Decatur woman voted runner-up in Love Island finale

Love Island Olandria — Olandria and Nic on their final date (Ben Symons / Peacock via Love Island USA)

Can I pull you for a chat?

So, you might recall when we shared that a Decatur native was cast in season 7 of Love Island USA. Well, after many recouplings, dumpings and challenges over the last six weeks, Olandria Carthen and her couple Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe finished second place in the finale.

Keep reading to find out more about the show and Olandria’s journey.

What is Love Island?

Screenshot 2025 07 14 115223 edited — The Love Island Villa (Ben Symons / Peacock via Love Island USA)

Love Island USA is a Peacock TV original reality tv show centered around 10 singles and their journeys to finding love in a secluded, vibrant villa located in Fiji.

Over the course of six weeks, couples are tested through fun challenges, including “recouplings” where islanders pick who they want to be with and “dumpings” where islanders are either voted out of the villa by their fellow islanders or by American viewers.

Olandria’s journey

Screenshot 2025 07 14 113751 edited — Olandria gesturing to Nic after being “dumped” from the island ( Ben Symons / Peacock via Love Island USA)

Fans followed Olandria’s journey with fierce loyalty over the course of this season. She instantly became a fan-favorite because of her “hard-boiled egg” personality (if you know, you know😉) and her tightknit friendships with other girls in the villa.

Many of her fans noticed her chemistry with fellow islander and finale couple, Nic. People began “shipping” the two of them from day one, dubbing the couple as “Nicolandria.” The couple caught the eyes of SEC football fans when Olandria voiced her support for the Auburn Tigers in what became a viral moment.

The outcome

Screenshot 2025 07 14 131047 — The final two couples (Ben Symons / Peacock via Love Island USA)

Millions of Americans tuned in every night (excluding Wednesdays) to see where—or with who—Olandria would end up. After millions of fan votes, Olandria and Nic were named the second-strongest couple in the villa.

Her journey was unpredictable by far, but I think it’s safe to say that the majority of her fans are pleased with the results. In just six weeks, the Decatur native’s Instagram account grew drastically from 13.1k followers to 1.1 million followers.

While Nicolandria didn’t take home the $100,000 prize, they did leave the villa with a desire to continue exploring their connection.

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