America has spoken! After six weeks of dates, breakups and recouplings at an isolated luxury villa in Fiji, Love Island USA Season 6 has crowned its winning couple.
On July 21’s highly anticipated season finale, host Ariana Madix named Serena Page and Kordell Beckham the winners. Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi came in second place, followed by JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez in third and Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington in fourth.
The show, streaming on Peaco*ck, brings contestants to a remote island, where they pair up based on either true love, friendship or strategic survival, all while having zero communication with the outside world.
Those who remain single are kicked out of the villa, as new “islanders” appear, adding dramatic twists to the group’s chemistry. Viewers were tasked throughout Season 6 to vote for their favorite couple in real time. The pair voted “most compatible” at the finale wins a cash prize of $100,000.
Season 6 debuted on June 11 and immediately took off with viewers, becoming the No. 1 reality series in the U.S. across all streaming platforms, according to Peaco*ck.
Hours after being reunited with their phones, which had been locked away during filming, Season 6 contestants told Yahoo Entertainment on July 21 they had no idea how popular the show became.
“They were like, ‘America loves you. You’re bigger than Bridgerton!’” Craig recalled producers telling the cast when they left the island over the weekend. “It’s a bit surreal. We just got our phones like, eight or nine hours ago, so we’ve been glued to them. I’m speechless.”
“I didn’t know we were always at the top,” said Beckham. “We’re still trying to wrap our heads around it.”
Here’s what the finalists had to say about their overnight success and what the future holds for their relationships.
Winners: Serena Page and Kordell Beckham
Page and Beckham’s journey this season wasn’t always easy.
Midway through, Beckham had chosen to break up with Page (“recouple”) while at “Casa Amor” — a stage in the show when contestants are sent to a new location and new islanders arrive to get their attention. In the end, they must choose to stay loyal to their partner in the villa or “recouple” with a newcomer.
At the time, Beckham chose to recouple with newcomer Daia McGhee. He later changed his mind and begged Page to take him back in a tearful apology that became one of the most memorable moments of the season. Page, overcome with emotion, accepted his apology.
“I just, like, blew up on him,” she recalled of the moment. “I was so overwhelmed. I think that, maybe, that resonated with people, because it happens a lot. We get hurt so easily, and then we as women, especially Black women, put this guard up.”
As for Beckham, he said other men could learn from his experience, to be unafraid of being vulnerable for love’s sake.
“I'm not afraid to admit when I was wrong, and when I messed up,” he said of getting back together with Page on the show. “I wasn’t going to beat around the bush because I don’t like making excuses. People can probably relate to that in some ways.”
Now off the island, Beckham said he’s looking forward to “continuing our journey together and seeing how far we grow.”
2nd place: Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi
Kateb and Harichi didn’t solidify their relationship until halfway through the season, having first gotten together before Harichi went to “Casa Amor.” They uncoupled, then got back together shortly after.
“I couldn't let go of what we were forming,” Harichi told Yahoo of his romance with Kateb. “We just meshed. Then when I got to Casa Amor, I took that as an opportunity to test that. Coming back, it was mad how quickly the truth hit me.”
Coming to that conclusion, which involved several sit-downs with the male contestants, gave him a “new outlook on love” he never had before.
“I've gained a new sense of vulnerability that I feel like I was afraid to tap into,” he said of the experience. “I feel like I peeled away layers of that, piece by piece. It was a crazy experience.”
While there were times where “I felt like I was gonna be [on the island] forever,” Harichi said it was all worth it for Kateb. They’re now making plans for Kateb to visit Harichi in his native U.K., and they see a strong future together despite the long distance between the U.K. and her native Los Angeles.
“It’s been so overwhelming in a good way,” he said of his experience on the show. “Finding someone that I can be so open with, on top of it all, is something I never expected.”
3rd place: JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez
Craig’s time in the villa had its share of ups and downs. She had two failed romances and was saved by the other women — and fans — from getting sent home. Eventually, she developed a fruitful connection with Rodriguez. In the two days since the finale aired, they said they’re already being recognized by fans on the street.
“It’s so wild,” he said. “It’s just real touching, the communities that are out there and all the people rooting for us.”
“We were walking in the grocery store and people were like, ‘Because of you, I feel like I can take a risk to fall in love again,’” she explained. “It’s very risky and scary to be vulnerable, like how I was on the show. But I don’t ever want to look back on my life and wish that I took more risks.”
4th place: Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington
Washington, an original islander who entered the villa on day one, coupled up with Jacky, a bombshell who arrived on day six, at the fourth recoupling, after Washington broke up with his original partner, Hannah Smith.
“Nicole and I had a similar mindset, coming in,” explained Washington. “We were like, ‘Yeah let’s do this. Let’s make sure the experience is worthwhile and give it our best shot.’”
Although it’s surreal knowing that millions of viewers watched their relationship blossom, Jacky said going through it was an experience she’ll never forget.
“I came on Love Island for a reason,” she said. “I wanted to really try to be open with my feelings for Kendall. It was hard for me because I don’t usually do that. I’m glad I did.”
Love Island USA is streaming on Peaco*ck. A special reunion episode will drop on Monday, Aug. 19 at 9 p.m. ET.
