With a devoted fanbase rooting for them, the real test comes now, outside of the villa. Fans always said they had eyes for each other, despite Nic being paired with Cierra Ortega before she departed from the villa, and Olandria being with Taylor Williams.

In a post-finale cast interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, the duo breaks down their Soul Ties kiss, reacts to TikToks about their “son” Marcel, debunks a fan theory and talks about next steps in their connection.

The interview below has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can view the full video above, which includes what Nic and Olandria say about the Marcel TikToks and talk about a fan theory about a necklace swap.

The die-hard Nicolandria fans say that y’all were lying. I don’t want to use the term lying, but everyone keeps going back to the Soul Ties kiss and believe you were lying that there was no spark. In that moment, do you really feel there was no spark between you two, or did these extenuating circumstances have to happen for something to click inside your heads?

Nic: I agree with you. I don’t think it was lying. I just think it was a misinterpretation of our own vocab. But internally, it’s like we knew there was something there, but also externally, her being with Taylor and me being with Cierra, those doors were still open, and we still had those strong connections. And so I think at that time, we weren’t able to fully invest into one another just yet.

Olandria: I feel like in that moment, I don’t know, I feel like I owe Cierra so much, and Taylor to a sense. I know it was perceived as if me and Taylor were never on good terms — we were. But yeah, I feel like I owe them so much because I know Taylor’s Nic’s best friend, and Cierra was mine. So I’m just like, “You know what? I don’t know. I feel guilty in a sense.” I don’t know. I just feel guilty, and I was like, “I don’t want to admit to me feeling this part.” I feel like that’s going to be a whole ‘nother can of worms I didn’t want to open.

Nic: But when you’re watching the playback of the Soul Ties, I feel like a video’s worth 1,000 words.

Olandria: I didn’t realize. And they call it the kiss that we heard around the world. I’m like, “Damn.”

Nic: That’s deep.

Olandria: I look back, I’m like, “Dang, that was a spicy kiss.” Watching it back, yes, but at the time, I’m like, “Oh, OK.” I was like, “Oh, this is nothing.” But watching it back, it was very passionate. I didn’t realize that in the moment, how passionate it was.

Olandria, you and Chelley both have been a beacon of representation for Black women, especially dark-skinned Black women, and Black people in general root for you so hard. What did it mean to search for love on your own terms, and at the same time, be applauded for that?

Olandria: It feels great. Obviously, I was out of my comfort zone. I’ve never really necessarily put myself out there, like, “Hey, this is how I feel about you. This is how I feel about the connection.” That was a lot for me because in the real world, you probably would’ve never gotten that out of me. But I didn’t want to go into Love Island — I didn’t want to go into the villa, being the old me. I wanted to grow as a woman so I could just be this well-rounded woman for my husband one day. It’s like, you know what? I can’t go in with old habits. Let’s step into a new light.

Usually in the real world, I will get someone cut off quick and will have another one immediately after, but I didn’t want to be that. I was like, “You know what? It’s going to be obstacles. Let me just work through those things and let me just try to find the value in a connection and just continue to work through those obstacles to make our connection stronger.” That’s the viewpoint I had. And putting myself out there and letting Taylor know how I felt about him as an individual and us as a couple, it was a lot for me. But I’m glad I did it because I learned so much about myself in that moment, and I learned that I am capable of, I guess, expressing my feelings in that sense. So it was beautiful.

There were a lot of outside variables, so to speak, but what do you both think was that moment where you realized that this could work, and you were in a different mindset — where it isn’t just strictly platonic?

Nic: So, I always say it’s the baby challenge for me — that was a big moment. But also, I think it was my favorite conversation. One of my favorite conversations I’ve had with Olandria was that “all you can feel,” which is that yellow couch where we’re talking about football, and we’re talking about life outside of the villa. And for me, that was so refreshing. Because yeah, it is nice to talk about your feelings and stuff, but to have those real-world conversations where you’re connecting on a level of what your interests are and where we could see ourselves in the future, I think those are the most beautiful kind of conversations.

