‘Love Island USA Reunion’ Didn’t Need To Be So Toxic

Season 6 of Love Island: USA has undoubtedly been the most successful season this show has had yet. From the host of this season being the beloved Ariana Madix to watching this specific cast bond in ways no other previous cast has before, it was definitely a season to remember. Some of the most popular cast members to come out of season 6: Leah Kateb, Serena Page, JaNa Craig, Kordell Beckham, Rob Rausch, Liv Walker, Aaron Evans, Kaylor Martin, Miguel Harichi, and more. Fans witnessed not only adorable romantic relationships coming out of this season, but also platonic friendships that will last a lifetime. Especially the iconic trio named, “The Powerpuff Girls,” consisting of Leah, Serena, and JaNa. Although Season 6 is one for the books and will be remembered forever in Love Island history, the reunion is not on that same level.

When Season 5 of Love Island USA came to an end and the winners, Serena and Kordell, were announced, fans all throughout social media were beaming. By that point, friendships were formed, relationships were happening, and the viewers were praising Ariana Madix as the best host this show has ever seen. Once it was announced that this cast was getting a reunion, social media was flooded with excitement. The reunion premiered on Peacock on August 19, and it turned out to be a real disappointment. The vibe of the whole thing felt dark, and there was a lot of unnecessary drama and going back and forth where there did not need to be. Fans wanted to see unseen footage of the cast having fun and hear from the couples, but instead, there seemed to be a lot of toxicity and disappointment.

The Drama Between Kendall and Nicole

One of the main sources of the drama throughout this reunion was the controversy between Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington. During the season, Kendall and Nicole ended up in the finale as a couple, but it has all gone downhill since then. When the show ended and everyone packed up their bags and left the villa, an explicit video of Kendall got leaked on social media, and that is when the couple hit their rough patch.

Leaking private and personal video footage of anyone is never okay and should never be tolerated, and since the reunion aired, fans have been taking Kendall’s side over Nicole’s. During the reunion, fans watched Kendall try to explain that the outside world was tough, especially with communication between him and Nicole, but Nicole quickly interrupted. “Communicate? You have not been communicating. You never have been.” Nicole then went on to explain how she felt betrayed and lied to. When Kendall’s video was leaked, he reassured Nicole that it was from years ago with an ex-girlfriend. To Nicole’s surprise, JaNa ended up outting Kendall for lying, explaining that the video took place right before filming.

Fans feel that this conversation between Kendall and Nicole went on way longer than needed. Yes, they both deserved a conversation for closure, but it took a dark turn. Fans took to social media to explain that they felt bad for Kendall. Nicole took a very personal and traumatizing issue that Kendall had to go through, and turned it into a pity party for herself. It was obvious Kendall was nervous and filled with anxiety, but all Nicole could focus on was that Kendall lied. It was a difficult topic that fans felt they could have worked through behind closed doors, but Nicole waited until cameras were rolling to bring it up. That was their first time speaking on the issue, which felt calculated to many.

Leah Kateb Has Had Enough

The toxicity did not end with Kendall and Nicole. The situation between Leah, Rob, and Andrea Carmona finally took a toll on Leah forever. Leah took to social media to explain that she is done with Love Island: USA. “Y’all make any and everything up. I’m exhausted mentally, physically, and spiritually from this entire experience. I’m tired. I told them I was DONE after the reunion.” Leah took the blame for the women of the villa voting to kick Andrea off the island, but it was a group effort. From then on, even though Leah formed a romantic connection with her current boyfriend, Miguel, she had to take the blame for Andrea getting sent home. Rob was very cruel to her, which Leah claims made the whole situation much worse. In an additional comment, Leah wrote again, “The reunion is all they were getting from me. Respectfully, everything else I just can’t and they don’t deserve me. Period moving on.” When Leah went on Alexandra Cooper’s iconic podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” she explained she had multiple breakdowns and would have to visit the psych on the island for hours at a time, while other cast members only saw the psych for twenty minutes or so.

There is no doubt that Leah Kateb is great reality TV. She is beautiful, entertaining, and sticks up for what she believes in, but when her mental health started to decline and her anxiety over the Rob and Andrea situation kicked in, the experience was not fun for her anymore. During the reunion, that was pretty clear to all the viewers. Mental health should always come before anything else, and that is why Leah stated that she is done with the Love Island universe.

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Fans Wanted To See The Cast Having Fun

Reunions are always about closure and the cast being able to get certain comments off of their chest, but fans of this season were expecting lighter and happier scenes among the cast members. This season was unlike any other. Fans got to witness amazing friendships from Leah JaNa, and Serena, Liv and Kaylor, and even the bromance between Rob and Aaron. This cast bonded like no other, not just romantically, but platonically.

This reunion was the perfect opportunity to see behind-the-scenes footage of everyone getting along. Cameras were rolling all hours of the day, there was plenty of footage to show the world the funny, goofy, and real moments between everyone. Instead of focusing so much on the video of Kendall, which was visibly making him uncomfortable, or the drama between the other couples, fans feel Ariana could have shown videos of the cast being happy together or unseen footage of these relationships being formed. That way, Miguel and Kordell could have spoken instead of being mute the entire reunion.

Love Island: USA Season 6will go down as the best season in the show’s history. This cast was like no other, and it has built relationships for life. Fans were extremely excited about this reunion, hosted by Ariana Madix, but it quickly turned into a negative trending topic on social media. From talking about a private video for way too long to weighing in on mental health and bullying, this reunion felt dark and unexpected for many.

Love Island: USA is available to stream on Peacock in the US.

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