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Five days into Season 7 of “Love Island USA,” the reality dating show had its first recoupling: On Sunday, Belle-A Walker was sent home after her partner, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, decided to choose another islander to pair up with.
Walker and Vansteenberghe were paired on their first evening in the villa during a coupling ceremony. The women were challenged to kiss two men who they were interested in before choosing which islander to start their journey with. The couple’s relationship was tested once two new bombshells, Cierra Ortega and Charlie Georgiou, arrived on the island. From there, Walker found herself in the first “love triangle” of the season as Vansteenberghe decided to explore both women before ultimately sending Walker home.
Although eliminated, she wasn’t the first contestant to leave the island. In the second episode, Yulissa Escobar was removed from the villa after podcast clips of her using racial slurs surfaced online. Walker, who had Zoomed in from a hotel room in Fiji, was still unclear about Escobar’s removal due to not having access to her phone yet, and producers not informing the cast about why Escobar had left.
Despite not having a strong enough romantic connection with Vansteenberghe, Walker told Variety that she’s feeling “back to herself and finding her energy after a rough few days.” She said that viewing the show was hard to watch, but it helped her gain clarity about her former coupling and Vansteenberghe being torn between two women.
“He was never my man,” she said. “There’s no bad blood whatsoever. It’s always going to be love. I will never drag Nic’s name, and I don’t fault him for the decision he made. What I fault him for is the way he went about it. If he was just upfront and honest since the day he met Cierra, I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now.”
Below, Walker talked to Variety about her experience on the show since it was premiered on Peacock on June 3, her reaction to Yulissa’s departure and other connections she would’ve explored and more.
At the first coupling ceremony, you made it clear that you came into the villa with a “no kiss on the first date” policy. What other boundaries did you set for yourself before arriving on the show?
That’s just one little boundary that I have in the outside world that I wanted to carry in to stay true to myself inside and outside the villa. I also laid down that I wasn’t going to be taking off my clothes. I wasn’t going to be progressing further than a cuddle session. I stuck to my word about that.
Do you think that if you hadn’t been as guarded in the beginning, you would still be in the villa?
That could have been the case, but that would have compromised my values. I’m not willing to compromise my comfort for somebody else or to stroke a man’s ego. I will never do that.
Did you expect to be the first one eliminated?
No, I had high hopes. I had a really strong connection with Nic, and a lot of our relationship was cut short. We were getting closer, and I started to let my guard down. That man [Nic] reassured me up, down, over and over that he was so happy where he was at. He was happy to get to know me and to pursue things with me. He was looking forward to taking me on a date. The last conversation that we had was right before the recoupling. He told me ‘Belle-A, I don’t want you to worry about anything.’
Yulissa Escobar left the villa by the second night. How did you find out she was gone?
The producers came in and told us that Yulissa had to leave but didn’t tell us why. It was a somber feeling, because she did bring good energy to the crew. She was there to keep it a little spicy, and we felt her absence.
What was your initial reaction when you were told she had to leave?
I was shocked. Moments before she was pulled, we were all having girl talk. So it was sad when she had to leave. We didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. I noticed that she wasn’t around, and we started asking if she was OK. Everybody was letting us know that she was okay, and then we were told she had to leave.
Charlie and Cierra were the first set of bombshells who entered the villa. There was an energy shift once Nic started exploring his connection with Cierra. What’s your perspective on Nic’s behavior and how he treated you?
He loved telling us what percentage we were at, and I hated that. Cierra came in hot. She’s a beautiful girl who came in with a beautiful heart. I understand why he was so torn between us. I couldn’t blame the guy. He had two 10s fighting for him. That’s not something I imagine he would be dealing with in the outside world. I hated the way he went about it. I felt like a fool. He made me feel a lot less than I am, and I know that a real man would never do that to me.
How would you have preferred Nic to handle exploring both connections?
Watching back, it’s as if he made up his mind the moment he met Cierra. I wish he were upfront and honest with me. That’s all I asked from him from the beginning. There was even a moment that made it seem like he was going to cut things off with me. I was shocked when he stood up to even recouple with her [Cierra] the first time because he just got done telling me how happy he was with me.
He did say that he wanted to explore things with her. She was going to be in this villa regardless, and he could have easily continued to explore things while still coupled with me. I didn’t understand his actions. That’s when I called him out on the dock for it.
Was there another connection that you would have explored with another guy in the villa if you had more time?
I had crazy chemistry with Taylor, which wasn’t ever shown. We never had a bunch of conversations, but something was pulling us towards each other. My loyalty to Olandria [Carthen] kept me from exploring that. I love her so much that it was hard to explore that because I am such a girl’s girl, and I never want to be a shady person. That’s not how I would move in the outside world.
What did you like about Taylor Williams?
Taylor lights up the room. He brings the energy that a lot of the other guys lack. He was always looking out for me, and that went a long way. He would bring me coffee every morning. He would help me up and down the stairs. He would hype me up, knowing that there was no other guy to hype me up. He just looked out for me, and I appreciated him for it.
Kissing Nic during the baseball challenge seemed like a turning point for you both. What was your reaction to watching him kiss you in “Soul Ties” and Cierra in the photobooth five minutes later?
I was caught off guard. Watching that back was tough. I finally was vulnerable with him. I finally let my guard down and started to feel comfortable. He knew that. I wished he valued that, but he didn’t. Once again, I don’t fault him for doing what he did, but I fault him for going about it the way he did. He never told me about his time with Cierra, and he never told Cierra about his time with me. I got to watch that unfold afterward.
What was going through your mind when you saw Cierra calling him out once she discovered that he kissed you that same day?
It’s hard because I wanted to end up with Nic. But seeing his actions behind closed doors and how he was with both of us makes me want better for Cierra. I’m happy and proud that she stood her ground and called him out on that because I don’t think he would have ever told her.
Nic remained undecided between you and Cierra for the longest. When it was time for him to make his final choice at the recoupling ceremony, did you have a feeling he wasn’t going to say your name?
I knew his feelings for Cierra were also strong, just as his feelings were strong for me. But I went into that recoupling having so much confidence. I put Nic first every day in that villa. I was hoping and praying that he would have put me first that night. He gave me every reason to think that he would have.
Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
I said what I said and did what I did. I have no regrets about those actions. I wish I approached it knowing that time isn’t fully on my side. I would have kept a more open mindset and explored things with Taylor while keeping Olandria in the loop.
This interview has been edited and condsensed.
English (US) ·