Everyone is excited now that you’re outside the villa and for what things may happen now. You’ve only been in the real world for a few days now, but what does it look like for you to move forward and branch out within your connection?

Olandria: So next step right now is me flying to Florida and hanging with Ms. Jennifer and the family, and bringing Nic over to Decatur, Alabama, to meet my family. And from there, I think it would put it into perspective of what the future would look like for us. I know we met them for a split second in the villa, but I think actually being there in the moment, in the real world, at each other’s houses — I feel like that’ll really put into perspective of how the future will look for us, for sure. Because we’re both big on family, so.

Nic: I want to do some traveling as well with her. I know people are excited for travel vlogs and stuff. I’m going to take her skydiving. We’re going to do some crazy s**t, for sure.

Love Island USA Season 7 is now streaming in full on Peacock. The reunion special for the season airs next month.
The post ‘Love Island USA’s Nic And Olandria Talk ‘Passionate’ Soul Ties Kiss, Debunk Fan Theory And React To Marcel TikToks appeared first on Blavity.



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Love Island USA star Huda Mustafa is sending a message to certain fans: don’t send hate or bully fellow Islanders from her season.

In one of the most fandom-activated seasons of the show, a few stans of some Season 7 contestants have gone too far by sending targeted messages to people from the show. One key example is the aftermath of a disagreement between Huda, Chelley Bissainthe and Olandria Carthen.

Since then, the three have reconciled, and in our post-finale interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Mustafa said some of what she’s seen is “ridiculous.”

When asked where she stands with the other Season 7 Islanders, such as Olandria and Chelley, she said, “With Olandria, like I still love Olandria. If I’m not hating her, I don’t think anyone should be. I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think there are lines that are crossed. And I don’t condone hate. I don’t condone bullying. I don’t condone any of that. I think people’s safeties are at risk. And the last thing I want is for anyone to feel unsafe, or to feel like they’re getting some sort of backlash at my expense. I think that’s ridiculous.”

She continued, “I think everyone should be able to live their life normally. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. You can say, ‘Hey, I don’t agree with what you did.’ But do it in a respectful way that’s not antagonizing. And even with Chelley… me and Chelley, we’re not the closest. But we’re cool with each other. And I do wish for the best, and I do care for her as a person. We can still hug each other and say hi. It’s not like an, ‘Oh, f**k you.’ It’s not that at all. And I don’t think anyone should be getting any type of hatred, at all. I think we should focus more on positive than negative.”

Her perspective on the Heart Rate Challenge with Ace and its aftermath

We also asked her about the Heart Rate Challenge, which shook the villa. Many people — namely Chelley — took issue with how she behaved with Ace. As for Huda, she still doesn’t see what she did wrong.

“Beforehand, people always told me like, ‘Oh, it’s just a challenge. It’s just a challenge,’” she said. “So I’m doing this in a challenge, and it’s a problem. People are like, ‘Oh, you were kissing him for a crazy amount of time.’ People were kissing my man for a crazy amount of time, and I’m cheering them on. I was doing things that I did in other challenges. When I licked Jeremiah from the d**k up, I did that whole thing. I did that in the Heart Rate Challenge to every single guy. It wasn’t one person it was happening to — I did it to every single one. And everyone consented to everything prior. People agreed, ‘Yes, I’m OK with this… I’m OK with that.’ Before that, everyone was like, ‘Huda, we’re expecting you to do your big one. Huda, this is your time to shine. Huda this is… Huda, Huda, Huda, Huda, Huda.’ I’m like, ‘OK, great.’”

She added, “So there’s this high expectation from both men and women for me in this challenge… and I’m not going to disappoint. I’m competitive as f**k. I went into that with the mindset of I want to win. I was going off of things that people were telling me the entire time that I was in the villa — especially, for example, when I was with Jeremiah — and how in challenges I would get upset about certain things. And then they’re like, ‘Huda, relax, it’s just a challenge.’ And people that were close to me were kissing him, or ass in his face. But when it’s other people, it’s like, ‘OK, you’re doing too much.’ And you know what? That’s fine. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. And if it was too much, I’m sorry that it upset you. My feelings are valid. Their feelings are valid. I don’t think anyone’s right or wrong in that scenario. I think that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. It happened. I know what not to do now. And you can learn from your mistakes, and that’s it. You take accountability and you learn, and that’s all.”

