Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene, the last couple eliminated before the Love Island USA Season 7 finale, opened up in an exclusive Variety interview marking their first full conversation since leaving the villa.
In the interview, the pair directly addressed the public perception of their bond. They confirmed they had a brief encounter before the show began filming but said they “barely knew each other” before entering the villa.
Chelley called the notion of a secret plan “laughable,” emphasizing they weren’t cast as a unit and had no guarantees about coupling up once inside.
Both Chelley and Ace acknowledged that early on, fans questioned their chemistry especially after moments like the heart-rate challenge and Ace’s previous online following.
Ace admitted he expected scrutiny because of his influencer background but said, “Everything I felt was real.”
Chelley also discussed the experience of being edited for television.
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“People only saw certain things,” she said, adding that moments of growth and vulnerability didn’t always make it to air. She believes this partial view may have influenced public voting.
The couple shared that they were shocked by the elimination, but grateful for their experience. They plan to continue dating post-show, with Chelley relocating to Los Angeles.
Both emphasized that their connection wasn’t performative and that what developed between them was genuine.
Despite fan backlash over their exit, Chelley and Ace said they’re choosing to focus on what they gained, each other, and on building something real off-camera.
The final four couples now headed into the finale are Amaya & Bryan, Huda & Chris, Iris & Pepe, and Olandria & Nic.
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