Beatriz Hatz is joining the cast of Love Island USA and she might be one of the most impressive contestants in the show’s history. We’ll meet Beatriz when she heats up the Villa this week (reminder: Love Island USA is going down tonight!), but here are all the incredible details about her backstory to give you a head start.
She’s a Professional Athlete
Beatriz, 25, is a track & field athlete with major accolades. She made her debut in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020, before heading to the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024 and winning bronze in the long jump.
Her Team USA bio explains that Beatriz was “born without a fibula in her right leg, which resulted in the limb being amputated below the knee,” and in her Love Island USA intro video, she explains, “I was amputated at 10 months old. Tell me I can’t do something, I’m gonna do it better than you. My whole life has been ‘you can’t, you can’t, you can’t.’ Now it’s ‘watch me win a fucking medal.’ And I did.”
She’s Super Close to Her Family
According to her Team USA bio, Beatriz’s parents are named Beatriz and John Hatz, and she has two brothers named John and Ryan.
Beatriz is extremely tight with them and told Interview that having her family there for the Paris Olympics was amazing, saying, “I’m excited this time around to have my family, my mom and dad, and my brothers there. That’s a huge deal for me because they missed my first Paralympic games.”
She also spoke about a standout moment earlier in her career, saying, “I look over in the stands and I see my dad crying because he was so proud, and I have never seen this man cry. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have made my dad so proud,’ and I can hope I can do that at a bigger stage. That was really special.”
She’s Passionate About Being an Advocate
Beatriz told Interview, “I got bullied growing up, and I know what that’s like for other kids. And out in public, I’ll see a little kid who’s got a prosthetic, and I’ll immediately walk over, even if I’m wearing pants, and say, ‘Hey, you’re just like me. Look, I have one, too.’ And their parents always tell me, ‘Thank you for that. They always feel like the only ones.’ When I was little, I definitely felt like the only one. I love that I can be a help and an advocate, even for people who are able-bodied. For example, when my cousin was 9, she had a project to make flags with some other kids for their little fun run, and their flags would represent something that they come from. So kids did Germany, or Britain, or whatever, and my little cousin, without anybody, did the Paralympics logo. All the kids were so confused. She had asked me to come to her run, and I saw her little flag for the first time and started crying. So you see the effect that you can have on everybody, and I hope I can continue to do that.”
She Knows What She Wants in Her “Dream Man”
Beatriz says, “My mom always spoke to us in Spanish. I am Mexican and white, so my dream man is someone who’s going to appreciate my culture.”
She’d also love if he speaks Spanish and has a “mouth mullet” since—in her words—“Those are sensational. Yes, I can ride.”
Beatriz also says she loves relationships where “the man is strong enough to allow me to be in my feminine energy, but I’m not gonna compete for a man. He’s not a medal.”
Noted!
FYI, aside from track & field, Beatriz “grew up playing sports, including softball, basketball, soccer, karate, and skiing” (as well as drawing and painting), and was named the 2018 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Athlete of the Year.