On her intentions in bringing Chris back to the villa

There was also a point of contention between her and Chelley, which came to a head during the mailbox/”Standing on Business” challenge. Both seemed to have different perspectives on Chris Seeley being brought back to the villa as a part of a couple with Huda, but also for Chelley to explore her connection with him.

“She [Chelley] expressed to me how she was feeling and how she wished she had more time with Chris,” Huda said. “And I was like, ‘Alright, I don’t have a connection in here,’ and it really took everything in me to have that one last conversation, and I picked it with Chris. And I had that one last conversation with Chris, and it ended up being the conversation that changed everything. And I really think that things can change with just one conversation.

“We both expressed we had interest in one another. We both expressed that we wanted to explore one another. But I knew that she liked Ace, and I knew that she liked Chris. I knew that I had no other connection, but I wanted to explore Chris, because I didn’t get to in the villa at all, or in the Casa.

“I let her know, ‘Hey, there’s this thing where I was thinking, let me take Chris to the villa. You pick Ace. That way not only can I explore him, but you can explore him too.’ And I made sure to preface that it was for both of us. It wasn’t just for her. I made it extremely clear that it was not just for her — it’s for both of us and Chris, because he wanted to explore both of us.”

“But yeah, so we ended up exploring one another. And I think that things got really twisted. And I don’t know if it was him no longer exploring her. I don’t know why — we’ll never know why. But I just know what my intentions were.”

Watch the full video with more of Mustafa’s responses above. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Love Island USA Season 7 is now streaming in full on Peacock. The reunion special for the season airs next month.
The post ‘Love Island USA’s Huda Slams Fan Hate Toward Chelley And Olandria: ‘There Are Lines That Are Crossed’ appeared first on Blavity.



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Despite getting together late in the game, they made it all the way to fourth place. In their post-finale interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Iris and Pepe talked about a number of topics with us, including whether they’ve talked to former partners TJ Palma and Hannah Fields, the moment it clicked that they could work as a couple, and much more.

The below interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can view the full video above.

Were you surprised to have made it so far in the connection, considering the fact that you both had two strong connections earlier in the competition? Did you think at any point you’d be in the finale [together]?

Iris: I honestly didn’t think that we would. I mean, I knew that we had a really good connection, and I just didn’t know how other people were seeing that. And to find out that we did make it to the finale was like, “Wow, people are seeing our connection.” That’s what I was thinking. But I definitely — I don’t think that we thought we were going to make it there.

Pepe: Yeah. I don’t think [so], just because of how quickly our official coupling up started, or how close it was to the finale, that I didn’t think it was going to [happen]. But Iris did a good job of leaving me breadcrumbs, and I didn’t pick up on them. You know what I mean?

Iris: But everyone else picked up on it.

Pepe: Yeah, and clearly, getting out of it, I’m like, “I’m an idiot,” because they just went right over my head. I had no idea she was leaving these little breadcrumbs for me to follow, and I was just walking right past them.

Bombshells who come in together later coupling up on Love Island USA is super rare. What was the point that led you both to realize this could be a thing? Because when you’re coming in together, you have eyes for the people already in the villa — not for who is coming in with you.

Pepe: I walked in, [and] I was like, “She’s beautiful. She’s very attractive.” And then we had these conversations together early on, and I was like … I mean, she’s got a great head on her shoulders, she’s got herself all figured out, and she’s an amazing woman. But like you said, you’re just like, “Well, she’s a bombshell.” So you just stick [those thoughts] in a little box and you’re like, “OK, keep going.”

But, like I said, she was leaving these breadcrumbs, and I never picked up on them until the end. I wish I would’ve picked up on them earlier.

