Peacock’s hit reality TV series “Love Island USA” wrapped it's seventh season on Sunday, July 13 after leveraging millions of viewers worldwide for its juicy summer drama.

However, Season 7 had an unusual run despite many rocky relationships in the villa and bombshells “taking your man.” The drama went beyond Fiji when several accounts of public backlash rose against contestants online.

Arizona contestant Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa, though she was not the only one.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer the questions: What is the controversy behind an Arizona “Love island” contestant and what this scandal may mean for casting reality television contestants moving forward.

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Guests: Dina Kaur

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger, Amanda Luberto

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If you've ever been to an Arizona Diamondbacks game, you've heard Bobby Freeman.

You may not know you have, but you have. There's no way around it — he's been the organist for the team since they started play in 1998. A self-taught musician, he is part of the team that keeps Diamondbacks fans entertained, even when the team doesn't.

In this week's episode of Valley 101, we travel to Chase Field to talk to Freeman to answer the question: What's it like to be the organist for the Arizona Diamondbacks?

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Guests: Bobby Freeman

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger, Amanda Luberto ⁠

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Happily, metro Phoenix has some great pizza places. Places? Joints? Choose your own colloquialism. Your favorite pizza place says a lot about you.

So who has the best? Lucky for us, we have a way of figuring this out. The Arizona Republic's 2025 Phoenix Pizza Poll...

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, host ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠ chats with Endia Fontanez, the food and dining reporter for The Republic and the lucky winner of the contest, Jeff Carlberg.

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Guests: ⁠Endia Fontanez, Jeff Carlberg

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Arizona has been home to many musical acts — some born and raised here, others who found fame along the way. But who's the biggest artist to come out of the Grand Canyon state? Is it Alice Cooper? Stevie Nicks? Linda Ronstadt? The answer might surprise you.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, host ⁠Bill Goodykoontz teams up with Republic pop music critic and reporter Ed Masley⁠ to settle the debate.

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Guests: Ed Masley

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Monsoons are an ancient phenomenon, bringing heavy bursts of rain and wind to the Valley. But there's much more to know about this season.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond. Tom Frieders, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, and Sean McLaughlin, a meteorologist at Arizona’s Family stations answer the question: When does the monsoon REALLY start?

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Guests: Tom Frieders, Sean Mclaughlin

Host: ⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Drownings are an unfortunately part of covering news in Arizona, but one has captured more attention than normal.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we discuss the case of influencer Emilie Kieser's son and drowning prevention.

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Guests: Lori Stauffer, Elena Santa Cruz⁠, KiMi Robinson

Host: ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠Abby Bessinger⁠⁠

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Sonoita is one of three American Viticultural Areas in the state, and due to their higher elevation, they make excellent locations in the desert to grow wine. Unlike the greater Phoenix metro area, these parts of Arizona don't see triple-digit temperatures nearly every day in the summer and they also get a lot of rain.

Arizona is home to more than 150 wineries now and small towns are dependent on them for tourism and economic boosts. So how are vintners adjusting to climate change in the desert and how is it impacting the wine industry overall?

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, we take a look at how changing weather patterns are affecting wine growing and how Arizona can even grow it in the first place.

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Guests: Michael Pierce, Corey Turnbull, Brian Freedman⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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Pretty much everyone can tell you their favorite spot around town to dine. Sometimes it’s the newer classics like First & Last or Valentine. Sometimes it’s standard Valley must-haves like Chuck Box for a burger or Long Wong’s for wings.

While you can take a suggestion from just about anyone why not ask the experts. When Arizona's best chefs step away from the oven, stove or grill, where do they like to dine?

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, we sit down with the Republic's dining and nightlife reporter Bahar Anooshahr about her new series Chef's Night Out.

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Guests: Bahar Anooshahr⁠

Producers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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It gets hot in the Valley. Perhaps you’ve noticed. But no matter how hot it gets, even on a 118-degree day in the middle of August, someone is going to be out jogging. You can count on it.

But if they end up on the mountain, and they end up not being able to bare the heat, what should be done about it?

In this week’s episode of Valley 101, we talked with Caitlin McGlade, a reporter for The Arizona Republic who wrote about trail closures, and Rob McDade, the public information officer for the Phoenix Fire Department, about the pros and cons of closing down the mountain trails in the summer.

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Guest: ⁠Caitlin McGlade, Rob McDade

Host: ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠

Producers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto

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Windows-open season is about done. Now it's all on the mighty air conditioner, the reason we can all make it through another desert summer. But something about air conditioning units in Phoenix is a little different than the rest of the country.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and ⁠⁠azcentral.com⁠⁠, we answer the question: Why do homes in Phoenix have air conditioning units on the roof?

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Guests: Joe Granado

Producers: ⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto, ⁠Abby Bessinger

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