Love Island USA Season 7 Week 4 Recap: Episodes 21-26
Casa Amor comes home, and hearts are set on fire in another scorching week in the Villa.
Finding love is never easy — and neither is living in a house with strangers while your every move is being watched by millions of people who get to vote on how much they like you with $100,000 on the line.
This week on Love Island USA, the Islanders’ numbers doubled after being split from their existing couples and paired with new bombshells in the Villa and Casa Amor. After a few days of putting brand-new connections to the test, the folks at Casa Amor come home, swelling the ranks of the Villa and raising the potential for a total reshuffling of every pre-Casa couple.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Nicolandria Rising
After a stunning cliffhanger ending for fan-favorite Islanders Nic and Olandria, where the former was dumped from the Villa and the latter from Casa Amor, Olandria is spotted pulling up in front of the Villa in a G-Wagon and tells Nic to get in.
As Week 4 begins, the pair is taken on a surprise date in a secluded location, where they compare notes on the goings-on in the Villa and Casa Amor before getting a text with an intriguing ultimatum: Recouple with each other and re-enter the Villa or go home and end their Love Island USA journeys now.
They choose to recouple admitting they’ve always had chemistry and enjoyed their kisses in challenges. To the delight of loyal fans online who have been shipping this connection for weeks, the Nicolandria dream has come true.
The pair return to the Villa and sneak into bed, giving the Islanders quite a surprise the following morning.
Kiss-Off Challenge
With Nic and Olandria back in the mix, connections are explored and tension forms between Taylor and Olandria over his early connection with Clarke. Down the beach in Casa Amor, chemistry builds between multiple couples, threatening connections that seemed unshakeable before Casa Amor began.
The stakes are raised when a "Kiss-Off" challenge is called, pitting the Villa and Casa Amor crews against one another in a head-to-head lips-to-lips contest for supremacy with prompts instructing Islanders on who to kiss. After a pitched battle demonstrating several extremely committed performances, Casa Amor emerges victorious.
Later that evening, Nic and Olandria meet in Soul Ties and decide to test their romantic potential with an out-of-challenge kiss, which ultimately leaves them not feeling the vibe and returning to friendship status. After further discussion, Olandria and Nic are determined to pursue their previous couplings with Taylor and Cierra, respectively.
Casa Comes Home
After only a few short (but extremely eventful) days, Casa Amor closes its doors. The post-Casa recoupling is always one of the most intense episodes of the season, and this year mixed up the formula with a twist on the format.
Just as Ariana promised, everyone comes back to the Villa — or at least, everyone gets to attend the recoupling ceremony. Circled around in the shape of a heart, each Islander writes down the name of who they want to recouple with on a hand-held whiteboard, but can only match if the person they pick also writes down their name. Anyone without a match will be left single and vulnerable to being dumped from the Villa.
Here are the results:
- Austin and Jaden match
- Pepe and Gracyn match
- Andreina and Bryan match
- Huda and Chris match
- Amaya chooses Zak, leaving JD single after he also wrote Amaya’s name on his board
- TJ picks Iris, leaving Vanna (who wrote down TJ) and Zac (who picked Iris) both single
- Ace reconnects with Chelley, leaving his new connection CoCo single
- Cierra picks Nic, leaving Elan single
- Taylor recouples with Clarke, leaving Olandria single in the most shocking recoupling of the evening, stirring up emotional reactions from the other coupled-up Islanders
With several Islanders left single and vulnerable, Ariana announces one more twist: the safe Islanders can pick one boy and one girl to save. After intense deliberation, Olandria and Elan are both chosen to be saved, while JD, Vanna, Zac, and CoCo are all sent home.
Each rescued single brings significant uncertainty with them. After being publicly rejected by Taylor, will Olandria continue to pursue him, and will Elan keep trying with Cierra after witnessing her reunion with Nic?
Hearts on Fire
Over the course of the next day, with 20(!) Islanders now residing in the Villa, the newly formed and reinstated couples process the implications of the Casa Amor recoupling ceremony.
After conversations with Olandria and Nic, Cierra “doesn’t feel a type of way” about her two friends having kissed while she was away in Casa Amor, but a further convo with Iris gives Cierra a different perspective that leaves her uncomfortable with what went down.
Chris, now coupled with Huda, still wants to get to know Chelley, but Ace is not about it and insists he “does not lose.” Taylor and Olandria are still open to each other despite his unexpected decision to recouple with Clarke.
Before the Villa’s temperature has a chance to cool, the flames are stoked by the "Hearts on Fire" challenge, where Islanders are fitted out with smart watches to monitor their heart rates while fellow Islanders don sexy outfits and perform dances that range from seductive to hilarious to uncomfortable in order to get hearts racing. This season, with so many Islanders available to participate, the performances are done in couples.
Two of the performances make waves that result in additional drama. During his turn, Elan pulls Cierra for a one-on-one dance on the heart-shaped platform and says to Nic, “Now it’s your turn to watch,” leaving Nic steaming. Huda pulls Ace during her dance, with many Islanders feeling that she took things too far with the intensity of her moves and Chelley feeling especially upset.