And Iris, you were kind of put in a precarious situation by America when they paired you with Jeremiah. What were your thoughts about that immediately? Because there [was] a lot going on with Jeremiah and Huda at the time. Did you think, “Is America trying to set me up?”

Iris: When America did that, I was very confused. I had one 15-minute conversation with Jeremiah and it was like nothing. We gave each other nothing in that conversation. So when we got coupled up, I was like, “OK, did they see something? Is there something going on on the outside?” We were running through all these different types of scenarios that could possibly be the reason why. And then eventually, we were like, they were just definitely trying to split Huda and Jeremiah up. That’s really what it was. And then I was just the sacrificial lamb that they used.

And from that point on, I was just kind of like, “OK, I don’t want to be anybody’s backup anymore.” Because I did feel like a lot of people were talking to me because their connections didn’t work out. So then it kind of made me feel a little bad about myself, because I was like, “Dude, am I not doing something right here? I’m really putting myself out there.” Like in the real world, I would not go up to a guy and be like, “Hey, can I talk to you?”

Pepe: “Can I pull you for a chat?”

Iris: I would never do that in a million years. So for me to really step out of my comfort zone like that, and then just feel like I was always on the back end of everything and the second choice — it was a very tough thing for me to go through alone. And then the girls didn’t really accept me fully. So I was really by myself. And I had Pepe. Pepe was helping me through that too. I would go up to him and Jalen, and I would talk to them, and it was good that I had them to support me.

Were you shocked that the girls decided to save you? You had Hannah up there, you had Amaya — bombshells that were there a bit longer than you. Did you automatically think that you may be the one going home?

Iris: I thought so. But then I think that they started to realize that I’m not who they thought I was. They realized I’m not trying to be mean and take their man, and they saw my personality and they got to know me. And then they saw, “Damn, this girl kind of has had it rough here, and she deserves to have her experience.” And I think that’s why. At least that’s what they told me as to why they chose to save me. And yeah, from that point moving forward, I just took every day and made it count and did what I could to find the best connection for myself.

Before getting together, you both had two of the strongest connections in the villa. When TJ and Hannah were leaving, did either of you think about whether you should stay in the game and the villa [or leave]?

Pepe: Yeah, I think we both … we’ve talked about it, and I think that’s something that we were able to bond over as well. There’s a lot of things we’ve had very similar in our paths inside the villa. But yeah, you definitely are like, “What’s going on?” And you’re like …

Iris: “Is there anything left for me?”

Pepe: Yeah, “Is there anything left?” And again, it’s crazy to think where we’re at now, because in the beginning we thought about each other, and then we were like, “We can’t explore that.” And the middle … when all this was happening, we’re like, “Well, we already just said we can’t explore it.” And I just had my strong connection leave. So you’re like, “Why am I here anymore? The only person I could think about potentially exploring is Iris.” Her connection came back from Casa. I came back with another connection from Casa. Both of those left at the same time, and that’s when we were like, “Are we allowed to explore each other?”

Iris: “Can we do this? Or is this … you know?”

Pepe: Yeah, we both talked about it where it’s like, in that first conversation the next morning after that recovery … I mean, I’ve said it a million times: I always thought she was a badass girl. And I always thought she was beautiful. And she was like, “I always thought you were attractive too.”

Iris: Yeah, I always thought he was really cute. I think you thought I was not interested in you. Because we were kind of like, “Oh, what do we do?” But then toward the end, we did have really good conversations, and I think like …

Pepe: We kind of just opened up to each other. We just checked in on each other. We did that all the time throughout this. Almost — not every day — but every couple of days we’d be like, “How are you feeling? How are you doing? How’s life?” Literally like you would with any regular friend. And then finally when both our connections left, we were like, “Well, how are you feeling?” And then we just got to talking. And at that point, there weren’t that many people in the villa, so we really got to talk to each other a lot and for a long time. And that’s when I kind of realized, I was like, “Huh, she’s laying on me.” I was like, “Is she doing this for comfort?” Again, those little crumbs that she kept throwing where I was like, “Is she doing this for comfort or is she doing this because …”

Iris: She likes me.

