Exclusive Interview
Nicolandria’s ‘Next Step’: ‘Love Island USA’s Nic & Olandria Reveal Plans for Their Future
Love Island USA‘s Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen don’t feel any pressure to rush their romance.
The second-place couple’s relationship was a slow burn during Season 7, but that didn’t stop viewers from shipping them long before they decided to be more than friends. Now that they’re facing the outside world — and all of those eager “Nicolandria” fans clamoring for updates — Vansteenberghe and Carthen are going at the same pace they had in the villa.
“I feel like that would be the most genuine thing to do,” Carthen told Swooon in a joint interview with Vansteenberghe. “We love that you guys continue to support us. We love that, but we’re gonna continue to go at our own pace and work our way up.”
They might’ve started exploring their connection sooner had Vansteenberghe told Carthen that he kissed her during the Blindfold challenge in Episode 2. “My experience here at the villa could have been way different if you just told me earlier on,” Carthen said. “I don’t want to jump the gun and assume that you liked me or you did all that, but I’m happy you told me now, I guess.”
“Better late than never,” Vansteenberghe quipped.
Still, Carthen doesn’t have any regrets about how their journey unfolded. “Honestly, waiting all the way until the end, it was so beautiful, because now we have all these beautiful edits leading up to that final moment,” she said. “Honestly, it played out just the way it needed to.”
Kim Nunneley / Peacock
Just because their relationship is new, that doesn’t mean the reality stars aren’t already making plans. “So, the next step is to meet each other’s families to see what that feels like and just continue to progress from there,” Carthen continued. “I think that’ll be a big tell-all for us once we do that.”
Vansteenberghe is most excited to learn about how Carthen interacts with her family in the real world. “I met Ms. Felicia in the villa,” he said, referring to when the Islanders’ families visited them in Episode 34. “But I also want to meet her outside the villa. I wanna meet her sisters in person. We FaceTimed her sisters a few times, but I’d love to just get to know them in person.”
“Me and Nick grew up very differently,” Carthen chimed in. “I was raised by a single mother of three, and Nic had a two-parent household with only one other sibling. So, I’m just interested to see how his upbringing was so much different than mine. Because I know it’s different, but I just want to see it and be around it and feel it.”
Even though they haven’t made the trips yet — L.A. is their home base right after the show’s finale — the stars already have the stamp of approval from each of their family members. “My mom has never met a guy before, and she really expressed how much she liked Nic,” she said. “And Ms. Jennifer also expressed how much she liked me as well.”
When Vansteenberghe and Carthen reunited with their moms during the show, they sat them down to explain how many Love Island USA viewers supported their relationship. “Me and him were still lost,” Carthen explained. “Like, ‘What is Nicolandria?’ And we got into the real world, and I’m like, bro. It’s so many Nicolandrians, like I just cannot wrap my head around it.”
The couple are still coming to terms with their popularity, but they’re appreciative of their fans. “I’m so grateful and thankful for them because I’m trying to navigate this new reality,” Carthen told Swooon. “When I get into a dark space in my head, I just go to a Nicolandria side of things and just look at the bright moments of what came out of this villa. They keep me sane. I love them.”
Nicolandrians will be happy to know that the Season 7 stars have no intention of keeping their relationship out of the public eye. “They truly enjoyed this last week, all the moments that me and Nic were able to put out to them [on social media], and they want more of it,” Carthen said. “We’re trying to keep them updated as much as possible throughout our days.”
Does that mean Beyond the Villa could be in the couple’s future? Only time will tell, but they’re both down for it. “We’re manifesting Beyond the Villa for not only us but for the Nicolandrians as well,” Carthen said. “We want to continue to share our story with you guys. We think it’s amazing that you find our story just as beautiful as we do.”
