“Love Island USA” stars Kendall Washington and Nicole Jacky are still going strong after his “private” videos leaked on social media in tandem with Sunday’s Season 6 finale.
The couple — who placed fourth on Peacock’s hit dating competition series — chatted with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” after leaving the villa, teasing what’s to come for them on the outside and the possibility of marriage.
“I am dating to marry. I take this seriously,” Washington, 27, asserts before joking, “I’m getting very old.”
The medical sales rep — who told Jacky, 26, he loved her in the final episode, though she did not reciprocate — tells “Virtual Reali-Tea” that he was in a “panic and a sweat” when sharing his feelings during their romantic one-on-one date in Fiji.
“Yes, I dropped the L-bomb … but I’m so glad I did because that’s truly how I feel about this girl,” he explains. “She means the world to me, so that’s why I cannot wait for us to experience life together on the outside.”
While Jacky isn’t ready to tell Washington she loves him just yet, she admitted to “falling in love” with him during an emotional onscreen speech following her partner’s admission.
The brunette beauty, who is also a medical sales rep, says she appreciates Washington being patient with her and understanding that she doesn’t take the L-word lightly.
“I’ve said ‘I love you’ twice in my life now. And it was always after someone had said it, and I think I maybe said it too early or when I didn’t mean it,” she explains. “I think I got hurt; I ended up hurting people because of it.”
Jacky understands that the “Love Island USA” experience is designed to accelerate relationships but was still shellshocked by Washington’s profession.
“It just moves really fast in there, and I know what I signed up for, but it just really scared the s—t out of me when Kendall said it. I wasn’t ready, but I know my feelings for him, and I just told him, ‘I wanna say this on my time,’” she recounts.
“I don’t want to say it back just to say it back. [It’s] scary stuff, but I’ve trying to be open and vulnerable and give it a chance, and I think it’s paying off very well.”
Jacky made herself particularly vulnerable when telling Washington — and viewers — about surviving abuse in a previous relationship, which in turn has made her guarded at times.
“I know what I’ve been through in my past, and that’s no one else’s burden to bear, but the fact that he wouldn’t try to change me or want me to act differently, I think spoke volumes,” she says.
“Those toxic relationships when you’re younger are really hard to go through. But I think I learned so much from it. I don’t want that to define who I am moving forward and how I love. I didn’t want it to keep affecting me. It was really hard and scary, but I’m grateful for ‘Love Island’ and I’m grateful for Kendall, too.”
The lovebirds’ sweet sentiments for one another came just hours after NSFW clips of Washington hit the internet.
After getting his phone back, the hunky “Islander” addressed the situation via his Instagram Story.
“What a way to get my phone back y’all 😅,” he wrote. “I just want to address the content that came out from my past.
“That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust. It’s unfortunate that it’s no longer private but it is what it is.”
He went on to say, “I want to thank you all for the calls/texts to support me during this time.”
Washington concluded his message by expressing gratitude for his “experience” on the unscripted series, adding, “I love you all for tuning in to watch my journey.”
Washington and Jacky tell “Virtual Reali-Tea” that the influx of online attention after leaving the villa has been overwhelming.
“I feel like I’ve been trying to look at things and also I’m still looking at messages from all my family and friends,” Jacky says. “But I’ve been told that some people have also cried when I’ve cried, like during maybe my speech or felt my emotions.”
Washington, for his part, says that he and his significant other have “tried to watch as many clips” as possible before reliving the entire season.
“We [have been] so exhausted. But I did get to see our … final date and that was just one of the best days of my life, but also the most nervous I’ve been in my life,” he reflects.
“So seeing myself back, talking to Nicole in that moment, like, sweating bullets, trying to just get across how I feel, stumbling over every single word … that’s tough to watch back.”
Though Washington, a resident of Dallas, and Jacky, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., had a relatively smooth journey on “Love Island USA,” they feel confident to conquer any challenges that arise in the real world before a potential wedding.
“I’m so pumped to tackle what’s next. And tests are going to come but I know we’re ready for it. And again, these kinds of tests make you stronger. You’ve got to go through thick and thin together to really make sure that, if that time ever does come, we’re lucky that we’ve been through it,” Washington states.
“So marriage will be a piece of cake.”
“Love Island USA” is available to stream on Peacock. The Season 6 reunion drops Aug. 19.