Pepe: … she likes me. And then finally we had a conversation, and then we did the challenge. And that’s when it was like, “OK, now I think we both realize where this is going.”

Where do you see your future right now, and have you had any conversations with TJ and Hannah? Where do you see that aspect of things as well?

Iris: I at least got closure with TJ, and I expressed to him my feelings and how I feel and how I felt and what I went through in the villa and what I’m currently feeling. And I let him know all of that. And we’re good. He’s a great guy. And I’ll always have so much respect and care for him, and we’re friends. And yeah, there’s no tension or anything between any of us. And I’m friends with Hannah as well. And I’m friends with every single person that came out [from] the villa, and they’re all amazing people. Despite all the drama that happened, we all do love each other.

Pepe: We went through this crazy experience together, and we all put ourselves out there not knowing what was going to happen, and you just kind of have to respect that. I haven’t gotten to talk to Hannah yet, but definitely I reached out to her yesterday, and we just — again, we’re busy so it hasn’t gotten to happen. But yeah, just [want to] tell them how we feel and tell them, “Hey, you know what? No matter what, I want to be friends with you.” And I am enjoying my time with Iris, and we’re just going to continue to enjoy our time together until who knows what happens.

Love Island USA Season 7 is now streaming in full on Peacock. The reunion special for the season airs in August.
The post ‘Love Island USA’s Iris And Pepe Reveal Where Things Stand With Their TJ And Hannah Connections appeared first on Blavity.



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Chris Seeley was one of the Love Island USA Season 7 bombshells who made a splash during Casa Amor. That splash was so big, he made it all the way to the finale — even if he ended up placing third after recently breaking off his strongest connection.

Despite his journey starting at Casa Amor, it was full of ups and downs — especially when it came to his relationship with Huda Mustafa.

In a post-finale cast interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Chris opened up about his dynamic with Huda, their final dinner, and how his upbringing shaped his mindset inside the villa.

Chris explained, “It wasn’t necessarily surprising … because I feel like people really did see the genuineness in our connection, besides all the hiccups that we had. And I think that’s the reason why we made it.”

Breaking down his thoughts about the final dinner date

He also got candid about some fan speculation that he went into their final dinner planning to end things.

“I wanted to continue things,” he told us. “I wasn’t going into that thinking, ‘OK, I’m going to address this [situation] and we’re just going to be done.’ I had no intentions on doing any of that. I still wanted to continue outside the villa and still explore that connection. But she had other plans or other things that she wanted, so she wanted to be friends, and I totally respected that. I sensed it, because when I told her my piece and when I asked her, ‘So what do you want to do?’ she took a minute to answer. And in my opinion, when someone is dwelling on whether or not they should be doing something, like you already made your mind. I sensed she wanted to be friends.”

When it came to pursuing Huda, Chris said he didn’t want her prior connection with Jeremiah to influence how he saw her.

He explained, “I didn’t want to let that situation that she had with Jeremiah define her and what I thought about her. Once she expressed interest and I did as well, I wanted to know the real her. And I knew the type of person that I am — I’m not the type to argue, go back and forth, bicker, be defensive, anything like that. So she would never get that type of energy from me — to where she wouldn’t even have to be put in positions like that, to where she would need to be like that either. I feel like I provided a safe space — or did provide a safe space — and made her feel very comfortable.”

He also talked about the moment his family visited the villa and how being raised by women shaped how he navigated things.

“I didn’t have that father figure or that male figure besides my coaches,” he said. “They only did so much. But my sisters and my mom, they really played a huge role in building me to the man that I am today. They always taught me about emotional maturity and stableness and how to be patient, understanding and receptive and all these things. It took a long time. I was very stubborn in the beginning of this, but I think overall it paid off. And I’m glad that I had them in my corner — and still have them in my corner — doing that for me.”

