At the beginning of his Love Island USA journey, Jesse Bray had some fans wondering about his loyalty to Deb Chubb, but as the season goes on, it's clear that he has evolved a lot. Jesse arrived at the villa on day one, and quickly coupled up with Deb. However, the two didn't stay together long, as the male contestant was already coupled up with someone new. When bombshell Valerie Bragg joined the show, she set her sights on Jesse, and quickly stole him away from Deb during a recoupling ceremony. Unfortunately, things ended rapidly for the two, when he told her that he had stronger feelings for Deb.
Everything seemed to be going well for the duo at first, but Deb did believe that her feelings were not being reciprocated. In her opinion, she wasn't getting the same energy from Jesse that she was giving to him. She specifically struggled with his lack of vulnerability. Then, during a challenge, all the other male islanders chose to kiss the women they were coupled up with, except Jesse. He threw Deb for a loop when he kissed Sereniti Springs, leaving her as the only female islander who didn't kiss anyone. During Casa Amor, Deb recoupled with Kyle Fraser, who has since left the show, because he was giving her the attention she wanted from Jesse. However, the two found their way back to each other when she realized how much Jesse had grown.
The Love Island USA contestant has come a long way since his days of playing games with Deb. The first evidence that Jesse was making a change was when he and Deb left the villa for the day to go on their first date. After hitting the ocean on a jet ski, the two had lunch in the back of a jeep, and had an eye-opening conversation. Deb was still curious about why Jesse struggled to be open with her, but her partner was finally vulnerable. He told her that growing up without a father (he was raised by his mother and grandma) made it hard for him to open up with people, and be affectionate with them. Deb was impressed by Jesse's maturity, and it became clear that their relationship was moving in a positive direction. When it was time for the male Love Island USA contestants to leave the villa for Casa Amor, Jesse was on his best behavior.
Jesse was surrounded by beautiful bombshells, and even spent some time talking to Avery Grooms, but while Deb was getting to know Kyle, Jesse was sitting by the pool with his fellow male contestants, talking about how much he missed Deb. He mentioned several times that he couldn't wait to go back to the villa to see her, and didn't make an attempt to get to know anyone else on a romantic level. This made it harder to watch him excitedly return to the villa, only to see Deb coupled up with someone new. However, his personal growth was really shining through when he acted mature by telling Deb that he just wanted her to be happy. His kind response made it easy for Deb to see that he truly cared about her, and before long, the two were back together.
Jesse is clearly not the man he was when he first walked into the villa. His dedication to becoming his best self, to make his relationship with Deb work, is admirable. It may land the two a spot in the final four couples. Unlike some other pairs (including Isaiah Campbell and Sydney Paight, who are stuck on a never-ending rollercoaster), things between Jesse and Deb are progressing every day. While he may have made some poor decisions at the Love Island USA villa, which had Deb questioning his loyalties, Jesse will be walking off the show as a changed man.
Love Island USA airs Tuesday through Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on Peacock.