Love Island Runner-Ups Alexandra Stewart and Dylan Curry Find Romance
Twenty-five-year olds Alexandra Stewart and Dylan Curry have had an unconventional journey to find love, to say the least. The Los Angeles publicist and San Diego personal trainer recently joined the first-ever season of CBS’ Love Island, based on the popular British reality show on ITV2. The U.S. version takes place in Fiji, where a group of singles stays in a villa in hopes of establishing a true romance. Complete with challenges and twists, the show features a cast that must work to form strong relationships--or else the public will vote for them to be sent home. In the end, one couple is crowned as the winning duo, and they get to share a prize of $100,000. Stewart entered the villa on day one, temporarily coupling up with Michael Griffiths before remaining with Curry for the entirety of the series. The couple placed second in the finale, just shy of the cash. Below, Stewart and Curry share behind-the-scenes secrets and reveal where they stand now.
Why did you submit to be on Love Island? Had you watched the U.K. version beforehand?
Alexandra Stewart: A friend of my best friend actually scouted me for Love Island. I had just gotten out of a terrible relationship, and she thought it would be a great experience for me. After my breakup, I took a lot of time to myself to reflect on what I really wanted in a partner and promised myself to never settle again. Cue Love Island. I watched Season 3 of [the U.K. version of] Love Island before going to Fiji! The Love Island team asked us to watch the seasons before to get an idea of what we would be experiencing. I was completely hooked on the show and absolutely loved it. Their slang is incredible and Olivia [Attwood] was my favorite person to watch.
Dylan Curry: I actually didn’t submit for Love Island. I was found by a recruiter and was really surprised. I thought it was a scam the entire time until I saw a legit email from CBS. After I realized it was real, I decided to give it a shot because it was something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do! I personally never really believed I was going to be picked for the show, so I never fully watched the full UK seasons before I left for Fiji, although now I wish I did.
What was your favorite part about staying in Fiji?
Stewart: Experiencing a new culture and meeting the locals. Fijians are truly the nicest people in the world, and it was such a pleasure to be around them. The turquoise water is also a bonus!
Curry: This is a tough question to answer. The guys stayed in Suva before the villa. I was able to hang out with Fijians, go to local waterfalls, and see how the locals live, which was my favorite part of going to Fiji. My favorite part of staying in the villa was waking up next to a bunch of my friends every day.
Alexandra, although you started with Michael on day one, you ended up with Dylan. How did those relationships differ?
Stewart: Michael is an amazing guy, but we just didn’t click right away the way Dylan and I did. Michael and I agreed to pursue other people, and when I met Dylan, I knew he would be the guy I would most likely go for in the “real world.” It was really easy with Dylan, and he provided this overwhelming sense of calmness from the minute we started talking.
What was your favorite date you went on and why?
Stewart: Dylan and I had an epic date where we took a helicopter from the villa to a little island beach club called Malamala. I can’t even begin to explain how surreal it felt to fly over Fiji’s insanely beautiful islands. We flew over the famous island, Tavarua, that’s shaped like a heart. The heart island was the background of every Islander’s phone, so when we got back from our date, we were screaming “The heart island is real! We saw it!” The pilot also took a special detour for us and showed us the famous surf break, Cloudbreak, which was absolutely stunning. My favorite part was landing on the private island with absolutely nothing but clear turquoise water surrounding us as we walked off the helicopter to our ocean-view cabana for our date.
Curry: My favorite date was the epic date. Alex and I took a helicopter over multiple islands! My favorite part that wasn’t shown was when we flew over Cloudbreak.
What’s one thing people may not know about being a part of the series?
Stewart: We’re completely off the grid with no contact to the outside world. We didn’t speak to our families for six weeks. We didn’t have TV, internet, books, journals, or magazines. We simply had each other and a kitchen where we were always eating snacks. A lot of fans saw that we did have Samsung Galaxy phones on the show, but most don’t realize that the only two things we could do on the phone were text other Islanders and take pictures. Another question I always get is about how we posted to Instagram--all Islanders either had friends or family running their social media accounts while the show was live. We filmed 24/7 for four weeks straight. Imagine all of the hilarious content captured that never made it onto the show.
Curry: We were legitimately off the grid for about 7 weeks--we had zero clue what was going on in the world. We didn’t know what time it was in the villa. We had phones that didn’t have a clock.
How did you feel when you found out that America didn’t vote you two to win the money? Did it alter your relationship at all?
Stewart: The funny thing about the finale is that we didn’t even expect to make it that far. I don’t think anyone did. We all were consistently forced to live in the moment, so thinking about winning the entire show was something that rarely crossed my mind. I think all of the Islanders were just grateful to be on an island with their best friends looking for love and having an unforgettable summer--the money was just an added bonus. Of course, Dylan and I were bummed we didn’t win the $100,000, but who wouldn’t be?! We’re super happy for [the winners,] Zac [Mirabelli] and Elizabeth [Weber].
Curry: I caught some heat from my reaction when Alex and I found out we didn’t win. I was bummed we didn’t win, and I wasn’t afraid to show it. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t want fifty thousand dollars, and I’ll never apologize for reaction. Alex and I didn’t really think about the money until we were standing there and realized “Wow, we actually might win, and this money could change our lives.” Losing didn’t alter our relationship. Honestly, it made us even closer.
Where do you two stand now?
Stewart: Dylan and I are still in an amazing relationship that has only grown stronger and deeper since leaving the villa. We live about two hours apart; he lives in San Diego and I live in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, three weeks ago, I broke my jaw, so I’ve been staying at Dylan’s house while I heal! He’s the best nurse.
Curry: Alex and I are great! We were curious as to how we were going to be in the real world. What would our relationship be like when you add back our phones? Our friends? Family? Money? Work? We jumped right into real world problems. She’s the best, and we’re so excited for what’s to come.
Follow Alexandra and Dylan on Instagram:
Alexandra Stewart: @alexstewart11
Dylan Curry: @dylancurry