Status of relationship and friendships post-villa

As far as where things stand with him and Huda now, Chris said they’re in a good place.

“As of right now, we’re just friends, and I think it’s good for us to stay friends for a little bit. I don’t really see it getting to a romantic place in the future. Could it happen? Maybe. As of right now, I don’t really see it, just because we really focus on being friends. But yeah, I have talked to her. We’re actually staying in [an] Airbnb together with all the other finalists, so it’s like a little mini villa. But yeah, we’re good. We’re laughing, talking, joking around — like real friends do. Ain’t no bad blood between us.”

He also says Bryan is a friend he’ll have for life.

“As far as friends, me and Bryan, we’re locked in,” he said. “That’s my boy. I told him the other day, ‘Bro, you’re going to be at my wedding.’ After [what] we just went through and just the type of brotherhood that we have already — and we’ve only known each other for what … a month? I could see us being friends for life.”

Looking ahead, Chris said he is excited to explore what’s next. “This is the time where I’m entering a new chapter of my life — to where I may be able to step away from basketball and focus on other things that I’ve been wanting to get into, like scripted acting or modeling, or opening up a Boys & Girls Club-type of thing with a basketball summer camp element. I have a bunch of ideas that I want to dive into — as well as maybe different brand deals that come my way. Whatever comes my way, I’m just open to all of it. So I’m just excited to see what’s to come.”

Watch the full video with more of Seeley’s responses above. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Love Island USA Season 7 is now streaming in full on Peacock. The reunion special for the season airs in August.
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And in a shocker, the fourth couple to leave the villa before the finale, due to America’s vote, is…..Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe. The two Islanders, who had a star-crossed lovers storyline of sorts before finally being able to couple together and some ups and downs throughout the season, but had a pretty smooth journey toward the end before they finally closed off recently.

Prior to the episode airing, the two chatted with Blavity’s Shadow and Act about being eliminated right before the finale, what exactly went down at the Heart Rate challenge and its the mailbox night aftermath, the growth they’ve been through this season, how well they knew each other before the show and much more.

The below interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can view the full video above.

I’m actually very gagged to be chatting with y’all. I was thinking [you were] at least Top 2 [couples of the season]. What are your immediate feelings right now, as it seemed that you all had made progress in the past few days—a lot of cute dates, you got to go to the hideaway… shout out to the worldwide hit song “Eat That Kitty in the Hideaway.” What are your immediate thoughts on being so close to the end and being eliminated right now?

Chelley: It’s a bittersweet moment, honestly. We got to walk out together, so that means we won. So there’s not anything more I could really ask for. It’s just the feeling of leaving everybody behind. The close friendships that we made, the people that we love so much. It’s like, “Damn, we’re not going to wake up to you guys anymore.” But I mean, we still get to wake up together. So it’s just one of those things of like “Hey, I guess it had to end at some point,” you know?

Ace: Honestly, it is a bittersweet moment. We’re leaving a lot of friends behind, but I feel like I came and did what I needed to do. We had a long process throughout this entire season, and once I felt like it was time for me and her to be exclusive, I felt at that moment my journey ended. I was cool with it. It was just time for us to leave.

I want to talk to you both for a moment about the aftermath of the mailbox night. First off, I want to dive into the Huda and Ace moment [during the Heart Rate challenge]. What exactly happened in that moment and the levels of inappropriate it reached, because it definitely had a reaction with you both. And can you give me a perspective of what happened and how that made you both feel in that moment and in the time afterward?

Chelley: I know for me in that moment I was very upset, especially [when] we stand on this code of girl code, and having respect for one another in that moment, I didn’t feel like I was being respected. So in that moment, I was very disappointed; I didn’t enjoy it anymore. But we got to have a conversation and resolve it and find a middle ground to we could squash this, we could get past it and continue our friendship.

Ace: It’s 24 hours in a day. Only one hour gets shown. But as long as she moved on for me and she’s at a clear mind, that’s what I cared about is making sure she was okay. But it was a lot that went down.

