During the first challenge of “Love Island USA” Season 7, Nicolas Vansteenberghe raised his hand, approached a blindfolded Olandria Carthen and kissed her. After, he held his hand to his chest as he walked away. Olandria, meanwhile, was left wondering who that was.
For Olandria, that question wasn’t definitively answered until 36 episodes later, in July 13’s Season 7 finale.
“I just wanted the person to come forward and just confess, like, ‘Hey, I was one that kissed you,’” Olandria tells TODAY.com in a joint interview with Nic.
“I was not standing on business that day,” he chimes in.
Nic and Olandria eventually found their way to each other, but not without the winding road that got them there. Early on in the season, Nic established a strong connection with Cierra Ortega, and Olandria with Taylor Williams. That all changed during Casa Amor, when the guys and girls were separated and introduced to groups of new bombshells.
Olandria was dumped from Casa Amor when she failed to find a connection with a new islander, as was Nic for the same reason at the main villa. But instead of leaving Fiji, they were swept away in a getaway car, taken on a romantic date and given the opportunity to couple up.
In Episode 21, they gave romance a try, even sharing a kiss outside of a challenge in Soul Ties. But they quickly decided they were better off as friends; it was clear other forces and unfinished business were at play.
Though Nic and Cierra rekindled and became exclusive, Olandria and Taylor were hanging on by a thread after Taylor connected with a new islander, Clarke Carraway. Then Cierra abruptly left the villa in Episode 30, when social media clips of her using a racial slur resurfaced. (She since apologized.)
So Nic and Olandria ended up in a couple once more for the final week of “Love Island USA.” What they thought was more of a platonic coupling eventually grew into a romantic one — a turn of events that delighted the corner of the internet who had been rooting for “Nicolandria” from the beginning.
Nic and Olandria were named the runners-up of the season, meaning U.S. viewers voted them the second most popular couple behind winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. As for their relationship now, Nic said July 15 on the “Chicks In the Office” podcast that, while they haven’t labeled their relationship, they’re “doing a lot of things that a boyfriend and girlfriend do.”
Below, TODAY.com caught up with Nic and Olandria to unpack their time in the villa, their first date, life back in the real world — and the hundreds of Nicolandria edits waiting for them.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Watching fan edits, is there anything you’ve found most surprising seeing how your dynamic was presented on camera?
Nic: I think through the edits you just feel the aura. Just aura. That’s the first word that comes to my mind.
Olandria: I love it. The edits tell our story beautifully, from beginning to end. And some of them even bring me to tears sometimes, like this is so beautiful. To know that we were unintentionally doing all this, like none of that was forced. We didn’t even know Nicolandria nation was even existing — like, the producers did an amazing job of not telling us that information.
We just kind of naturally gravitated toward each other toward the end of the experience. And it tells it beautifully through the edit. So I like to rewatch them.
After that first kiss outside of a challenge in Soul Ties … was there no spark?
Nic: I think internally there was spark. But externally, I think we just had those connections still. She was coming off of Taylor, and then Cierra was at Casa. So I think with those doors being still open, we weren’t able to fully invest in one another.
Olandria, in your introduction, you said you wanted to let your soft side show and be vulnerable. Is there a specific moment or memory where you really felt like that?
Olandria: Definitely, when I was with this guy here. I’ve been way softer. People are like, oh, she’s more touchy feely. She touches him a lot. She seems like, more softer, more feminine. She doesn’t have any guards up.
What moment did I start feeling that? I don’t know. I feel like I’ve always been like that with Nic. He always made me feel so secure.
Nic: I think one of the moments was near the end when we were reading —
Olandria: Oh, yeah.
Nic: She was reading her sister’s letter. I think that was the first time I’ve seen Olandria cry ever. It was a happy cry. So I think that was beautiful, that moment.
We saw on Family Day your families interact. I know there was a photo of Olandria’s mom and Nic’s mom and sister all sitting down and having a conversation. What was that like?
Olandria: I think they were both just confirming, like, “We want this. This has got to happen.” You know, “We’re so happy that y’all are together. Y’all don’t realize how much support you have on the outside.” I think that’s when Ms. Jennifer offered me to come to dinner.
Nic: It might have been even when my mom hugged her. I think the first question she asked was when are you coming for dinner. The reassurance from our parents, that was the most beautiful thing.
