ICYMI: University of Dayton student places 2nd on ‘Love Island USA’

During Casa Amor, the coupled-up Islanders separate from their mates to be tempted by beautiful bombshells whose only aim is to shake things up. Dionicio quickly fell hard for Johnnie Garcia, so much so they slept together – not in the privacy of the secluded Hideaway but in the large bedroom occupied by all the Islanders, which became the biggest, jaw-dropping turning point of the season.

After choosing to stay with Garcia after Casa Amor, Dionicio began to have second thoughts. Realizing how much he hurt Castillo, he put in the effort to rekindle their love. Even though Castillo came to terms with her bisexuality during this time having been attracted to Garcia, she ultimately forgave Dionicio, setting up one of the most fascinating and unexpected recouplings the franchise has ever seen.

Dionicio, 21, is a salesman from West Hartford, Connecticut. According to his show bio, his love of athletics and competitive edge stems from his family. His twin sister plays college soccer and his older brother played baseball. He also thinks men “rely on cheesy pickup lines.” Instead, his bio states he uses eye contact, his funny sayings and Spanish fluency to get dates.

During the season, Dionicio mentioned he attends UD, and Castillo, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, said she was open to visiting him in Dayton. According to UD Athletics, he was a member of the 2021 baseball team.

Season 5′s winning couple was Marco Donatelli and Hannah Wright. Donatelli is a Youngstown native. Season 4 notably featured Springfield native and Wayne High School graduate Jesse Bray who placed third with Deb Chubb.

All 37 addictively juicy episodes of Season 5, the best season thus far, are now streaming on Peacock.