Two Fishes Meme: Sincere’s Love Island Quote and the TikTok Trend

The “two fishes” meme comes from Sincere, an islander on Love Island USA season 8: “Just because you have two fishes, doesn’t mean you have to put one back.” He said it on June 4, 2026, to justify chatting with another girl while he was coupled up. On TikTok, people lip-sync his voice to calmly explain why they’re keeping both, whether that’s two desserts or two friend groups. The official sound has more than 33,000 videos. If you want yours to get past the first wave, TikTok views help it get going.

Where does the two fishes sound come from?

Episode 3, a chat by the pool

Love Island USA season 8 premiered on Peacock on June 2, 2026, with Ariana Madix hosting. On the very first night, Sincere Rhea coupled up with Melanie Moreno.

In episode 3, which aired on Thursday, June 4, Sincere, still coupled with Melanie, struck up a conversation with Kayda, the season’s first female bombshell, who had arrived the day before. To defend that chat, he went for a fishing metaphor that DraftKings Network transcribed the same night: “Just because you have two fishes, doesn’t mean you have to put one back.” Later in the clip he adds that you can still look at your two fish and think they’re beautiful. Aniya told Melanie about it, and Melanie was in tears. Viewers, on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing.

It’s Sincere, not Corbin

Some October trend roundups credit the voice to Corbin Mims, the islander fans nicknamed “CorbinGPT” for his flat, careful delivery. That’s wrong. The sound Peacock uploaded is literally called “Peacock_LoveIslandUSA_SincereFishQuote,” and Corbin didn’t walk into the villa until day 5, after this episode. The first clips, posted minutes after the US broadcast, all name Sincere. This one from @wingstop1over went up at 1:09 a.m. UTC on June 5 and had 386,000 views by October 8.

As for how it ended, Sincere and Melanie stayed together through the July 12 finale and finished third. The season reunion aired on Peacock on August 31.

How does the two fishes trend work?

The whole idea fits in one picture: you have two things and you refuse to pick. The on-screen text sets up the situation and Sincere’s voice makes the case. You look into the lens with the patience of a lawyer while he explains that nobody is forcing you to throw a fish back.

The most common version shows the two “fish.” At the end of June, a video captioned “Boy math” passed 6.8 million views. In mid-July, Alix Earle used the sound in a video that sits at 7.3 million views as of October 8.

On September 28, Ella (@ella.cotherman) used it to introduce her two “littles,” the two new members she’s mentoring in her sorority (#uga, the University of Georgia). Her caption says Sincere’s metaphors walked so her littles could swim. By October 8 the video had 5.6 million views and 1.2 million likes.

The other use, the one agency New Engen highlights in its October roundup, is arguing a take nobody asked you to defend. Traveling while saving money, say, or going out three nights in a row. As early as July 10, one creator was already using it against her mum, who keeps pointing out she saw her friends yesterday. That one has 1.1 million views.

Why is it back in October?

The line is absurd and perfectly logical at the same time. Sincere doesn’t get defensive, he explains. That calm is the joke: you’re hearing an earnest guy defend something indefensible, and putting that tone on a family argument is the whole bit. Honestly, it’s the best quote of the season, precisely because he means it.

The US calendar did the rest. In the fall, US sororities hold their big/little reveals, and a big who ends up with two littles has exactly Sincere’s problem. Ella’s video had been shared more than 300,000 times by October 8, and those shares pushed the sound back into feeds. New Engen put it at number one in its October trends page, published September 30.

The sound also works if you’ve never watched the show. All you need to get is “I’ve got two, I’m keeping both.” People who don’t follow Love Island still hit like, which is how a clip collects TikTok likes far beyond its own followers.

How do you make a two fishes video?

1. Find your two fish: two things you won’t choose between. Two cats, two best friends, two identical pairs of sneakers, a tiramisu and a lava cake.
2. Or pick your case: a decision your parents or friends keep questioning. “Me explaining to my parents I can save money and still travel.”
3. Grab the official sound: search “SincereFishQuote” in the sound library, or tap the spinning disc on any video from the trend. Use the one uploaded by Peacock, it’s the clean version.
4. Write the on-screen text: one line at the top that sets up the situation. Keep it short so people read it before Sincere starts talking.
5. Play the lawyer: look straight at the camera, use your hands, keep a patient face. Lip-sync Sincere like you’ve made this argument a hundred times.
6. Reveal both at the end: last shot on your two fish side by side. That’s the punchline.
7. Keep it kind: laugh at your own bad faith. Never stage a real person to humiliate them, and leave the islanders themselves alone.

Which hashtags, and when to post?

Videos in the trend mostly run with #sincere, #loveisland and #loveislandusa. Some add #twofishes or #beautifulfish. Round it off with a hashtag about your actual two fish, #catsoftiktok or #baking for instance. That niche tag is what brings in TikTok followers who care about your content, not just fans of the show.

On timing, no public study gives a posting slot specific to this trend. Check the analytics tab on your account and post when your audience is online. The real issue is the window: the sound has been on its second wave since late September, so October beats December.

How can brands use it?

The sound fits anything sold in pairs. On August 11, Boba Lab wrote under its video that you can still have two fishes, so why not two bobas. In late September an ice cream shop used it with the caption “His words not mine,” while a sweet shop argued for buying two bags instead of one.

Those three accounts got modest numbers, a few thousand views at best. That makes sense: they’re small businesses testing the format. For a brand, the product has to be one of the two fish, and the video has to stay funny with the logo removed. Don’t use footage of the islanders, the sound is enough.