Season 6 is setting up to be the best year of Love Island USA so far. Along with its growing reputation, the Love Island spin-off now has its own weekly talk show, Aftersun. While this may be new to USA viewers, Aftersun has been a staple of Love Island UK for years.
While the main show is hosted by Ariana Madix, Aftersun is hosted by former contestant Maura Higgins. Viewers who tuned into LI USA for the first time this year may not know her. But for loyal Love Island fans, Maura is an absolute legend. Since her slow-mo entrance into Season 5, Maura has emerged as one of the show’s biggest breakout stars. Here’s everything that newbies need to know about the ultimate Love Island fan favorite.
Maura is a legendary Love Island bombshell
When you ask Love Island fans about the greatest bombshells, they may list Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Adam Collard, Chloe Burrows, etc. One name that will always be mentioned is Maura’s. Since Season 5, every female bombshell has been compared to her.
Her Season 5 entrance was iconic, and once in the villa, she dropped one-liners and phrases like “fanny flutters” that are now part of the LI lexicon. Her stunning looks and saucy chat rattled Tommy Fury, who memorably said she turned his head “560 degrees.” His partner, Molly-Mae Hauge, was so shaken up that she hid behind a plant to spy on Tommy and Maura’s flirting. Of course, Molly-Mae and Tommy’s love survived this huge test. Oddly enough, Maura instantly became close friends with them and still is today.
Why Maura is a fan favorite
The men of Love Island are prone to shockingly bad behavior (if you thought USA contestants kissing bombshells on dates was disrespectful, that’s mild by comparison). Fortunately, the Season 5 ladies always called them out in the most satisfying ways. And Maura was a huge part of that.
In one of the franchise’s best moments, Maura stood up for herself and told off a guy in an inspiring way. After a challenge, Maura and Tom Walker won a date to the Hideaway. Speaking about Maura’s flirty personality and frankness about sex, Tom told the guys, “It’ll be interesting to see if she’s all mouth or not.” Then, for some reason, he dared to repeat it and was shocked that she got upset. She told him off, called out the other guys for laughing at her, and stood up for herself and her boundaries against the slut shaming.
If Maura hadn’t cemented her icon status already, her response did it. So, USA viewers can rest assured that the 33-year-old will call out bad behavior as Aftersun host.
Maura gave us the best “tomorrow night” teaser of all time
In the most shocking twist maybe ever, Maura revealed a crush on another contestant out of nowhere. It wasn’t until the end of a “tomorrow night” promo that viewers learned she was talking about Curtis Pritchard. Editors were as confused as the viewers because they edited it like a horror movie.
Aside from Curtis admitting he once slid into her DMs, the two barely interacted before this moment. And Maura’s insistence that she had feelings for him all along wasn’t believable. Even her mom appeared confused about Maura’s choice. Still, they made it to the finals, earning 4th place.
They split months after the finale, and Maura later claimed that Curtis cheated on her. Years later, they awkwardly reconnected on Love Island Games. Maura conducted a brief interview with Curtis, and gently ribbed him for his missteps with Justine Ndiba.
She was promoted from social media ambassador
Longtime USA viewers may recognize the Irish beauty from LI USA Season 5 and Love Island Games. She was the show’s first social media ambassador, which also led to cameo appearances much like Ariana’s. Now that Maura’s hosting Aftersun, the social media role has been taken over by Love Island USA Season 2 runner-up Cely Vasquez, who competed on Love Island Games.
In addition to her roles on Love Island USA, Maura built a successful post-villa career. She competed on Dancing on Ice, received her own ITV2 special, and hosted Glow Up Ireland. In addition to presenting, she signed with Elite Model Management and had partnerships with Ann Summers, Inglot, and Oh Polly. Like co-star Tommy Fury, she’s set to make a movie debut soon.
Maura’s post-Love Island dating history
After Maura and Curtis split, she formed a close friendship with Chris Taylor, another Season 5 fan favorite. Things eventually turned romantic. Unfortunately, it didn’t last, and they split in 2021.
When ITV first announced Love Island All Stars, viewers hoped to see Maura back in the villa. However, she’s moved on from coupling up with former co-stars. Most recently, Maura was linked to Bobby Holland Hunter, aka Chris Hemsworth’s stunt double.
Catch Maura’s hosting on Love Island USA Aftersun, which airs Saturdays on Peacock.
TELL US – HOW ARE YOU LIKING MAURA HIGGINS AS THE LOVE ISLAND USA AFTERSUN HOST?