Chelley, I also want to know if you could provide any more context about the conversations you and Huda had about Chris coming to the villa, and you not really feeling it was done with the same purpose in mind that you may have had.

Chelley: The conversation was, ‘I want to be able to bring him back.’ She knows Ace and I’s connection was very strong, so she knows there was a big chance that I wasn’t going to couple up with Chris. So her thing was like, “I know you guys still want to explore, so how about I bring them for you, and I’ll also explore, but I know what you guys have, and then we’ll just go from there.” And in the moment as the days were happening, it didn’t seem like that’s what it was. But also, I just realized for myself, I’m like, “You know what? After all was said and done and the arguing and stuff, everything worked out how it was supposed to.” So, yeah, it was just a crazy situation.

Last question about the mailbox episode. Ace, I want to dive into the Amaya of it all. You both had ups and downs with the relationship and later friendship during the season. It seemed you were a bit surprised that she was polling pretty high in the fan polls in the last few episodes. It seemed that you both came to a common ground as time went on, but a lot of fans were wondering: When you first chose Amaya, did you think you all would have had as many disconnects as you did? It seemed as if you chose her and it didn’t really go anywhere.

Ace: Honestly, how that all turned [out] to be was me and Chelley had a conversation of…we did know each other coming into this experience, but we weren’t going to just lock in with each other. We wanted to explore and get to know different people. So Amaya was one of those people who I really wanted to choose and get to know and get to explore. And, again, it’s 24 hours in a day, only one hour gets shown. And it was a lot of conversations that led up to that point. But Amaya is a great, great person. Amaya is an extremely friendly person, and I love the friendship that we’ve built. Our friendship started really, really earlier than what you guys have seen throughout this whole entire process, and that’s why I defend her. Even in conversations and stuff like that, we might’ve not worked out romantically, but as a friend, she’s super, super down to earth, and I love Amaya.

I always root for Black love on these types of shows. What do you think was the biggest point of growth you both achieved, from first having interest in each other, coupling, and to the point where we are now?

Chelley: I would have to say when the whole Casa Amor experience happened, before it was what people say is the honeymoon phase. But then Casa Amor happened, and that’s where more sides of us were being shown. We really were learning about each other’s communication style, what makes you feel good, what doesn’t make you feel good, and just really learning, “You know what? There’s more to relationships than all the happy and cheery things.” There’s the moments where things don’t feel so good, but how do you navigate that? So being that we were able to navigate, that was a turning moment of, “Okay, you know what? This is meant to be. This is my person.” Yeah, I mean, it’s not every day that you get to spend every single day and 24 hours with your friends. So at first, we all walked in, and we’re all strangers.

Talk a little bit about the friendships you built during this process. When Olandria went home, there is this gif of you and Huda, and people were like, “Chelly wants to get in Olandria’s suitcase.” Then Ace, you, Nic and Taylor have a tight friendship. You know, some people think you are the ring leader of sorts, but it showed how much you cared for each other because both of those eliminations were super emotional. Can you dive into how you have such strong bonds with these people in a short amount of time?

Chelley: I remember the first day, I always say to everybody how I pictured you the first day, I couldn’t imagine you being who you are now, because we were all so nervous and this and that. But instantly we realized, okay, we’re in the same experience. We’re together morning, noon, and night. We’re really seeing each other through and through at our best moments, at our worst moments. So many different things. And the moments that you guys don’t even get to see are when we’re together and we’re talking deeply about our past and where we come from and who we are, and really clicking and bonding on those things. So being in this whole thing together just made us grow this unforgettable bond that just can’t be broken.

No one could say that they went through the same experience with us, and that’s something we’ll always share. So those moments really made us so tight where it’s like, “Damn, that is why I was so devastated to see Olandria go because that’s my girl.” Everybody probably sees 10 minutes, five minutes of our relationship when I spent 24 hours with this girl every single day, and we were really pouring into one another. So it just was quite the experience.

