'Love Island USA' fans call Connor Newsum 'rude' for shady comments about Jana Craig
MAMANUCA ISLANDS, FIJI: Fans of 'Love Island USA' Season 6 are heartbroken for JaNa Craig and are also upset with Connor Newsum for disregarding her in an attempt to impress newly single Leah Kateb.
Many took to social media to criticize the Peacock star when Connor admitted on the Friday, June 21 episode that he intentionally scored his previous connection, JaNa, low on the kissing compatibility test.
While chatting up with Leah on the docks, Conno revealed how he might get yelled at later for scoring JaNa 7 after the kissing challenge. When Leah asked if he knew it was JaNa behind the blindfold, he admitted he "kinda knew."
Connor admitted to wanting to throw some "shade" at JaNa for no real reason, which Leah seemed completely on board with. Leah felt he needed to "get his boots dirty."
Fans took to Reddit to slam Connor, with one writing, "Connor can simply compliment Leah without downplaying JaNa." Another fan added, "Connor saying he rated JaNa lower on purpose 🙄. He is so fake."
One fan criticized both Connor and Leah, saying, "Connor shading JaNa to flirt with Leah is so gross. And her laughing 😷." Another fan noted, "Connor was throwing shade at JaNa for why? Did she do something to him?"
One fan wrote, "Why has Connor been rude to JaNa these past couple of episodes? Did I miss something." Another sighed, "I fear Connor hated JaNa."
Connor Newsum takes shots at JaNa Craig during 'Love Island USA' Season 6 recoupling
When it came time for recoupling at the end of the Friday, June 21 episode, Connor continued to throw more shade at JaNa before ultimately choosing Leah. He said, "I wanna couple up with this girl cause she makes me laugh, and when she laughs, that makes me smile. This girl really makes me feel excited."
To make things worse, he added, "It's definitely the strongest connection I've felt since I've walked through the doors here, and it really feels effortless." As JaNa rolled her eyes, Connor said, "It's weird to meet somebody that you might have brush shoulders with, just not known it in the past... so…"
He concluded by saying, "This is not a difficult decision" which JaNa found extremely "rude". In the words of Kaylor Martin, "JaNa looks pissed." He ultimately chooses Leah, as Serena Page asks JaNa to "be cool, buddy."
JaNa whispered to Serena, "That was so f*****g rude," as Leah joined Connor on the couch. She felt, "He didn't have to word it like that." Even Leah told Connor that it looked bad for him, but he seemed to be okay with it.
Hakeem White couples up with JaNa Craig in 'Love Island USA' Season 6
As JaNa saw Connor gravitating towards her friend Leah, she was also open to chatting up with Hakeem White. The conversation went well, and he ultimately chose JaNa, ensuring she was safe on the island for another week.
Before recoupling, he announced in front of the group why he chose her, saying, "Ever since I came to the villa, our conversations have been really smooth. She's been an amazing friend to me."
He added, "I am actually really glad we started off on a friend level because everything feels really organic." He mentioned that he knew it all along but never really acted on it until they finally locked lips during the challenge, which made his mind swirl.
Who was JaNa Craig dating on 'Love Island USA' Season 6?
On the first night, JaNa made no secret of her attraction to Coye Simmons. However, she realized that he wasn't saying anything to her. JaNa then decided to explore her options with a new islander, Connor. Although Coye observed this, he assumed he had nothing to worry about.
JaNa informed him that she had been chipping away at Coye's shell, but Coye remained unduly secure in his position in the villa. Later in the program, the women chose the man they wanted to date, and JaNa astonished everyone. JaNa was the final lady standing, with Connor and Coye left as her options.
She selected Connor, and everyone's jaws dropped. Kordell Beckham was so taken aback by her decision that he urged her to explain why. She stated that they lacked communication.
Catch new episodes of 'Love Island USA' Season 6 from Fridays to Tuesdays with 'Love Island Aftersun', a 'weekly chat series' airing every Saturday on Peacock.