Less than two weeks after departing the Love Island USA Villa, Season 8 couple Trinity Tatum and Bryce Dettloff are doubling down on their newly minted relationship amid accusations that they faked their connection in order to secure the Season 8 win.
As The Ashley told you last week, Trinity and Bryce– better known as “Brinity” by their fans– walked away from Fiji with $100,000 and an exclusive relationship after the two decided during the season to make things official by becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.
While many fans of the Peacock reality series predicted early on that Brinity would be the winning couple of Season 8, one of Trinity’s ex-boyfriends recently took to social media in an attempt to prove that Trinity’s heart wasn’t really in it– or Bryce– from the start.
According to multiple posts floating around on social media, a man named Maxwell Barnett, who claims to be Trinity’s former boyfriend, took to TikTok this week to unload a stockpile of receipts while trying to prove that Brinity’s connection is bogus. Among the receipts were screenshots of a private conversation between himself and his ex that allegedly took place shortly before Trinity entered the Villa this summer.
“ … I do want you to keep in mind though that this is a dating show so I just don’t want you to feel some type of way by the things that I may say or do on the show that may make you think otherwise because that’s not the case,” Trinity allegedly texted Maxwell. “Like you said you’d want me to win but unfortunately with winning that comes with me potentially building a connection with someone … .”
Trinity went on to tell Maxwell in the alleged text exchange that she genuinely didn’t want to stop talking to him and wanted him to be “comfortable” with her going on the dating show.
“ … I’m being completely honest with you about what the possibilities are,” Trinity told Maxwell. “The relationship that we have is completely up to you because ultimately it’s how you feel about this situation but I love you so much and I don’t want us to stop talking … .”
Additional screenshots posted by @realitea_recap on Instagram show that Maxwell also shared photo booth pics of himself and Trinity, as well as a handwritten greeting card he allegedly received from Trinity in which she expressed her appreciation and love for him. In another screenshot, Maxwell appears to call out Trinity for blocking him on social media before she went to Fiji, despite making certain promises to him beforehand.
“You promised me you weren’t going to hurt me and handle the situation correctly but I guess it’s f**k me,” Maxwell wrote.
In a now-deleted video, Maxwell also reportedly accused Trinity of not actually being into Bryce and “just using him to win” Season 8 of ‘Love Island USA.’
As Trinity’s ex-boyfriend rolled out his receipts on social media this week, Trinity and Bryce seemed to issue a response by posting matching photos of themselves kissing to their respective Instagram Stories, suggesting that they aren’t giving this “bombshell” any of their energy.
The pair were also photographed together leaving Craig’s in Los Angeles on Monday night, further suggesting that their reality-TV-turned-real-life romance remains fully intact.
RELATED STORY: ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8 Winning Couples Opens Up About Finding Love in the Villa & Their Future Plans (Spoilers)
(Photos: Peacock; Instagram; X)
