Why did Olandria and Nic break up? Inside the 'Love Island USA' Season 7 runner-ups' split
Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe ended their relationship just over a year after meeting on 'Love Island USA' Season 7. A source told PEOPLE that the pair “decided to part ways” because distance and their work schedules made it hard to maintain the relationship. Neither Carthen nor Vansteenberghe had issued a public statement about the breakup at the time of the report. “The distance between them and their busy schedules made it challenging to maintain their connection,” the source stated. The source added, “They still remain close friends. They share a deep love and respect for each other and will always support one another whenever possible.”
Carthen and Vansteenberghe met while filming 'Love Island USA' season 7 in Fiji. Their connection developed during Casa Amor, and the pair continued their relationship after leaving The Villa. Carthen had been coupled with Taylor Williams, while Vansteenberghe had been with Cierra Ortega. After Ortega left the show, Carthen decided to explore her connection with Vansteenberghe, who later described himself as her “secret admirer from day one.” Carthen previously told PEOPLE that she initially held back because she respected Vansteenberghe's connection with Ortega. She said choosing to couple with him was the “best decision I could have ever made” and that it “made my whole experience way better.” The pair finished runner-ups behind Season 7 winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. Fans later referred to the couple as “Nicolandria.”
Although the pair remained romantically linked after leaving The Villa, they reduced how much of their relationship they shared online. Carthen told Glamour in December, “Mentally, we were both just drained.” She added, “I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe if we share less, that’s better.’ But even then, discourse starts because we don’t share enough. I’m like, I don’t know how to find a happy medium in this life now.” Vansteenberghe told the outlet that they felt “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” He also said, “Being in the social media space now, people want to be let in, and the more you let in, the monetary gain is nice. So finding that balance of, ‘Okay, this is our work now, but it’s also our life,’ was kind of hard in the beginning.”
Carthen addressed the same issue in a June interview with Cosmopolitan. She said the level of attention around the relationship “kind of creeps me out” and questioned why viewers needed regular proof that they were still together. “We don’t monetize our relationship or put it on display,” she said. “If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds.” Their breakup was ultimately attributed to distance and scheduling rather than public pressure. The source said they remain close friends, suggesting that the relationship ended without a public dispute.
