Spoilers for all of Love Island USA season 7 ahead. Even if you didn't catch Love Island USA this summer, you probably saw one name all over your feed: Nicolandria. As soon as the season 7 cast arrived in the villa, a subset of the reality TV hit's viewers noticed the surprising chemistry between two of the show's standouts: Alabama native Olandria Carthen, and Florida nurse Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe. Thus, Nicolandria Nation was born; the fandom took over the internet and maybe even the show's producers (and host Ariana Madix) themselves.
The two were focused on other people for most of the show, but eventually explored their romantic connection and even made it to the finale, where they came in second to winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. Now that the Islanders have returned to the real world, fans are clamoring for any news of Nicolandria's future as a couple.
Below, read on for a breakdown of everything you need to know about Nic and Olandria's relationship, including whether the pair is still dating post-Love Island.
Olandria and Nic's official couple pic.
What happened between Nic and Olandria on 'Love Island USA' season 7?
On night one in the villa, Olandria Carthen, a 27-year-old elevator/escalator professional from Decatur, Alabama, met Nic Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old registered nurse from Jacksonville, Florida. During the first-impressions coupling, Olandria chose to kiss both Nic and Taylor Williams before pairing up with Taylor because she liked that he was an Oklahoma cowboy. Though they were in separate couples, the season 7 premiere later ended with a blindfolded kissing challenge, where Nic chose to smooch Olandria, and Olandria picked Nic and Ace Greene (though we can forget about the latter).
Though Nicolandria was born in week one, both Olandria and Nic spent the first part of the season building deep bonds with other people. Olandria was very loyal to Taylor from the start, despite their relationship being a very slow burn. She even chose to rekindle her relationship with Taylor after America briefly paired her up with Jalen Brown, a Georgia truck driver and Southern gentleman. Meanwhile, Nic coupled up with Belle-A Walker, but then he instantly formed a connection with bombshell Cierra Ortega. After he chose to couple up with Cierra, the pair remained locked in for several weeks.
Olandria and Nic chat during their Casa private date.
Then came Casa Amor, the Love Island tradition where the current roster of Islanders are split into two separate villas to meet a whole new set of bombshells. Both Nic and Olandria tried to find a match—Olandria got along with Zak Srakaew, while Nic showed interest in Jaden Duggar—but after 24 hours in Casa, both Olandria and Nic were left single. In very emotional scenes, each of the day ones was "dumped" and said tearful goodbyes to their friends...before they were whisked away to a private date!
Nic and Olandria were allowed to stay on the show if they coupled up and went back to the main villa. This didn't not feel like pure Nicolandria fan service, but, as Nic pointed out to Olandria, he was attracted to her from the start, before they both explored other connections. The pair even gave their coupling a fair shot, sharing the best kiss of the entire season as they tested whether they had any non-platonic chemistry. Unfortunately, Olandria still had her mind on Taylor, and it didn't help that she was now back in the same villa with him. The day after the kiss, Olandria told Nic that she didn't feel anything romantic with him, and millions of viewers groaned in frustration.
Olandria and Nic cuddle at the firepit.
At the end of Casa, Nic had a genuinely emotional reunion with Cierra (complete with a fake-out that he was eliminated). Though Cierra had coupled up with Nic's tether Elan Bibas, she chose to resume their coupling; three days later, Cierra and Nic became the season's first closed-off couple. Meanwhile, Taylor stuck with Clarke Carraway, his new connection from Casa, and Olandria was saved by the Islanders to remain in the villa. At first, Taylor kept things open with Olandria, but he was obviously more smitten with Clarke. During the infamous Stand on Business challenge, Olandria called him out for dumping her for Clarke so easily. This was the final straw for Taylor to go all-in on Clarke and cut off any possibility with Olandria.
So, with one week left in the villa, Olandria was essentially single, and Nic was in an exclusive couple...until Cierra left the villa due to resurfaced racist tweets. With so little time left, the now-singles quickly coupled up and their friends-to-lovers arc, but a week didn't give much time to progress. Still, they both fully leaned into their attraction after sharing a bed, even sharing more kisses outside of challenges, and they were very adorable during the fake-baby challenge. During Family Day, they finally learned how much America was rooting for them to get together from the start of the season. (Nic's mother and sister are the ambassadors of Nicolandria Nation.)
Nicolandria family day, from left: Olandria, Olandria's mom Felicia, Nic's mom Lisa, Nic's sister Paige, and Nic
For their final date, Nic and Olandria were dropped off on a deserted beach to pick up heartfelt messages-in-a-bottle from loved ones and well-wishers along the shore. Their declarations of love were similarly emotional, as Nic reminded her that he was her secret admirer all along (remember the blindfold kiss?), and they promised to continue exploring their romantic connection outside the villa. They ended the show as season 7's runners-up, with the promise to visit each other's hometowns as soon as possible. (After all, Nic's mom is waiting!)
Olandria and Nic reading their letters.
Are Nic and Olandria still together after 'Love Island USA' season 7?
Though Nic and Olandria haven't officially become boyfriend and girlfriend (or "become exclusive," as the term girlfriend seemed to be taboo this season), the pair have been attached at the hip since leaving the villa. There are plenty of Instagram and TikTok Live clips going viral that show how cute and flirty they remain, and fans also spotted them on a group date with fellow Islander couples Chelley and Ace and Taylor and Clarke at Disneyland.
Nic also opened up about his time on season 7 in a solo appearance on the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. He confirmed that he and Olandria are going at a comfortable pace, enjoying each other's company, and doing "boyfriend and girlfriend things" without putting pressure on themselves. (Some of their current plans include visits to Decatur and Houston, and college football games.) He also said that Olandria is a bit shy and is slowly getting used to being in the public eye, but has been a huge support system for him since leaving the villa.
Nic also addressed the Cierra of it all, admitting that he was lost and confused after she left, and he was only given a vague explanation at the time. (Zak previously revealed on TikTok that the Islanders were told that Cierra had "broken some of the policies in [the show's] guidelines.") Nic also revealed that he had considered leaving after she did, but he changed his mind, telling himself, "If whatever is happening in the outside world is something I don't align with, then [leaving] could be perceived as me supporting that." He added that he's still processing what he's seen about Cierra and hasn't decided whether he'll reach out to her.
Meanwhile, Cierra briefly shared her thoughts about Nicolandria on the day of the LIUSA finale, when she shared a tribute post for her time on the show. In a comment, she wrote, "And for the #nicolandrianation…they are two people I care deeply for and absolutely adore. I’ve always wanted nothing but happiness for each of them in this experience. that has never & will never change ❤️🩹."