Casa Amor has struck again and set another Love Island villa on fire. While Love Island USA season 6 was already arguably the most entertaining of the American franchise due to the antics of the Love Island USA season 6 cast, when Casa Amor kicked off, the season's must-watch factor multiplied by 100. Yes, this is a bit of hyperbole, but I seriously made time to watch the episodes during a summer holiday week.
What's made this iteration of Casa Amor so entertaining is the fact that both Kordell and Aaron have completely surprised viewers. It's like watching Boys Gone Wild as the two men, who were in the most stable relationships in the villa, behave as if they didn't have girls waiting for them to return after this trial separation. Kaylor has spent every day crying over Aaron and Serena has shed a few tears of her own claiming to miss Kordell.
Zeroing in on Kordell, from the moment he crossed paths with Daia in the Casa Amor villa, the two have been incredibly touchy-feely. They've kissed several times, they look at each other as if there are no other islanders around and their level of intimacy is off the charts. He goes as far as to declare his feelings for Daia are neck and neck with his feelings for Serena. This is all a bit baffling when you consider he's only known Daia for two days, in comparison to a few weeks of getting to know Serena.
To be fair, the journey for Kordell and Serena as a couple has not been a smooth one. They've been paired together since the beginning, but there was a period when she questioned if she viewed him beyond a friend. Plus, who could forget Dance Gate, when she left him dancing by himself and chose to explore other connections? Although the duo has come a long way and proved to be one of the more enjoyable couples to watch prior to Casa Amor, they didn't technically decide to be exclusive.
Despite all of that, the optics of Kordell's courtship with Daia appear especially bad because Serena hasn't taken the time in Casa Amor to get to know anyone. She's not kissed any of the new guys outside of challenges and even opted to sleep outside, all in an effort to respect Kordell. And again, she's been crying over him and has repeatedly mentioned that she misses him. He too has talked about his connection to Serena, but that hasn't stopped him from playing tonsil hockey.
Now despite inferences from a preview clip, Kordell and Daia haven't taken things beyond kissing. So Kordell's situation doesn't exactly mirror Love Island USA season 5's Leo.
Since we brought him up, show fans will recall that during Casa Amor in season 5, Leo did the most shocking thing of the season and hooked up with Johnnie. Prior to that, he kept saying how much he liked Kassy, and the two seemed to be in a great place following the hiccup of his brief recoupling with Anna. They were constantly kissing and having cute conversations. So Leo giving into his hormones and his fast connection with Johnnie was just stunning.
When Kassy found out what happened, she was absolutely gutted and furious. She questioned Leo's sincerity and put him on blast for days, which of course, the other woman islanders joined her in the insulting and shunning. And despite breaking Kassy's heart, she wound up taking him back. The couple even served as finalists for the season. With all that being said, between Kordell and Leo, whose Casa Amor flub was worse?
Despite not hooking up with Daia, I'd have to say Kordell's actions make me say "yikes" more than Leo's. Because Serena has been rather open about her trust issues with romantic partners due to her past relationships, I hate to see her triggered by Kordell's actions, which she was getting just a sneak peek of his Casa Amor actions. Kassy wasn't necessarily as vocal about her relationship woes, so I don't recall fearing that she would be triggered by Leo's actions. I knew she'd be hurt, but not necessarily triggered.
Making Kordell's situation worse is again the fact that Serena hasn't kissed one guy outside of the challenges and hasn't made an attempt to get to know any of the Casa Amor men as she pines away for Kordell. Although he didn't tell her he was going to be a saint prior to leaving for the other villa, Kordell did share with the boys he planned to be "respectful" of his bond with Serena. He went as far as to say he was sleeping outside and not with a Casa Amor woman, which clearly didn't happen. Leo may have expressed his desire to respect Kassy, but I already knew there was a chance that he would entertain another girl due to the Anna situation.
Lastly, although Leo brought Johnnie back to the main villa, it was quickly apparent that their connection paled in comparison to that of him and Kassy. Hence, Leo and Kassy reuniting. Unfortunately, as much as I've wanted Kordell and Serena to win this season, I can’t downplay his obvious connection to Daia, and that may be another punch in the gut for Serena.
I'd be remiss if I closed this out and didn't emphasize that I don't think Kordell or Leo are bad people. They're on a game show looking for love, and neither one knew their respective partners for that long before things went south. Additionally, I don't think they aimed to hurt anyone, despite ultimately doing just that.
New episodes of Love Island USA season 6 air on Peacock.
