did my biggest one. And I mean, everybody consented to everything beforehand. We made sure of that.
The men were enjoying their time until they saw their girlies weren’t enjoying that, and that’s when it was too much.
I’ve had these conversations off camera with certain guys who had agreed with me that yeah, when they saw their girls’ reaction they realized, OK, maybe that was too much. It’s kind of like when your man goes to a bachelor party and the girl’s like, “I didn’t like that.” And they’re like, “Damn, OK, maybe I did f— up.”
Moving on to you and Chris. How did you come to that decision like right before the finale?
There were a lot of factors that weren’t even shown that played into my decision at that time. I think everyone was caught off guard, but I’m sure he wasn’t. We knew that that was coming.
Like, he would tell me to shut up. When I’m asking you to compliment me in a meaningful way multiple times, knowing that that’s my love language, I get “gyatt” and “sheesh.” So it’s like, why am I settling? Why would I settle for something like that?
He would make commentary on other women. He had a wandering eye, especially off-camera. He would walk past me and not even look at me, he wouldn’t acknowledge me in conversations. And I peeped all of these things. I was catching them and I kept my mouth shut, but I was keeping them in the back of my mind because I wanted him to show me his true self without me having to guide him. That’s the whole thing I played into my final decision and I stand on that.
He wasn’t all bad, but there are things that are really important to me that are non-negotiables. That’s what made me make my decision.