Ace: For me, the ringleader comments….[laughs], it was never a matter of the ringleader. We all agreed with each other when it came to most topics, and that’s why I felt like we were so close. Mine might’ve been highlighted a little bit more because I’m very vocal. I communicate with everybody. I feel like my communication is through the roof. And the same thing with Taylor and Nic. It is just, again, mine might’ve been highlighted a little bit more, but it was never a matter of like, “Oh, go do this for me. Go do that. Go do this, go do that.” We all helped each other out one way or another throughout the villa, whether it was Taylor helping me with making breakfast, whether it was Nic helping me, giving me some advice on how to move about a certain situation. We all bounced off each other when it came to how to move through the villa.

Regarding to the type of relationships that we’ve built, I was really, really sad to see Nic go, because again, I’ve dealt with some really, really dark days in the villa of just missing home and missing family and friends because we’re isolated from that. We can’t reach out and call them with a question about how to move through this. We got to deal with the emotions head-on in the villa. So when that person leaves and that you feel that’s the person you’re closest to, it’s like, “Damn, I feel like a part of me has just left in this villa.” And it was tough, but we definitely made it through the process. We made it through the fire.

I know you two aren’t too hip to social media right now because you don’t have your phones, but you spoke early in the season about knowing each other prior to the show. But the internet has so many theories about how you actually knew each other so well before this competition and how. So can you just clarify the extent of what the relationship was before this, because there’s so many things.

Chelley: I want to say knowing each other could be used very loosely as well, because we met outside of a club in NYC. So with that being said, we exchanged each other’s social media. I didn’t even give him my phone number. We had each other on social media, and as people could see, he’s been in my comments. I’ve been in his. He might’ve been in my DMs. But nothing too crazy where at least what I’m hearing now is that we have kids, we’ve lived together, all these crazy things. And it just goes to show the internet is crazy. Even Amaya is someone that I’ve known before we got into the scene. Even seeing her was a shocker to me because I’m like, “What the f**k are you doing here?” Andreina was another person that I knew. So it was like, “Yo, this is actually crazy.” It was a joke of like, “Oh, Chelly knows everybody.” And even the other guys knowing each other too.

Ace: I knew Pepe. I knew Pepe before coming into this experience. I knew Nic and Jeremiah knew each other.

Chelley: They worked together before, so it’s just a thing of this is out of our hands. We just show up. We get the invite, and we show up. It’s a whole process to come onto Love Island. I know they go through extensive research to dot their I’s cross their T’s. It wasn’t a secret that we follow each other on social media and stuff, but as far as to say a relationship before this, and kids, and a house, and this and that is crazy. We were definitely friends on Instagram, but anything past that, he’s in LA. I was in New York at the time. It’s not that.

As someone who lives in New York City, it’s nothing to meet somebody out, and one night you follow them on Instagram. And then maybe a few months later, you’re like, “Who is this person? When did I meet them?”

Chelley: Exactly, exactly. And it really is like that. So it’s crazy. These people don’t know us. They don’t know me. These are allegations and stuff. But if you know anything about New York City, you could run into literally anybody and meet anybody. So, I mean, hopefully that answers all these people’s questions, but it was very funny to hear all these crazy ass things [laughs].

The Love Island USA Season 7 finale airs Sunday on Peacock.
The post ‘Love Island USA’s Ace And Chelley On Shock Exit, ‘Ring Leader’ Claims And How Well They Knew Each Other Pre-Villa  appeared first on Blavity.



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Taylor and Clarke were the first couple of the season to depart at the same time, and it capped off a tumultuous yet successful post-Casa Amor experience for the duo.

After Taylor chose Clarke during the Casa phase of the competition, effectively ending his relationship with Olandria Carthen, the duo faced criticism from many fans online due to how the situation with Olandria was handled. When viewers were able to vote in polls, they ranked the duo low both separately and collectively, and this all came to a head this week when votes could be placed for America’s favorite couple, and Taylor and Clarke were in last.

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The post ‘Love Island USA’s Taylor And Clarke On Olandria Situation And Why He Doesn’t Have This Regret – Blavity first appeared on Blaqly.