The Love Island USA Reunion Dropped Bombs But Still Missed The Mark

The reality TV viewing experience hasn't been the same since the final episode of Love Island USA aired on Peacock in July. The popular reality dating show took the world by storm, and audiences couldn't get enough of the drama from Season 6. On Monday night, The Love Island USA reunion  premiered and reunited the cast on television for the first time since they left the island last month. Hosted by Vanderpump Rules reality star Ariana Madix, the group delivered relationship updates, addressed lingering issues, and cleared the air among each other. 

There hasn't been a dull moment since the contestants left the villa nearly a month ago. From viral fan edits to viewers recreating several of the season’s most jaw-dropping moments, the presence of the beloved islanders has truly been missed. In a shocking ending, the final two couples were runners up Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi, and winners Serena Page and Kordell Beckham. Page and Beckham earned a $100K cash prize. During the reunion, the pair confirmed their relationship status is now officially “boyfriend and girlfriend.” The adorable duo captivated viewers’ hearts as millions watched their budding romance develop on screen. Despite their ups and downs, Black love prevailed. 

Now, it wouldn't be a proper reunion without drama. Expectations were high for the Love Island USA reunion, especially since several contestants admitted in post-show interviews that they had watched the season back in preparation for the taping. However, the reunion didn't deliver on the promise that the reality stars returned to "spill it all." It actually did quite the opposite. Between Craig and Page not receiving apologies from their male castmates about the microaggressions they faced (ahem, Connor), and Madix bypassing the significance of PPG's ("Powerpuff Girls", consisting of Kateb, Craig, and Page) sisterhood, viewers were robbed of what could've been a perfect ending to Season 6.  Despite being one of the franchise's best seasons, many fans were disappointed with the reunion.

Even the islanders weren't satisfied with how the reunion ended. Craig told Us Weekly in an interview that she didn't believe the reunion "left off on a good note."

"I don't think we got closure from the reunion if I'm being honest," Craig continued. "I personally don't like the way it ended. Lots of emotion, lots of tears, lots of yelling, lots of hurt." Although many things were left unsaid, there were key moments that the islanders did highlight.

Since the final couples left the villa, fan speculations spread about the status of their relationships once they reentered the real world. From public appearances to participating in interviews, questions about where they stood with their partners flooded the Internet. Days before the reunion, Page and Beckham shared with supporters that they made things official. The same happened with JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez. The two confirmed their relationship status after she posted on Instagram holding a bouquet of red roses that read, "Do you want to be my girlfriend" across the assortment. While many were rooting for Craig and Rodriguez, one former islander publicly discredited their relationship. Coye Simmons, an original castmate (and one of Craig’s former love interests), was dumped from the island at the beginning of the competition. After he left, Simmons went to social media and shared his views on Craig and Rodriguez, claiming their relationship was "fake." "I think it's a fake relationship," Simmons said in the video. "...She would not date him outside and in the real world. Let's just be real." Simmons addressed his comment at the reunion and apologized for downplaying the genuineness of their relationship.

Questions about the relationship status of the other islanders – Kateb, Harichi, Nicole Jacky, and Kendall Washington – still lingered. Each couple finally confirmed where they stood during the Love Island USA Reunion. One of the main hurdles Kateb and Harichi faced was building their relationship while on opposite sides of the world. Harichi lives in London and Kateb resides in Calabasas, California. But they didn't let the long distance disrupt their brewing romance. Harichi told Madix that he surprised Kateb with a party for her 25th birthday in August. At her celebration, he made a special appearance and revealed at the reunion he asked Kateb to be his girlfriend on her birthday.

Fans finally received answers about where Jacky stood with Washington since his online scandal. After the reality show ended, an intimate video leaked of Washington without his consent and forced him to address the situation. In an Instagram story post, the islander wrote, “What a way to get my phone back y’all. I just want to address the content that came out from my past. That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust.” A few weeks later, Jacky broke her silence about the situation on her Instagram story and admitted that “things have not been easy since leaving the villa.” She continued, “There’s much more to share on what has happened since coming home, and for now, I’ve been taking time to process — these are real feelings and my real life.” 

