Entertainment- "Love Island USA" host Sarah Hyland and a contestant had a small clash on Friday's episode.
- A contestant named Mike Stark called Hyland "mad disrespectful" during an awkward exchange.
A "Love Island USA" contestant called host Sarah Hyland "mad disrespectful" during a small on-air tiff, prompting fans of the popular franchise to weigh in.
Season five of the "Love Island" spinoff aired in July with six weekly episodes from Thursday to Tuesday on Peacock, according to Decider.
On Friday's "Love Island USA" episode, Hyland announced contestant Keenan Anunay received the fewest votes and would be sent home. This prompted his partner, Vickala "Kay Kay" Gray, to volunteer to leave with Anunay.
—Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 19, 2023
"I feel like I found what I came here for, and I'd like to leave with Keenan," Gray said.
Hyland then asked if Gray was sure she wanted to leave, to which Gray said she had "no regrets." The winning "Love Island USA" couple gets $100,000, so Gray's departure likely means she'll forfeit the prize.
At this point, fellow contestant Mike Stark chimed in. "Why are you saying it like that?" Stark asked Hyland.
"Me?" Hyland asked, appearing shocked.
"Yeah, it sounded mad disrespectful," he responded.
"I'm being disrespectful?" Hyland asked again.
The interaction led to Leonardo Dionicio, another contestant this season, leaning over and whispering an apology to Hyland on Stark's behalf.
"Sarah, I apologize for his reaction. I think it's just the heat of the moment," Dionicio said.
"Thank you. Boys will be boys, right?" Hyland said.
Ultimately, Stark also exited the show that episode alongside Anunay, Gray, and three other contestants.
"Now that's what I call a red wedding," Hyland said in response, referring to the infamous "Game of Thrones" episode.
Representatives for Stark, Hyland, and Peacock did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside regular working hours.
After Friday's episode, clips from "Love Island USA" gained attention on social media as some fans took fault with Stark's comments.
"Why is Mike acting like that toward Sarah Hyland?" one person wrote.
Another added: "Why is sarah hyland getting disrespected on love island??"
Hyland warned viewers about the drama in a video on her Instagram Story before the episode aired, according to Entertainment Weekly.
—Sarah Hyland Brasil | (Fã-Clube) (@sarahhylandbra) August 19, 2023
"When I tell you that tonight's episode… It was wild. It was absolutely wild. I was gonna lose my mind," she said. "I thought New York Sarah was gonna come out, but I kept it [professional]."