With this season’s super-sized Casa Amor twist (sending two uncoupled Islanders home from Villa and Casa the first night) and then the prompt reversal of said twist (having Olandria film her first acting audition when picking Nic up instead of sending them both packing) many fans have started to get the feeling Love Island USA might be putting too much dip on its chip. Like damn, can we not enjoy the highlight of summer anymore without turning the love show into an Oscar-worthy drama? After their mini movie scene, Nic and Olandria are sent on a candlelit date, where they must make a choice: couple up or leave Fiji.

Deciding to share a bed to avoid going home seemed like an obvious decision (“Let’s go back to the villa, what the fuck” as Olandria candidly put it), but what I wasn’t expecting was Nic to say, “I’ve been wanting to get to know you,” as in, maybe this more of a friend couple now??? Let’s be clear: I was a day one Nicolandria shipper based on the way he spoke about her early on in confessionals and the fact that he’s way hotter than Taylor (sue me). But without weeks of any traction and all this show’s OTT game-playing, I had to ask: is this another produced plot twist, or are Nic and Olandria Love Island USA’s new power couple for real?!

Nic And Olandria: Love Island Plot Twist Explained

Nic And Olandria Recoupling Drama

Olandria, like everyone with eyes, noticed Nic kept picking her in challenges to kiss. Still, she assumed since Nic never pulled and had “a lot going on” between Cierra and Bell-A (aww, remember her?), there was nothing more to do than horny impulse. Nic, on the other hand, saw it as a “fun secret admirer thing.”

Nic And Olandria Chemistry

I always saw a little something, something between Nic and Olandria, at least on Nic’s end. Still, I assumed they wouldn’t take their partnership seriously at all because there had been weeks of nada, and yet Nic hushed my mouth by telling the boys and Taylor the first thing he intended to do was “get to know Olandria.”

The way Nic looks at Olandria’s “cheeky smiles” and big eyes is giving more than friends. When he calls her “the most beautiful girl” he’s ever seen, it’s pretty hard not to get hot and bothered, sheesh! Their physical chemistry is 10/10: “It’s not like a normal nervous, I like your strong personality,” Nic says. Olandria summed up their eye contact as “spicy,” which was the perfect word.

But is the heat just physical attraction fit for the challenges? Nic saw fit to find out…. and why did I turn into a little school girl when Nic told his new girl, “I’m trying to see if there’s anything outside of the challenges?” Their kiss gave me secondhand fanny flutters!! Probs because Nic’s half-golden retriever, half-zaddy energy is every girl’s dream. After being mocked out of being a Nicoladnria shipper, is there a redemption arc loading?! Cierra, sweetie, I’m so sorry.

Why do people think the Nicolandria storyline is fake?

Fans were not happy with the v extra Casa plot twist of eliminating OGs, as they felt it created unnecessary drama, especially after booting Jeremiah. Then, for all those teardrops and trauma dumping by the Islanders, who thought they lost their best friends, and the audience who thought we lost our favorite cast members, to be for no damn reason?! Ohhhh, jail time for whoever put us through that, neow.

There’s also a growing conspiracy theory (cut to me with my tin hat on) that the boys were somehow keyed into how the surprise recoupling would go down and that maybe it’s not the first time they’ve been able to plan ahead. Like why were Ace and his top two minions discussing their preference for Coco, Clarke, and Jaden like it was Draft Day, and then those three women happened to be the three power players in the marathon elimination? After said dumping, Jaden seemed shell-shocked that her decision led to Nic going home.

It’s almost like Jaden was pressured by some unknowable force to go for Austin (because, respectfully to pool boy, Austin vs. Nic seems like a no-brainer) and later instantly regretted falling for the bait. Ace, Taylor, and Nic also seemed weirdly confused after the dumping, like three masterminds (okay, that’s pushing it) whose scheming didn’t come to plan. Whatever’s going on, I need the high-concept hijinks to settle down. Nic and Olandria springing up in bed, and Olandria conveniently walking into the makeup room last just as the Casa girls finished speaking felt staged and weird.

Will Nic and Olandria win Love Island?

On top of potential reality TV BTS magic, Olandria and Nick getting together could be farfetched because of how much she likes Taylor. Nic forgetting Cierra was pretty much always an option, but Olandria had a one-track mind for the previous 20 episodes. When she re-entered the Villa, she was focused on getting “reassurance and truth from Taylor.” Olandria also noticed that Nic had never made a move, spitting out, “No, you haven’t!” in response to Nic’s easily disproven allegation that he’d tried to crush on her openly before.

Yes, it was obvious he thought slobbering all over her in challenges was “super hot” (who wouldn’t), but Nic never pulled Olandria once. Was that really for Taylor’s sake, who was twiddling his thumbs and making Olandria beg for a kiss for the first half of the show? Now, all of a sudden, Nic says he wants to show Olandria his “mature” side, but that’s easy to declare with Cierra in a different house. I don’t know if even Olandria was convinced. Olandria says in her confessional that she feels “awkward” dating Nic (granted, this was before their big kiss), and it showed. She even put the word connection in quotes.

Listen, I may have been mad at the Love Island gods (producers) before, but damn, I’m back on the hook to see if this Nicolandria love triangle has legs.