Latest news with #Olandria
Cosmopolitan
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Love Island USA's Olandria and Chelley on 'Mean Girl' Label
What happens in Fiji doesn't stay in Fiji. Especially when what happens is filmed for a reality television show. Now that Love Island USA stars Chelley Bissainthe and Olandria Carthen are back stateside, they're reflecting on their time in the Villa and processing just how fans reacted to them over the season. In a new interview with Keke Palmer, Chelley and Olandria talked about being labeled 'mean girls' by fans and experiencing anti-blackness in the response to the show. Chelley and Olandria were fan favorites of the season, but fans turned on them after the Standing on Business challenge, calling them mean girls and accusing them of ganging up on Huda, even though they remained pretty calm throughout the exchange. Even their followers on Instagram dropped following the episode. The fan reaction caused many to point out how quick the audience was to turn on two Black women who never even raised their voices. Speaking with Keke on her Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, Olandria admitted that she felt she had to 'tone down' her reactions and feelings because of how audiences are so quick to turn on Black women. 'It's very exhausting to say the least,' she said. 'I truly feel like me and Chelley have to tone down a lot to not cross over that boundary.' She continued, 'Because a person that looks the opposite of us, as soon as they get emotional, it's like, 'Oh, we're going to cater to this person.' Like, bro, what about us?' Chelley added that all of their fellow Islanders considered both she and Olandria as people they could confide in and go to for advice—the opposite of mean girls. 'To know how your fellow Islanders feel versus coming to the Internet and seeing 'mean girl,' 'disrespectful,' 'angry,' this and that, I'm like, 'Wow, y'all really don't know us,'' Chelley said. Keke related, noting that the reaction to Olandria and Chelley was part of a larger discussion on anti-Blackness . 'Just because I'm saying something sternly, it doesn't mean you need to be afraid of me,' Keke explained. 'That's rooted in something that's anti-Black, and it becomes an issue because now I don't know how to exist in who I am because I can't take my skin off.' 'If it was somebody else that [didn't] look like us and acted like whatever, they wouldn't be getting as much backlash at all,' Olandria said. When asked what advice they would give to future Black reality stars who might face the same scrutiny, Olandria admitted, 'I don't know if there's a way to prepare.' Chelley had a different response, telling future reality stars to 'be yourself,' because you won't have any control on the edit or how the audience reacts anyways. 'Stick to who you are, have confidence in yourself, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise,' she said.
Indianapolis Star
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'We love a girl that watches football': Teams react to Olandria's 'Love Island USA' moment
"Love Island USA" star Olandria Carthen has the college football world in a frenzy. On season 7, episode 31 of the dating reality series, Olandria of Decatur, Alabama, gushed about her love for sports while talking to fellow islander Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe. She stated that she's a fan of Auburn University's football team. Auburn University is located in Auburn, Alabama which is about 50 miles east of Montgomery, Alabama and about 108 miles southwest of Atlanta, Georgia. "I love college football season. Saturdays, I'll literally just be at home watching college football. I'm not even kidding," Olandria said. "We love a girl that watches football," Nic responded. The duo, coined by fans as "NicOlandria" became favorites during their time in the Fijian villa. The show captured how they're relationship blossomed from platonic to romantic while navigating their other connections. Post-show, Nic and Olandria stated in recent interviews that they are focused on getting to know each other better. "I'm hopefully going to go to Decatur and visit some of Olandria's family," Nic told the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. "It's just so fun, all the opportunities that have arisen to us, and we're going to go to some college football games." Obsessed with 'Love Island?': Watch these 5 shows next Nic and Olandria's reach goes far beyond their fandom. Brands, news publications, and sports teams have mentioned them and given them a shoutout in their online content. This week, Olandria's sports conversation is at the center of both Auburn and Ohio State's social media promotional videos for the upcoming football season. Both teams tagged her in their captions. In the original clip, Nic asked Olandria if she was a Bama fan (This is referring to the University of Alabama located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama). Olandria quickly responded that she was an Auburn fan. Nic responded with "What?!" as she explained that, "it's something about underdogs that give me chills." Auburn has taken on the underdog role over the years as they have won fewer national championships than Alabama. The two have one of the fiercest rivals in college football known as the Iron Bowl. Alabama leads the series with more wins however, Auburn has pulled out some notable victories over their in-state competitor including the iconic 2013 game known as Kick Six. "One season ends…the best one begins," the caption of the video stated on Auburn football's social media pages. "Olandria said what we were all thinking," Ohio State wrote on Instagram. Both teams posted their captions alongside videos which showed past football games featuring their stadiums, players, and fans. A post shared by Ohio State Athletics (@ohiostathletics) Olandria won't have to wait long for her football fix. According to the NCAA, the 2025 college football season begins on August 23. This story has been updated to add new information.
