Fontana local Chris Seeley has joined the party in Fiji as part of the Casa Amor arrivals on the hit Peacock reality TV series, Love Island USA. The 27-year-old is one of six new guys hoping to make a connection with fellow islanders.
Casa Amor is a shake-up that happens in the show where the original contestants who have been coupled up for the past two weeks are split apart to test their connections. This season, the girls were sent to Casa Amor, while the guys remained at the villa. The 24 contestants met each other through kissing challenges, but then it was up to the new arrivals to decide which islander they wanted to couple up with.
During Monday night’s episode, Seeley was one of two contestants who wanted to pair up with Michelle “Chelley” Bissainthe. Ultimately, the feeling was mutual between Bissainthe and Seeley, and the two were coupled up.
It wasn’t the first time Bissainthe has found herself in a bit of a love triangle this season, with even host Ariana Maddix teasing her about it. Bissainthe has spent the majority of the season coupled up with Austin Shepard. But just because contestants are coupled up, doesn’t mean others can’t get to know them and re-couple with them later on. Which is what happened during episode 14 last week.
Fellow islander Ace Greene had been getting to know Bissainthe the past few weeks in the villa, making breakfast for her, creating yoga dates, and challenging her to ping pong competitions. The two had coupled up just before the girls were sent away to Casa Amor during episode 19.
One of the things that makes Love Island USA unique is that it’s filmed and edited in real time, meaning viewers can vote on who they want to keep on the show or see couple up together. Additionally, fans can participate in polls while the episode airs to see how fellow viewers align on certain topics.
After Monday night’s episode, Bissainthe and Seeley were the second most popular Casa recoupling, just behind new bombshell Andreina Santos and Bryan Arenales.
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Tuesday night’s episode didn’t follow Seeley and Bissainthe’s growing connection because a major chunk of the episode was devoted to the recoupling that occurred. Twenty-four hours after the initial coupling in Casa Amor, the new arrivals had the option to couple up with the single islanders, Amaya Espinal and Thomas “TJ” Palma. Viewers saw Espinal form connections with JD Dodard and Zak Srakaew, with Srakaew standing up to couple with Espinal. This left original islander Olandria Carthen “single and vulnerable.”
For the guys, Savanna “Vanna” Einerson stood up to couple up with Palma. Viewers then saw a domino effect of guy after guy becoming “single and vulnerable” as a new girl stood up to couple up with them. That was until Nic Vansteenberghe was left standing alone at the fire pit.
Through a text message read by fellow islanders, both Carthen and Vansteenberghe were told they had 30 minutes to pack their bags and say their goodbyes. While this typically means the contestants have been sent home, viewers were quick to notice one detail was missing from the usual messaging—at no point were they told they had been “dumped from the villa.”
That theory came to light in the final two minutes of the episode. After a heartfelt goodbye with the rest of the guys, the screen faded to black, and dramatic music began to play as Vansteenberghe walked out of the villa, suitcase in hand. A black car with a license plate that read “LOVE” pulled up.
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The passenger door flung open to reveal Carthen in the vehicle. “Quick, hurry up, get in,” Carthen told Vansteenberghe, motioning for him to join her. After an initial state of shock, Vansteenberghe ran to the car as the two drove off together, leaving fans to decipher what the unexpected twist means for the show.
Carthen and Vansteenberghe have been at the villa since the first day of Love Island USA season 7 and have become favorites among viewers for their commentary. Megan Thee Stallion couldn’t hold back her excitement about meeting the two, even quoting Vansteenberghe’s now viral reaction to finding out fellow islander Huda Mustafa has a daughter, “Mommy? Mamacita.”
Viewers will have to wait until Thursday’s episode to find out what the future holds for Carthen and Vansteenberghe. Fans also noted online that the “Loves Me, Loves Me Not” neon sign in the villa typically flickers to “Loves Me Not” when an islander is dumped, but during Tuesday night’s episode, it instead flickered to “Loves Me,” leading many to speculate that their Love Island USA journey is not finished.
New episodes of Love Island USA air Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday on Peacock at 6 p.m. PT.