Pick Nic Picnic
In the aftermath of the "Hearts on Fire" challenge, Chelley and Ace share harsh words about each other’s behavior and how they’re defining the boundaries of their still-open connection. Chelley is not happy with Huda. Even though Huda is feeling regretful and tries to apologize, Chelley is not interested in having a conversation.
On the sunnier side of the Villa, Nic and Cierra get a text inviting them on a date. As they leave the Villa, Nic and Cierra find bicycles packed for a picnic. They go on a dream date, pedaling up a hill to a spot with a view of the ocean to have a deep conversation with sparkling wine and sandwiches. The pair touch on their feelings about recent events and leave feeling closer than ever, and they make the choice to close things off in their relationship. Nic and Cierra return to the Villa to share the news with their fellow Islanders.
Standing on Business
At this point in the season, the Villa is filled to the brim with 20 Islanders and lots of unresolved tension. A new "Stand on Business" challenge is introduced, with a mailbox set up for Islanders to submit anonymous notes about unaddressed issues they have with other Villa-mates. That night, they gather around the firepit and take turns reading aloud the notes that have been submitted about them.
The highlights (or lowlights) are:
- Austin is asked how he has made it this far without giving girls effort, which Andreina admits to writing.
- Cierra and Nic receive a humorous note about the volume of their (ahem) bedtime activities, followed by a more pointed question from Pepe about the decision to send Hannah home earlier in the season.
- Amaya reads a friendly note about her snoring, but the next note, written by Austin, opens a more intense line of questioning about how often she cries, before Ace and Zak pile on with more unkind comments about how she expresses her emotions. Thankfully Bryan comes to her defense, but the heated exchange leaves Amaya in tears.
- Pepe is asked if he has been holding back in his new couple with Gracyn after his previous connection with Hannah was cut short.
- Ace is asked why he and Chelley have not closed things off. A more provocative note questions his tendency to dominate the opinions of others and wielding influence over certain decisions, such as the choice to send Jeremiah home. The follow-up conversation with Austin turns hostile, escalating when Amaya joins in.
- Chelley has a few notes — the first from Ace bringing up their disagreement about the boundaries in their relationship and the next from Bryan questioning why she hasn’t pursued her Casa Amor connection with Chris. Her third note comes from Huda, who has beef over Chelley telling Huda earlier in the season that behavior shouldn’t be taken seriously when it’s “just in a challenge.” Ironic, considering Chelley took to heart Huda dancing on Ace in the "Hearts on Fire" challenge.
- Huda's first note is from Nic, who asks why she's stayed when others like Hannah have had their connections cut short. The next note accuses her of violating “girl code” and not being “a girl’s girl,” reinforced by a note from Chelley saying the same thing. An argument between them sparks over whether Huda brought Chris back to the Villa under the pretense of keeping him around for Chelley to pursue when she really wanted to pursue him for herself. Olandria chimes in with the news that Huda and Chris have kissed in the speakeasy, leaving the conversation heated.
- Chris reads a question from Cierra about his intentions toward Huda, which he reaffirms are reflective of a genuine connection. The next note from Chelley accuses him of a “switch-up” in his behavior towards her, which he rebuts with the assertion that he truly is looking for love and finding value in his new connection with Huda.
- Olandria is asked about her claim that Clarke is a “test” for Taylor, which Clarke feels is disrespectful. The two Islanders come to an understanding after discussing the issue.
- Last up is Taylor, who retrieves a stack of notes from the box. The first asks how his connection with Clarke could have progressed so quickly, outweighing his three-week connection with Olandria. His second note from Olandria and a third one asks him to make up his mind, underlining the issue in much harsher terms, with the tension ratcheting up until Olandria expresses her frustration. It leaves Taylor’s head in his hands before he responds, saying he’s here for him and not for her. Pressed to decide, he chooses Clarke.
By the end of the intense challenge, tensions are high on all sides as multiple Islanders have been confronted with pointed feedback about their behavior and choices. The episode ends there with heavy emotion in the air, as a vote opens for America to choose their favorite boy and girl in the Villa.
With nine couples and two singles in the Villa, the results of the vote are sure to bring significant repercussions as the season enters the final two weeks.
Week 4 Roundup: Who’s Coupled Up, Who’s Single, and Who Got Dumped?
Here’s what you need to know heading into Week 5, as Casa Amor ends and a very full Villa awaits the results of America’s vote.
Who’s Coupled Up
- Ace and Chelley
- Andreina and Bryan
- Amaya and Zak
- Austin and Jaden
- Chris and Huda
- Nic and Cierra
- Pepe and Gracyn
- Taylor and Clarke
- TJ and Iris
Who’s Single
- Elan
- Olandria
Who Got Dumped
- JD
- Vanna
- Zac
- CoCo
Stream new episodes of Love Island USA daily, except Wednesdays, at 9p ET/6p PT on Peacock.
Students, now you can get Peacock at a special discount — just $2.99/mo for 12 months. Visit Peacock to learn more and get started.
