Are 'Love Island USA' Stars Rob Rausch and Kassy Castillo Still Dating?
The 25-year-old snake wrangler had more than a few exes on this season of the reality hit.
Spoilers for all episodes of Love Island USA season 6 ahead. In the world of Love Island USA, contestants have to make the most of the time they get, however brief it is. That's exactly what multiple cast members did on season 6 of the hit reality show, which wrapped up with its finale on July 21 on Peacock. In particular, standouts Rob Rausch and Kassy Castillo rose to that occasion, sharing a fiery, passionate time for the three days they were coupled up. Day one Islander Rob went through a lot of couplings to find Kassy, and now fans are wondering whether the day 27 couple were able to keep seeing each other once the cameras stopped rolling. Read on to learn everything we know about the couple and their lives outside of the villa, following the Love Island USA season 6 reunion.
What happened between Rob and Kassy on 'Love Island USA' season 6?
Season 6 wasn't Robert “Rob” Rausch's first shot at reality TV love. The 25-year-old snake wrangler from Florence, Alabama was previously a Casa Amor bombshell on Love Island USA season 5, but he did not find a serious connection and ended up getting dumped from the villa after five days. In season 6, he arrived as a day one Islander, and his quick yet tumultuous connection with Leah Kateb made him a standout.
Rob was not one of the contestants who found a long-term connection early on in the show. During his run on season 6, he had short-lived couplings with Leah, Olivia "Liv" Walker, Andrea Carmona, and Cassidy Laudano, before meeting and pairing with Daniela Ortiz-Rivera during Casa Amor. Then a familiar face entered the villa as the last female bombshell: 23-year-old Fort Worth, Texas native Kassandra "Kassy" Castillo.
Kassy and Rob had previous history before they reunited in the villa: Kassy was also a returning contestant from season 5, coming back to Love Island USA for season 6 after being part of the runner-up couple with her ex Leonardo Dionicio. (Kassy and Leo ended things in October 2023, two months after the season 5 finale.) She and Rob had hit it off in Casa Amor but did not end up becoming a couple, so they found each other on season 6 with unfinished business.
After Rob and Daniela were voted into the bottom two couples on Day 27, Kassy got the chance to pair with either Rob or Harrison Luna, another season 5 alum who was in one of the bottom two couples. Kassy chose to couple up with Rob, and they enjoyed three days together as a couple before they were eliminated as the sixth-place couple on Day 30.
What happened between Rob and Leah on 'Love Island USA' season 6?
Although Rob and Kassy ended the season together, he shared another explosive connection with Leah after they coupled up on day one. Rob and Leah were initially only together for a day before Rob was stolen by Liv, but he remained focused on Leah for the next couple of days, and they eventually recoupled on day 4.
However, when bombshell Andrea entered the villa and chose Rob for a date, the pair had sparks that left Rob conflicted about staying with Leah. He eventually chose to couple up with Andrea on day eight, leading to a blow-up fight with Leah after which they never recoupled. Leah eventually went on to be part of season 6's runner-up couple, along with Miguel Harichi.
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Though their romance didn't go anywhere in the villa, a large part of the fandom was (and still is) hoping that Leah and Rob would reconcile later in the season. Rob has addressed the hype since the series' July 21 finale; during a July 23 appearance on the podcast "Call Her Daddy," Rob admitted, "There was never a point when I stopped liking Leah.”
“I think after everything, I think we will be amazing friends, and I think I’d rather just focus on that for now,” he confirmed, per Vulture. “She’s an amazing person. So fucking funny. I am laughing the whole time I’m with her usually.”
Are Rob and Kassy still together after 'Love Island USA' season 6?
Sadly, Rob and Kassy were not meant to be. During the Love Island USA season 6 reunion, the pair confirmed that they are no longer dating after the show. "We're friends," Kassy explained, while she and Rob laughed. "We catch up, you know. We send TikToks to one another and that's all we do."
The news may not be such a surprise to fans who have stayed informed post-filming. In the month between the season 6 finale and reunion, neither Rob nor Kassy had addressed their relationship status. Rob did briefly discuss his time with Kassy during his "Call Her Daddy" interview on July 24, where he said that he had no regrets about hooking up with her so quickly after they coupled up.
When asked if he had any regrets about the experience on the show during the reunion, Rob answered, "Yes and no. Yes, I have regrets for pain that I caused, things that I said that I didn’t mean, and emotional times. You know, that’s not what a man does. And no in the sense that, I really feel like everything unfolded the way it was supposed to … I really think that good relationships came from terrible things that happened. And that’s a good way to look at it, I think."
Are Rob and Andrea dating after 'Love Island USA' season 6?
In addition to Kassy, fans were also wondering whether Rob would reconnect with Andrea once they both re-entered the real world after filming. After they coupled up on day eight, Rob and Andrea were a solid couple who appeared to get along well. However, on day 11, the pair were among the bottom two couples in a nationwide vote, risking elimination. Rob was saved by the men who received the most votes, but Andrea was not saved and was dumped from the island.
According to Us Weekly, while appearing on "Call Her Daddy," Rob admitted that he was "smitten" with Andrea after their time as a couple, though now he "100 percent” regrets considering leaving the show for her. Rob also addressed Andrea's social media activity since leaving the show, as she's discussed him extensively in posts on TikTok.
“I’ve been talking to her a little bit, but it is probably better if we just keep our distance for now,” Rob said. “A lot has happened and she’s been posting a lot. I was kind of like, ‘Oh, that’s a lot of things to post about [us],’ which sounds really bad. I do think she’s a great girl and she went in there and did what she was supposed to do. She did nothing wrong. When she left, she was in a position where she could have said a lot of mean things and been like, ‘Yeah, y’all are some bitches for doing this, blah, blah, blah.’ She did not say a word. All she said was, like, how much she cared about me and then left. I thought that was so good. I thought she handled herself so well the whole time, which is why I was kind of surprised [that] was posting a lot of stuff.”
In a June 26 interview with TODAY, Andrea spoke about her excitement to reconnect with Rob in the real world.
"I obviously want the best for [him]," she told the outlet. "At the end of the day, if there’s someone in there for him, that’s great because it does me a favor. If he finds someone in there, then okay. Then it wasn’t meant for us to be and I can sit and cope with that and move on. Versus I feel like it’s harder for me now. It’s kind of a waiting game. He’s in there with all these potential connections and I’m back into the real world. ... Obviously, a part of me would love to rekindle and see if what we had in there was real. I would love to have a conversation with him, regardless, after everything is said and done. What I felt wasn’t made up. Like, I still feel it now."
Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.
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