Maybe that really was Cierra Ortega begging to stay in the villa??
According to a Love Island USA insider, Cierra fought HARD to avoid getting removed from the show amid her racism scandal! It sounds like it was dramatic AF!
As we all saw, the contestant was taken off the dating competition during Sunday night’s episode after old posts of hers using a racial slur aimed at Asians resurfaced. On Tuesday, a production source broke down exactly how it all happened, telling The US Sun that Cierra tried to make a public apology on the show to keep her place in the villa!
Related: Chris Reveals He ‘Folded’ And Was Intimate With Huda
They explained that at first, the 25-year-old “thought she could save her spot on the show” when she was informed of the scandal:
“We had to tell her to exit the show, as what happened would have created a lot of prejudice and it’s the kind of behavior that is simply unacceptable. She didn’t want to leave the show and tried to apologize for what she did. We decided that apologies aren’t enough for topics like this. She got upset when we told her that she had to leave the show as soon as possible.”
It sounds like producers didn’t really give the apology route much thought, the insider added:
“It was never an option and we had to decide quickly and inform her so she could start getting ready to get out. Cierra was against leaving the show at first, and thought an apology would be enough, but it doesn’t work like this.”
So, how did she ultimately take the news? The source dished:
“She felt bad, she was very upset but we had to let her go, as we can’t have a bad image and allow people [to] use such unacceptable words and racial slurs.”
It’s no shock she was upset! She was a week away from being up for the $100K cash prize, and she was in the only closed-off couple! She probably thought she was a shoo-in to win before learning about this controversy!
Soooo, that leaves the other islanders. What do they know? Were they told Cierra departed because of a “personal” issue, like the narrator told the rest of the world? Or do they know the full extent of this drama?! After all, Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe moved on freaking fast, especially for two people who previously cared about Cierra’s feelings! What gives?
Well, it sounds like they were informed — and it caused a ton of turmoil in the group! The source said they “wanted answers fast” about what was going to happen:
“Other participants got really upset at her, and the atmosphere in the show got unbearable and very tense.”
Yeesh. The confidant went on:
“Some other candidates wanted answers fast, to have her out of the show as she made people feel bad and that created a very tense atmosphere.”
Others, however, “tried to talk to producers to try to find an alternative.” But production stood on business because there was “no other option on the table.” Having already sent home Yulissa Escobar in the first week when she was caught saying a racial slur in resurfaced content, they felt removing Cierra was the only thing they could do. The source elaborated:
“It’s the second time this season that we have to deal with issues linked with racists slurs or posts, that is terrible to deal with that as we want our show to be respectful of everyone, and to condemn racism and discrimination in every single way.”
The source expressed:
“It was a very, very tough moment to deal with, as we never want to deal with things like this.”
A second insider reiterated how Cierra was desperate to stay in Fiji, noting:
“She didn’t want to leave at first, but we gave her no choice as we decided that we had no other options but let her go, as we can’t accept this kind of behavior and word used. […] I don’t know if Cierra realized at first how bad the situation was, but we told her that she had to go, and tried to apologize and just thought it would be cool… but no.”
On the one hand, how could she understand? She hasn’t had her phone or access to the internet since stepping into the villa. She has no idea what’s been said about her — all she’s going off is what production told her. But on the other hand, we’re even more curious to see what her eventual statement will be about this because it sounds like she thought she could brush this all off with a half-assed press release and be done. That’s not going to go over well with her already very heated critics…
Frankly, an apology probably wouldn’t have even worked if she was allowed to give it during the show. There were just too many people fighting for her removal, the second source remarked:
“We had so many messages from fans, tons of pressure from the different people involved in the show, and we had to act fast and do the thing that aligns with our values and logic.”
Cierra was left feeling “very sad,” but also “scared of the aftermath.” Oof. That has to be really intimidating. This season of Love Island USA has reached record highs in terms of viewership and social media interactions — but with that comes a dark side. Host Ariana Madix and the production team have had to urge fans to stop cyberbullying the cast numerous times. Even Cierra’s parents and cast members speaking out against her have asked viewers to be kind and compassionate.
We hope Cierra gets some therapy on her way out of the villa because this is a lot for anyone to process. She should be held accountable for her actions and there’s no excuse or tolerance for racism — but that doesn’t mean she deserves to be met with cruelty, too. The franchise already has a mental health issue for contestants after the show.
Thoughts? Let us know (below).
[Image via Peacock]
The post <i>Love Island USA</i>’s Cierra Fought To Stay On The Show — She ‘Thought An Apology Would Be Enough’ For Racial Slur! appeared first on Perez Hilton.