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Casa Amor is open: A Charlotte bar’s ‘Love Island’ party brings the vibes

By Tamia Boyd

Updated June 25, 2025 10:38 AM

I got a text! There’s a Charlotte bombshell in Casa Amor — and yes, the crowd at Platform Sports in South End lost it.

If you’re watching “Love Island USA” this summer, just like everyone else, you might want to join the drama in real time — and the local sports bar is the perfect place to do it.

Every night “Love Island USA” is on, the bar hosts free watch parties for the show, complete with full sound, signature drink specials and fans who come ready to yell at the screen after a massive recoupling or just in awe of Ariana Madox’s cute outfits every time she shows up in the villa.

I dropped by solo for the June 23 episode, just in time for the start of Casa Amor. Even before the show started, the bar was buzzing. I suggest showing up an hour in advance if you’re looking for a spot to sit, snack and relax.

A “Casa Amor is open” sign welcomed guests at the door. Inside, the place was packed — people were scrambling for tables and seats and a few late arrivals even had to wait in a short line.

There were plenty of themed cocktails to choose from, like “Casa Amor” a tequila-based drink, “The Recoupling” a rum-based drink and of course “The Bombshell” which was another rum drink.

Charlotte woman is a ‘Love Island’ bombshell

But the real twist? A Charlotte woman named Clarke Carraway was revealed as one of the new bombshells. After the initial recoupling the islanders sat by the firepit and went around saying where they were from, Clarke, who multiple outlets say she’s from Columbia, South Carolina, said “I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina”.

A group of her friends were in the crowd holding signs and photos of her, cheering Clarke on, which made the already loud vibe feel personal. We were all rooting for her already.

Clarke Carraway of Charlotte is shown with Nicolas Nic Vansteenberghe on “Love Island USA”. Peacock Ben Symons/Peacock

It doesn’t matter if you’re going with friends or solo — if you love “Love Island”, the energy is infectious. Just don’t be surprised if you leave with opinions about everyone’s couple choices.

And if you can’t make it to Platform, don’t worry — other watch parties are heating up across the Queen City, like at Divine Barrel, Tipsy Pickle, The Union, Medusa Lounge, Must Be Nice and Speak and Release.