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'We love a girl that watches football': Teams react to Olandria's 'Love Island USA' moment
"Love Island USA" star Olandria Carthen has the football world in a frenzy. On the dating reality series, Olandria of Decatur, Alabama, gushed about her love for sports while talking to fellow islander Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe, stating that she's a fan of Auburn University's football team. "I love college football season. Saturdays, I'll literally just be at home watching college football. I'm not even kidding," Olandria stated. "We love a girl that watches football," Nic responded. The duo, coined by fans as "NicOlandria" became favorites during their time in the Fijian villa. The show captured how they're relationship blossomed from platonic to romantic while navigating their other connections. Post-show, Nic and Olandria stated in recent interviews that they focused on getting to know each other better. "I'm hopefully going to go to Decatur and visit some of Olandria's family," Nic told the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. "It's just so fun, all the opportunities that have arisen to us, and we're going to go to some college football games." Obsessed with 'Love Island?': Watch these 5 shows next College football teams shout out Olandria Nic and Olandria's reach goes far beyond their fandom. Brands, news publications, and sports teams have mentioned them and given them a shoutout in their online content. This week, Olandria's sports conversation is at the center of both Auburn and Ohio State's social media promotional videos for the upcoming football season. Both teams tagged her in their captions. In the original clip, Nic asked Olandria if she was a Bama fan (referring to the University of Alabama), Olandria quickly responded that she was an Auburn fan. Nic responded with "What?!" as she explained that, "it's something about underdogs that give me chills." Auburn has taken on the underdog role over the years as they have won fewer national championships than Alabama. The two have one of the fiercest rivals in college football known as the Iron Bowl. Alabama leads the series with more wins however, Auburn has pulled out some notable victories over their in-state competitor including the iconic 2013 game known as Kick Six. "One season ends…the best one begins," the caption of the Auburn video stated. "Olandria said what we were all thinking," Ohio State wrote. Olandria won't have to wait long for her football fix. According to the NCAA, the 2025 college football season begins on August 23. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
Cosmopolitan
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
‘Love Island USA's Nic and Olandria Dish on Their Soul Ties Kiss
Nicolandria Nation, rise up! They may not have emerged from Love Island USA as the winners, but now that they're stateside, Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen are feeling the love—and the pressure from fans to explain what took them so long to get together. This week, Nic and Olandria explained what happened after that Soul Ties kiss and gave fans an update on where their connection is heading now that they're back in the real world. Fans shipped Nic and Olandria from the beginning of the season, but #Nicolandria Nation really got activated after the duo kissed in Soul Ties to see if there was a spark. At the time, they both agreed to remain friends out of respect for their already existing connections—Cierra Ortega and Taylor Williams, respectively—but fans saw the fireworks. 'I know for me, I just thought I was doing a disservice to Cierra,' Olandria explained to Us Weekly when asked about the Soul Ties kiss. 'Because I was in Casa Amor with the girls at first, and I knew how she was feeling over there about Nic,' she continued. 'I felt guilty in a sense, which is why immediately after the kiss, I'm like, 'I have to tell Cierra and I have to tell Taylor,' I didn't allow myself to feel a spark because I felt like I owed those two people so much.' In a separate interview with Elite Daily, Nic echoed Olandria's sentiments, saying that while there was clearly something there, they were just too focused on their other relationships. 'I had a strong connection and so did she, and those doors were still open, so we weren't 100 percent invested into each other until both of those strong connections were no longer there,' he explained. Speaking of Nic's other connection, that's still TBD. Asked whether or not he had reached out to Cierra since leaving the Villa, Nic told Us Weekly, 'I'm still processing everything with what's happening. I need more time to think on it and go from there because it's only been, what, a day?' In Nic's defense, he's been pretty busy giving interviews and navigating this new connection with Olandria. 'It's something that we haven't labeled yet,' Nic continued. 'We're going at the comfortable pace that we want to go at. When we look at the grand scheme of things, we're just taking our time and investing in the real world and enjoying each other's company.' What do Nic and Olandria do to enjoy each other's company, you ask? Olandria told Elite Daily they share one very specific new hobby: 'We lay in bed and watch [#Nicolandria edits], like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so cute.'
