Oh Love Island USA, you sure do know how to edit episodes towards a nail-biting cliffhanger. After giving us a surprise girl-on-girl kiss in Sunday night’s episode between Kassy and Johnnie and following said kiss up with some legit butterflies and sincere anticipation of a potential coupling, Monday night’s episode shifted into reverse and saw Kassy backing up to her ex Leonardo. Sigh. Come on, Kassy!
This storyline has been going on from literally day one in the villa and it is getting tired. Leo’s spent most of the last week’s worth of episodes contorting himself into various apologies, from orchestrating a romantic dinner date (that got a British bombshell named Scott dropped on it) to grinding his way to her heart (and face and pelvis and —) in the Hearts on Fire striptease challenge. And don’t forget: Leo wrote Kassy a poem that rhymed “heart” with… “heart.” When it comes to writing romantic rhymes, Leo has nothing on Patrick from Too Hot to Handle.
In fact, I’d rather Love Island USA airlift Patrick — guitar and all — into Fiji and deliver him straight to Kassy’s bed than watch Kassy get back together with Leo! But as of the end of Monday night’s episode, there’s a 50/50 chance that our girl’s gonna end back up with that guy. Let’s unpack this whole thing.
Johnnie.
New episodes of Love Island USA premiere on Peacock on — oh, you want an explanation? I thought the choice was obvious, but I’ll offer up some reasons. I’ll even stop giving Leo a hard time about his iffy poetry and persistent, to the point of smothering, declarations of love for Kassy. The guy has put in some work when it comes to getting back in Kassy’s good graces. Considering that an average day in the villa involves a rotation of lounging in the cabana, remaining stationary in the pool, sitting in a semicircle in front of Sarah Hyland, and then going to bed, the fact that he’s orchestrated events for Kassy is a feat. It seems that now that his eyes have wandered all over Fiji, he only has eyes for Kassy now.
I also don’t blame Kassy for having feelings for Leo. After that… I’ll say energetic striptease he gave half the villa, I think everyone has some kind of feelings for Leo. And these two have been together since the beginning of the season. That’s 27 days! That’s like two years in villa time. But even though these two are linked, Kassy should not overlook the two breaks they’ve had this season. There was the time Leo chose to couple with Anna instead of Kassy. Then, after convincing Kassy to come back and couple with him again, Leo went to Casa Amor and had sex with Johnnie — a girl he’d just met. That’s two strikes, pal! Does Kassy need to go for a third? I don’t think that’s how baseball metaphors work, but you get what I’m saying.
As for Johnnie — here’s why Kassy should go for Johnnie: Kassy needs to figure this out about herself. Kassy said that all her friends have been telling her that she’s bisexual, but she remained a little oblivious to it. Then she came into the villa open and ready to explore and, after losing two rounds with Leo, she found Johnnie. Maybe I’m speaking from personal experience here, but when you find someone of the same sex that you are attracted to who is also attracted to you, you gotta go for it. Guys like Leo are everywhere. Seriously, a half dozen other Leo-esque bros have traipsed through Fiji this season alone. But a girl like Johnnie and an opportunity like this? Once in a lifetime!
And, not to put too much pressure on a reality TV relationship that is guaranteed to only last until Sunday (season finale incoming), but this is potentially life-changing for Kassy. Her feelings for Johnnie and Leo are also apples and oranges, as her feelings for Johnnie are at the moment inextricably tied to the nerves she undoubtedly feels about dating a girl for the first time. But what better place to explore your bisexuality than a cartoonishly chill villa in Fiji wherein you have literally nothing else to do? If Kassy wants to sort out her sexuality outside the villa, she has to balance all that with work and family and school. Trust me: it’s incredibly frustrating to have to interrupt your existential spiral/crisis about your sudden queerness with an eight-hour shift at Books-a-Million. Again, personal experience here.
So when it comes down to it, Kassy should absolutely pick Johnnie and see where it goes for the next week. This is a one-in-a-million opportunity that she can’t let pass by. But I’m not used to Islanders making the boldest of moves — so I think it’s safer to say that Kassy’s going to pick Leo and then try to sort out all her new feels at home.
We’ll find out who Kassy picks when Love Island USA returns with a new episode on Peacock, tonight at 9 p.m. ET.