Amaya Espinal: From Nurse to Love Island USA Winner | #Bilfpod with Amaya Papaya

Amaya Espinal (0:06)

No one picked me on the first day.

Mara Dorne (0:08)

How did that feel?

Amaya Espinal (0:09)

It was a time where I was ready for a change. That was actually during the time where my ex-boyfriend has passed away.

Mara Dorne (0:17)

I don't think you're going to say anything to me. What about Huda and her music career? Are you guys still friends or is it just kind of like... What was that experience like from going from your everyday life to now you're being recorded every single day? What did that feel like for you?

Amaya Espinal (0:34)

I think that's the beauty of Love Island, like seeing authenticity and, you know, just people being themselves.

Mara Dorne (0:40)

You were a cardiac nurse, is that correct?

Amaya Espinal (0:42)

Yes, a registered nurse for about four to five years. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and be like, wait, am I in a dream? I am pretty much of an open book, but I do have a secret to tell you.

Mara Dorne (0:52)

Oh, are you going to reveal it?

Amaya Espinal (0:54)

I didn't always have my voice, but once I found my voice, I promised myself to never lose that voice again.

Mara Dorne (1:00)

Welcome back to the Bilfpod, where authenticity trumps authority. My name is Mara Dorne, and here on the Bilfpod, we love to highlight women in the boardroom. We love to highlight icons, founders, reality show stars. Ms. Amaya, welcome to the Bilfpod, girl.

Amaya Espinal (1:17)

Yay, we are here. I'm so excited.

Mara Dorne (1:20)

I'm so excited to have you. So I know just a little bit about, you know, I stalked you a little bit. So I do know that prior to reality TV, you were a cardiac nurse, is that correct?

Amaya Espinal (1:30)

Yes, a registered nurse for about four to five years. Wow. Yeah.

Mara Dorne (1:35)

So what made you want to go into nursing?

Amaya Espinal (1:38)

So I would say that my whole life, growing up, people, close friends, family, will always tell me I'm very caring. And when the decision came, I was like, you know what, let me go for nursing because I feel like it was also a rewarding job. And yeah, we decided to go for nursing and it was a decision that I don't regret. I took care of so many patients throughout the world and the stories that they would share with me.

And it was always a good feeling leaving the hospital, feeling good, you know, like I did something.

Mara Dorne (2:10)

So, okay, so you're a nurse, you're doing your thing, you're working like, you know, your shifts and those shifts are insane. So, how did you go from being a nurse to reality TV?

Amaya Espinal (2:22)

Yeah, that's a really, really good question. So, as I said before, I was working for being a nurse four to five years, and it was a time where I was ready for a change.

That was actually during the time where my ex-boyfriend has passed away, and it was about five months, well, four to five months, and I was ready to feel something different, you know, like a new chapter. I was fully healed from the passing, and when the opportunity came, I was actually scrolling through my DMs and cruised out with my mom for her birthday, and I seen it, and I'm like, you know what, why not? I don't want to ever live my life with any type of regrets, and that was the first time where I didn't let any type of fear or thoughts in my head stop me from making a decision, and it felt good, it felt good.

Mara Dorne (3:19)

So then you go ahead, you apply, and then how quickly did you find out that you're going to be on this incredible show?

Amaya Espinal (3:26)

The whole process happened pretty fast. I feel like it happened in the blink of an eye, but I would say in a time span of three to four weeks, so like about a month.

Mara Dorne (3:38)

So pretty quick.

Amaya Espinal (3:39)

Yeah, pretty quick.

Mara Dorne (3:40)

Wow, and then you came in as a bombshell.

Amaya Espinal (3:42)

I came in as a bomb, I didn't know I was going to come in as a bombshell.

Mara Dorne (3:45)

So they don't give you much background on what you're going to be doing.

Amaya Espinal (3:48)

So the thing is, at first, I thought I was going to be an OG. I was kind of like crossing my fingers and hoping that I was going to come in as an OG because being a bombshell, you know, it takes a, it takes a, not a lot, but I just wanted to be an OG at first. So when the producers told me I was going to be a bombshell, I was like, okay, you know what, girl, now you're going to be a bombshell. So walk in, in your bombshell, everybody change it. You gotta own it. Yes.