Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images

Love Island? More like Friendship Island. After the season seven reunion, we are met with couples who have seemingly sizzled out without a lot of fire. All the lovers’ quarrels must’ve translated into friendship feuds. The greatest tension this season comes from the friends and the frenemies in the Villa, like whether or not Huda broke girl code with Chelley, if Nic and Taylor really were the minions to Ace’s Gru in the vote against Jeremiah, and how the rest of the Islanders reacted to Huda’s Call Her Daddy interview. Podcasts quickly became the Islanders’ battlefield of choice because what doesn’t fit in a two-hour reunion can become a full 1-hour podcast where they can dish all their dirt — even if some Islanders had no idea it was coming.

Wait, hold on — Ace doesn’t consider Nic a close friend? When directly asked by Speedy Morman who his close friends are from the show, Ace names Chelley, Olandria, Taylor, and Bryan. But what about Nic?! “Me and Nic are cool, but to say we are super, super close like we were in the Villa, that’s not the case,” Ace explains, implying that he was unhappy that Nic wasn’t defending him publicly like how he did privately — it’s unclear if he’s talking about the Jeremiah vote, as Nic told Andy Cohen he voted for Austin. The dance instructor also wouldn’t answer if he thought Nicolandria’s relationship was real because Nic allegedly told him that he wasn’t romantically interested in Olandria while on the show. Ouch!

Friendship status: Not friends, at least to Ace

Photo: Peacock

The sisterhood is in shambles. In their first real confrontation after the Call Her Daddy interview, Olandria and Chelley tell Huda how much her bullying allegations hurt them. Once Huda got her phone back, she saw a clip of Chelley, Cierra, and Olandria (with their respective couples) discussing how they didn’t like the way Huda was treating Iris. Huda, who was working out with Jeremiah at the time, thought the girls were making fun of her and felt that when she saw the clip, it confirmed her suspicions. There was also the whole Huda bringing Chris out of Casa Amor for Chelley — both women had a different but equally valid POV: Chelley felt like Huda was pressuring her to go along with it, and Huda was insistent that this was the best decision for everyone.

But what hurt their friendship the most wasn’t the heart rate challenge or their love triangle with Chris; it was how Huda’s fans treated Chelley and Olandria outside the Villa, making hateful and racist comments. During the reunion, both women shared that they asked Huda several times to make a statement to her fans to stop the hate, and Huda agreed; however, she never posted any statement, only calling out the hate in a Blavity interview. By then, it was too late; after the Call Her Daddy interview, people assumed Ola and Chelley were the mean girls of the Villa, and their friendship was over.

Friendship status: Cordial but not friends

Photo: Peacock

The second biggest friendship breakup this season came early on, when it looked like Nic had voted off his best friend in the Villa, Jeremiah, in favor of Ace. He took his elimination to heart, even insinuating that he sided with the TikTok that called out Nic for just following whatever Ace said. Nic reiterated that he had voted to send Austin home, not Jeremiah. As for Ace, he denied the “ring leader” allegations made by Jeremiah during the reunion, telling him that they’re all “grown ass” men who can make their own decisions.

In a post-reunion interview, Ace claims that there were a lot of “influences” in the Villa that led to the decision to send Jeremiah home, hinting that it may have been out of his control. He does regret going through with the decision and has apologized to Jeremiah — Ace says they’re cool now and hope they can hang out to stream or play basketball.

Friendship status: Friendly between Ace and Jeremiah, Unclear between Jeremiah and Nic

Photo: Peacock

Huda’s interviews keep putting her in hot water. Chris felt “very weird” seeing her at the reunion, especially after what Huda said about him in the press. Right out of the Villa, she told reporters that Chris had “a wandering eye” and claimed that he would brag about their sex life. “He would boast about sleeping with me when it wasn’t even all the way in, first of all,” she told People. “Like, calm the fuck down.” Chris says Huda had “over a month to apologize” but didn’t until a few days before the reunion. He adds, “I just didn’t respect the way she handled herself on that interview and the things she said.”

Friendship status: Not friends

Photo: Peacock

Hannah holds no grudges against the women who voted her off, but seeing how Cierra, Olandria, Huda, and Chelley were deliberating between their choices broke her down in tears. “It hurts, but I understand,” Hannah cries. The decision clearly wasn’t easy for the others either. “It felt almost like a betrayal to be honest,” Chelley shared on how the voting felt from her end, regardless of whoever they chose.

Friendship status: Friends <3

Related