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Forget Amaya and Bryan, Nic and Olandria steal hearts as Love Island USA Season 7's best couple as Disneyland date goes viral
Love Island USA Season 7 may have ended with Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales taking the win, but it's first runners-up Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen who are capturing hearts all over again. Their connection, which grew quietly but steadily throughout the season, has become a post-show favourite, and for good reason. While their bond was questioned by many initially, their slow-burn romance slowly managed to win fans over. Now, a recent Disneyland date has only added to the excitement, and their love story is just getting started. Are Nic and Olandria from Love Island USA Season 7 still together? Just days after the finale aired, Nic and Olandria confirmed what fans were hoping for—they're still together and thriving. Olandria recently went live on TikTok, joined by Nic, where the two shared updates and showed just how in sync they are as they grow together outside the villa. Also spotted in the live was Huda Mustafa, which caught fans' attention since Nic had voted twice to dump her from the island, but clearly, any past tension is long gone, and their friendship has come a long way. While some reality TV couples fade once the cameras stop rolling, Nic and Olandria are doing the opposite. Nic and Olandria's Disneyland date goes viral on social media On Tuesday evening, Nic and Olandria were spotted at Disneyland, and social media went into full meltdown. Photos and videos of the couple strolling through the park, chatting with fans, and just having some downtime quickly took over X (formerly Twitter). What stood out most was how effortless the outing felt. Olandria kept things comfy in a grey lounge set, while Nic wore a white tank and colourful pyjama pants, clearly unfazed by their growing celebrity status. Fans praised the low-key vibe and how natural they looked together, calling them one of the most 'authentic' couples to come out of the franchise. nic grinning over someone taking a pic with OLANDRIA not even himself im crying Olandria's 2020 Disney World tweet has fans emotional I want to go on a baecation to Disney World lol I'm such a kid 🥺😂 As if the date itself wasn't adorable enough, fans also resurfaced an old tweet from Olandria that's now going viral. Back in 2020, she wrote, 'I want to go on a baecation to Disney World lol. I'm such a kid.' Fast-forward four years, and she's living out that exact wish with a boyfriend by her side and cameras catching every candid moment. The internet couldn't help but swoon over how things came full circle, turning a casual dream into real-life romance. Nic and Olandria's Love Island romance Nic and Olandria's connection in the villa unfolded naturally. What started as a solid friendship slowly grew into one of the sweetest love stories of the season. Nic was originally coupled up with Belle-A Walker, then formed a strong bond with bombshell Cierra Ortega. Meanwhile, Olandria stayed consistently coupled with Taylor from the start. But after Cierra's departure, everything shifted. During the next recoupling, Nic and Olandria gave things a real shot, and it clicked. Their bond grew through shared laughs, late-night convos, and little moments during challenges that said more than words ever could. While other couples made headlines for chaos and shake-ups, Nic and Olandria became one of the season's most beloved pairs.
