Months after stirring up controversy among Love Island USA Season 7 fans, Ace Greene is finally setting the record straight about his comments regarding fan-favorite couple Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen after he hinted that their relationship wasn’t real.
The pair, who captured viewers’ hearts during Season 7 and continue to thrive outside the villa, found themselves at the center of speculation after Ace appeared hesitant to co-sign their romance during an interview with Speedy Morgan in August 2025. Now, Greene says his reaction had less to do with Nic and Olandria’s relationship and more to do with his own “hurt” feelings.
Ace Greene said his reaction came from a place of “hurt.”
During a recent appearance on The Life Without The Gamepodcast, the 23-year-old reality star admitted that he was still carrying some resentment after Nic failed to publicly support him and his ex-girlfriend, Chelley Bissainthe, as deserving finalists during their season.
“Bro, he just hurt my feelings. You know, I feel like he had my back, and even though I praised Olandria in the same interview with Speedy, I still also spoke on her relationship. So, it opened up the door for her to get hated on in general, and that wasn’t even my intent of the whole thing,” Ace shared.
Looking back, Ace Greene says the situation created tension that affected everyone involved, and now he’s not sure if he, Nic, and Olandria can repair their once-close friendship.
“I hurt myself; I hurt them in the process….We talked about it that same week, and we smoothed things over and are cool, but it still put a damage on all of our relationship. And that’s something that hurts to this day, because these are people who I was friends with in the villa for a while. You try and move on and try and next play it but you always want to still right your wrongs.”
What did Ace say about Nic and Olandria?
For fans who may have forgotten, Ace’s original interview raised plenty of eyebrows. At the time, Nic remained silent when Speedy Morgan asked if he thought Nic and Olandria’s relationship was the real deal. After remaining tight-lipped, he finally explained the situation, claiming he didn’t respect Nic because he allegedly acted differently on camera than behind the scenes. Ace also said that during their final conversation, Nic told him there wasn’t much of a “romantic spark” between himself and Olandria and that the two simply found each other attractive.
Ace Greene admitted it was difficult watching the relationship unfold because he considered Olandria a close friend. However, it was another comment that really sent social media into a frenzy. Greene claimed that the only genuine romance to come out of Love Island Season 7 was the relationship between fellow Islanders Taylor Williams and Clarke Carraway.
Olandria appeared to brush off the drama in the most Olandria way possible. After speaking at Tuskegee University in Alabama, she seemingly responded in a since-deleted social media post, writing:
“Chile anyway…my event at Tuskegee went amazing yesterday.”
Nic also appeared to react to the situation, joking that the remarks took his day from a “10/10” to a “4/10.”
Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen are still going strong.
Despite the brief wave of drama, Nic and Olandria, better known to fans as “Nicolandria,” seem to be stronger than ever. The couple was recently spotted living it up at E11EVEN Miami, where they danced the night away and reportedly “threw 10k in singles out to the crowd,” according to a video obtained by Deuxmoi on June 1.
Nic has also been candid about the realities of dating outside the villa. During a recent episode of Beyond the Villa, he opened up about the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship with Olandria while chatting with fellow castmate TJ Palma.
“She’s in Houston, so it’s only two-and-a-half hours away, but at the same time, it’s like…she is never in Houston, and I’m never in Florida,” Nic, who lives in Jacksonville, explained.
“You guys are so busy and everything. How do you make time for each other?” TJ asked.
“It’s rough. I mean, I’m in a club probably Wednesday through Saturday, and she’s 99 percent doing a shoot throughout the week or whatever, but honestly, our schedules have been aligning up pretty nicely,” Nic replied.
The DJ added, “She, coincidentally, was in L.A. yesterday, so we got dinner, chilled, kicked it. I mean, [we] just pray that it aligns.”
A new summer of love begins when Love Island USA Season 8 premieres tonight.
While Season 7 drama may still be making headlines, all eyes are now on Love Island USA Season 8.
The hit dating series returns tonight with a brand-new crop of singles ready to flirt, mingle, couple up, and maybe even find lasting love under the Fiji sun. Returning host Ariana Madix is back to guide Islanders through another season packed with bombshell arrivals, shocking recouplings, unexpected twists, and, of course, plenty of romance.
The season is already off to a dramatic start. Ahead of the premiere, contestant Vasana Montgomery was removed from the cast after alleged social media posts resurfaced showing her using a racial slur, according to USA Today.
As the villa doors officially open, these 11 Islanders will be the first to enter. Hit the flip to see this season’s cast.