Going back to the Casa recoupling. Nic did you know Taylor was not going to pick Olandria? How’d you react to that moment seeing her single and vulnerable there?
Nic: No, I think up until that moment, obviously I’m supporting whatever decision Taylor makes because I know the decisions he makes (are) from his heart. So leading up to it, I really didn’t know. He invested a lot into both women and just going from his heart. So when he wrote down Clarke, there was nothing more to say to that than him following his feelings.
You were shown as being very vocal in wanting to save Olandria. How did you handle that moment?
Nic: I remember arguing with everyone, giving reasons. Standing on business, as they say, and convincing everyone. And it didn’t take much convincing, it’s like the facts are there. This is the person who deserves to have another chance in the villa.
After the last recoupling in Episode 30, Olandria, in a conversation with Chelley, you called it a “selfish” decision, echoing your introduction where you said you were going on “Love Island USA” just for you. How did that feel?
Olandria: I truly felt like all the decisions I made prior to picking Nic, I always considered everyone else in the villa. The person I had a connection with played a very, very big role into everyone’s experience. Everyone loved Taylor. So I felt guilty if I ever wanted to step outside of that and make him seem single and vulnerable and risk sending him home, how the house would feel toward me. Because I feel like the guys were very emotional voters. So I didn’t want to be on the chopping block just because I decided to send their best guy home. Taylor plays a big role within his life and Ace’s life, you know. So I just didn’t want them to have a sour taste in their mouth about me. So I always considered them.
The women, too. Like (Taylor) and Hannah had an amazing bond. Him and Chelley had an amazing bond, too. So I was like, if I make this decision, how would they feel about me? How would they treat me? Because I have to live with these people. I don’t have family here. I don’t have friends here, other than them. So I always considered them while picking Taylor every single time.
So I truly felt like the moment I decided to pick Nic, I didn’t consider nobody but me. I know prior, with the Soul Ties kiss — the kiss that was heard around the world — even then, I felt like I owed so much to Cierra and Taylor at the time.
So you know what? Regardless of how the world’s going to view me, regardless of how these people are going to view me, I want this for myself, and that’s just what I went with. I did not care about the noise.
I see the tweets, ‘Oh, my god, supposed to be a girl’s girl.’ I just blocked all that noise out and just went with what I felt, what I wanted to do. And I’m so happy that I did.
Nic: I felt like that moment was like a Super Bowl. Falcons vs. Patriots. I was down 28-3, and I came back for the win. That moment was grand.
Nic, how did you leave things with Cierra? And have you been in touch?
Nic: You know, it’s been two days since villa. So it’s a lot to process. I mean, not just the the Cierra thing, but also life and fans and Americans and just like — it’s a lot to process. So just taking the time right now to process everything.
Olandria, in your confessional before your first date, you said you wanted to feel butterflies, you wanted it to feel romantic. Did you feel that on the date?
Olandria: Absolutely, I felt all of the feels. It was so beautiful.
Nic: You felt the flutters?
Olandria: Maybe (laughs). I did. It was so beautiful. All I could do was just cry. And I’m so happy. Even the viewers, they were even crying. I was like, bro, this is the most beautiful day. This is very perfect for them, because it’s our first time actually hearing from America that you guys wanted this all along. So it was just so beautiful to see that.
Nic: I picked her up over the water. Unlike some people. I’m just kidding. I’m joking.
Olandria: He’s messy. Stay offline.
In your final declarations, Nic, you apologized for not saying earlier that you had kissed Olandria in the blindfold challenge. What do you think might have been different if you did tell her sooner?
Nic: I think everything would have been different. I don’t know exactly what it would be, but every decision we’ve made has led us to here, and I wouldn’t change anything about that.
Olandria, you said you suspected it was him. Did you ever consider confronting him about it?
Olandria: No, I just wanted the person to come forward and just confess, like, “Hey, I was the one that kissed you.” Well, he did —
Nic: I was not standing on business that day.
Olandria: He was not standing on business. I was like, it felt scratchy. So I’m looking around the room like, who has a scratchy beard?
It’s so crazy. He tells on the very last day of us being in the villa.
Nic: It was the last week.
Olandria: Why did you hold that secret? And he hates holding secrets. He cannot hold a secret to save his life. And he held that one.
