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The Big Picture
- Season 6 of Love Island USA was a hit with an exciting new host and captivating cast.
- Contestant Kendall Washington and bombshell Nicole Jacky formed a strong bond throughout the season.
- Despite challenges after filming, Kendall and Nicole appear to still be together post-finale.
Love Island USA has always come in second place when it comes to its performance compared to the UK original. But Season 6 completely turned that trend on its head, with a new host, an incredible cast, and on-the-nose editing decisions that elevated the drama in all the best ways. The cast came together as a group like none other, and the ratings reflected the high octane performance this summer.
Kendall Washington was one of the original cast members to join the Villa in Season 6. He was off to a rocky start when host Ariana Madix requested that the ladies of Love Island choose the man they were interested in pursuing a match with, and he found himself standing alone while cast mate Coye Simmons had three ladies at his side. Kendall was then paired up with Hannah Smith, and the couple tried to make a match, but their personalities just seemed to clash. Kendall’s time in the Villa changed for the better when bombshell Nicole Jacky entered the Villa.
Kendall and Nicole were one of the couples to make it to the season finale, which speaks to the strength of their bond and a certain level of viewer investment. The audience’s votes often contributed to whether a couple would advance or be kicked out of the Villa. Since the series wrapped, the couple have been mostly quiet online about the status of their relationship, following an incident where Kendall’s past resurfaced online. Despite developing what appears to be a close bond on the series, the couple’s reserved social media presence since Love Island USA wrapped has viewers wondering about their relationship status.
![Love Island Peacock Poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/love-island-peacock-poster.jpg)
Love Island
In a stunning villa, a group of attractive singles lives together as they seek love and connections. Contestants must pair up and stay coupled to survive elimination rounds. Along the way, they participate in engaging challenges and games that put their relationships to the test. New islanders are regularly introduced, causing shifts in alliances and romantic interests. Viewers play a crucial role by voting for their favorite couples, with the most popular pair ultimately winning a cash prize and the title of the strongest couple.
Kendall and Nicole’s Journey on ‘Love Island USA’
Nicole entered the Villa as a bombshell early in the season, and Kendall was one of the Islanders who first caught her eye. She invited him on a beach picnic date, and Kendall seemed immediately smitten. Kendall had struggled to create a meaningful connection prior to Nicole’s arrival, so he was ready to build on the spark they felt on their first date.
Nicole did everything right in her Love Island experience. She and Kendall continued to build on their connection, but a big part of staying in the Villa is being subject to the temptation to test the connection in the relationship by getting to know other Islanders. When it came time to test their connection, Nicole was initially swayed by bombshell Miguel Harichi and communicated to Kendall that she was interested in talking to him more. Both Nicole and Kendall handled this test well, each communicating their feelings and respecting the other. Eventually, Nicole testing the connection had the effect of making her realize that Kendall had a strong hold on her heart.
After winning a challenge later in the season, the couple were rewarded with a video call to their families. Meeting the family is a big step forward in any relationship, and for Nicole and Kendall it seemed to bring them closer than ever. The pair moved from strength to strength, earning them a place in the series finale.
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The Couple’s Finale Experience
Being in the top four couples in the season meant that Nicole and Kendall got to go on one last finale date, planned by the production. The pair were surprised by a day spent on a boat, parasailing over the beautiful waters in Fiji. Then they were then treated to a beach-side picnic in the hot Fiji sun. Kendall had been working himself up to express his feelings for Nicole, and took the opportunity the romantic picnic provided to tell her that he loved her for the first time.
For her part, Nicole was more reserved, and while she encouraged Kendall by stating that her feelings were strong, and that she was almost ready to say the words back to him. Saying “I love you” was something Nicole took seriously, and wanted to wait for the right moment. Which, apparently, was not on the set of a reality competition series. Her reserve has translated to the real world now that the couple are no longer filming, to the degree that viewers are wondering if Nicole and Kendall are still together.
Where Do Kendall and Nicole Stand Now?
Once the Islanders finished filming, and were handed their phones back as they prepared to return to the real world, Kendall had quite the surprise waiting for him. Amid his rise to fame on the series, and while he was in the Villa without the ability to check his notifications or respond in any way, a not-safe-for-work video that he had filmed in a past relationship circulated online. Once Kendall was aware of the video circulating, he made a social media post explaining that the video was something he had shared in “confidence and trust” with someone in his past.
Kendall took the invasion of privacy in stride, acknowledging the embarrassment by calling the incident “unfortunate,” but also casually shrugging it off, with the useful turn of phrase, “it is what it is.” Nicole waited much longer to address her and Kendall’s exit from the series amid the online fervor after the video of Kendall. In a heartfelt post to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, August 01, Nicole acknowledged that she had been mostly absent online, saying “things have not been easy since leaving the villa.” She continued to express that she had been taking time to process everything, and made a plea for her followers to understand that “these are real feelings and my real life.”
Kendall appeared on The Viall Files podcast on July 30, where he revealed that he and Nicole were still together now that they were outside the Villa. Nicole’s tepid reaction to his expression of love on the series had viewers guessing the pair might not last on the outside. During the appearance on the podcast, Kendall expressed that while he has an easy time brushing off this online negativity, it continues to have an uncomfortable effect on Nicole. When asked if he and Nicole would still be a couple when they returned for the first-ever Love Island USA reunion on August 19, Kendall was reserved in his response, saying that he had no way to predict the future and that the ball was in Nicole’s court.
Nicole lives in Sacremento, California, while Kendall is currently based in Dallas, Texas. However, the distance shouldn’t be a problem for the couple, as Kendall has family in California and frequently visits the state. In his appearance on The Viall Files, he mentioned that he has been in Los Angeles since exiting the Villa, and that he and Nicole are still telling each other they love each other, although it is not a casual thing to say. In an interview with US Weekly, Nicole addressed her hesitation to say “I love you” on their finale date, and how she eventually mustered the courage to tell Kendall she was in love with him in her final speech. It seems by all appearances that while Nicole has been reserved on social media, the couple simply want to minimize the noise as they focus on the logistics of their relationship now that they are out of the Villa. The August 19 reunion should provide clarity on where the couple truly stand, but in every public appearance since the finale aired, the couple have affirmed that they are still very much together.
The Love Island USA Season 6 reunion will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock on Monday, August 19, at 9 PM ET. You can also catch all previous seasons of the show on Peacock in the U.S.
Watch on Peacock
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