Sean Reifel is thankful for his Love Island USA experience.

Days after the 29-year-old become the first season eight islander eliminated from the Peacock show—he was left single during the first recoupling of the season—he broke his silence on his exit while reflecting on his experience in Fiji.

"I can’t thank you all enough for the love you showed me," Sean posted on Instagram June 12. "From all the videos to the funny ass pictures that became the background to my group chats. All of it was more than appreciated."

Though he had initially struck up a connection with Beatriz Hatz but she ultimately wound up coupling up with bombshell Gabriel Vasconcelos the June 7 episode.

While Sean had been silent about his exit from Love Island, his sister Brice Marie had been vocal during his time in the villa.

"I did find out earlier today that Sean would be the one being dumped or sent home," she posted on TikTok June 7, "because the family was told."

"I still cried watching it," Brice continued. "It’s just hard to see him upset, and it was hard to see everyone cry for him. You know, it just shows like, how much of a genuine, kind person Sean is, that he was able to get along with everyone in the villa."

Sean's sister noted that she had confidence that he'll still find love, adding that perhaps being a single dad signaled that he was at a different point in his life than his fellow islanders.

As Brice explained, "It kind of felt like a lot of the girls were in their early- to mid-20s and not quite at that stage in life yet. So, it just made sense that he didn’t find a super close connection there in that way."

Sean had previously made headlines for his decision to quit his job at as a police officer in Bethlehem, Pa., which prompted the police chief and mayor to speak out ahead of the Love Island premiere.

"Our police department spent a lot of time training,” Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds explained on May 29, per local outlet WHTM. "We paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy. We are disappointed he left as we now have another vacancy in our department that is impossible to fill until next year.”   

Reynolds continued, “I never thought I’d see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer.” 

Keep reading for more on this season of Love Island USA...