Up until the reunion, Jacky remained pretty quiet about the situation. But on Monday night, she revealed that Washington lied about the incident, claiming he sent the video to someone he trusted years ago (“an ex-girlfriend”), but in reality he filmed it in his hotel room just before entering the villa and sent it to someone he met on a dating app. Jacky acknowledged that Washington didn’t deserve the humiliation and embarrassment that followed. “I was there for you,” Jacky said. “That’s why I haven’t spoken up. I haven’t said anything because it’s f—king awful what you’ve been through. But you also weren’t honest with me about it.” 

Washington admitted he should have been honest with his partner but said he wasn’t ready to tell her the truth. “My life was turned upside down,” Washington said. “All I wanted to do was have you there. And that’s why I said that.” Although the two tried to move forward with their relationship, Jacky announced on Tuesday that Washington "called and ended things."

"While I understand and respect his decision, it's hard to process this one," she penned on her Instagram story. "I opened up to him in the villa and still love and care for him now. I'm struggling mentally, and all I ask for is privacy during this time."

Another big moment from Season 6 was when the girls sent Andrea Carmona home despite her strong connection with Rob Rausch. After the decision, Kateb was caught in controversy. Kateb was matched with Rausch first, so the narrative depicted her as the ringleader behind Carmona's exit as a ploy to get her relationship with Rausch back. Kateb relentlessly said that wasn't the case, but the producers didn’t reveal the footage that supported her claims until the reunion. In the unedited version, the video proved that dumping Carmona from Fiji Island was a group decision.

In fact, the clip showed that Kateb also wasn't pressed for Carmona to go home. However, she did expose an interesting revelation about Carmona's intentions, which influenced the group's final decision. "Certain things that Andrea has said to the girls have made her feel like she may or may not be here for the right reasons, as in the Love Island money," Kateb said in the unedited clip. 

The unedited fire pit scene shed light on a conversation involving Kateb, Rausch, and Olivia "Liv" Walker when Carmona was voted off the island. Kateb told Rausch that she "tried to take the backseat" because she "didn't want to have a huge sway on it" while the girls tried to decide between sending Carmona or Jacky home." It became a big deal when Raucsh confronted Walker "about what Kateb told him. Walker became upset with Kateb, saying she took a "backseat" in the decision. But Rausch left out Kateb saying she "tried" to take a backseat rather than saying she "took" it. Walker apologized to Kateb for not speaking with her first to clear up a clear case of miscommunication.

Kaylor Martin  and Aaron Evans’ relationship was one of the most talked about subjects of the show. Despite being one of the “strongest” connections in the villa, Evans changed the course of their relationship after sharing flirty and intimate moments in Casa Amor with another girl, former bombshell Daniela Rivera. It surprised many fans that Martin and Evans remained a couple and continued their relationship outside the villa despite the betrayal.  But that all changed after Martin watched the show and saw what Evans did behind her back. More details about his wrongdoings (including his admission to putting “his hands down [Rivera’s] pants”) were revealed during the reunion, which caught Martin and their castmates off guard. Evans attempted to talk himself out of his confession, but Martin wasn’t letting him off the hook as quickly as she’d done before. Now single, she finally stood up for herself in front of Evans during the reunion.

“I’m tired of the f–cking excuses,” Martin said onstage. “Take accountability and be a f–cking man…Why do you keep f–cking lying to me? And quit love-bombing me. Literally, I cannot believe I wasted my entire f–cking summer on you, Aaron. I don’t want anything to do with you. I never want to speak to you again. You’re disgusting. And I do not deserve that.” 

In addition to the romantic connections formed, PPG's sisterhood was a major part of this season. Yet, Madix completely glossed over the trio's impact during the reunion. Thankfully, Craig and her four pages of "receipts" addressed the negative remarks from her castmates that were made during and after the show. Craig called out Carmona for calling Kateb "two-faced" on an "Aftersun" episode and pushed her to apologize to her bestie.

"You know what she [Leah] went through before she left," Craig said. She went through a lot, so to call her two-faced of all people. She bit her tongue so many times…Because of your side comments, you should've put your own name. You know that for a fact. You can apologize now."

"But to lie and sh–t like that, it bothers the sh–t out of a lot of people."

After Madix asked the women what they needed to move forward, Craig's final statement to Carmona was, "Keep Leah's name out of your mouth."