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Love Island USA's Andrea Talks Elimination, Rob and Leah Triangle: "I Was Blindsided"

The Love Island USA bombshell Andrea was at the heart of a love triangle and a shocking elimination. Here's what she has to say. 

By Clara Faulkner

Love Island USA Season 6 has ignited with bombshells, drama, and sun-soaked excitement in the villa in a season bursting with twists and turns. But perhaps no one's journey to love has been as fraught as the love triangle between Rob Rausch, Leah Kateb and relatively new bombshell, Andrea Carmona.

The bombshell's journey took an unexpected turn as she was voted out from the villa by her fellow islanders. Andrea had entered the season with hopeful anticipation of finding love, only to leave feeling utterly blindsided by the sudden turn of events, departing empty-handed without her hoped-for match.

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Following her departure, Andrea candidly shared her experience with USA Insider, where she she discussed her instant chemistry with Rob, their challenges, and the drama that unfolded in the villa.

Love Island USA's Andrea Shares Thoughts On her Shocking Elimination

JaNa Craig, Nicole Jacky, Andrea Carmona and Ariana Madix on Love Island USA 612

Sometimes, the circumstances on Love Island USA take unexpected turns, and Andrea's departure — being voted out by the other ladies in the villa after she was ranked among the lowest couples — adds another twist to her journey. While Andrea initially hoped for a rosy experience upon entering the villa, she soon realized that she had to put her goal of finding love above anything else.

“You have to be selfish. If you want to build a connection at the end of the day, your girls will be there. Your true friends will still be there for you,” she told us.

With tears streaming down her face and a heart heavy with emotion, Andrea made her departure from the villa with dignity intact. Her commitment to nurturing friendships and exploring romantic connections had led her to couple up with Rob. Spending her time on love, she found that it left her without friendships in the villa, which she believes contributed to the girls picking the basically single JaNa Craig to stay over her. Speaking mere days after her elimination, Andrea still felt a little upset about the situation. 

“I definitely was just in shock and kind of felt, like, cheated. I felt like I should have still been there, and it was more about friendship than love," she said. "But looking back, I obviously know the girls are put in a tough position at the end of the day.” 

Despite facing elimination, Andrea found peace and had no regrets about her journey. Reflecting on the votes that sealed her fate, the bombshell attributed the outcome to her hesitation in fully opening up to connecting with the other girls during her time in the villa.

“I feel like my time was so short in the villa and, like I said, I wish I spent more time with the girls, but I said I was there for love, so I love them, but I wanted my time with him.” Andrea explained. “We all want to hang out and do stuff, so I'm excited to reconnect with the girls and the guys. All the guys are cool, sweet, and respectful, so I would love to see everyone honestly, especially Nicole [Jacky].”

Andrea noted she was mentally prepared to hear one of the other girls' names and was already thinking about how difficult it would be for her in the house after they left, which is another reason she remains so baffled by the ultimate decision of the other girls. 

“I was mentally prepared emotionally. Oh my God, JaNa and Nicole are going to be [gone], someone is so tough. What am I going to do without one of them? And then I heard my name, and I really couldn't believe it; I was so blindsided,” she said. “They did what they wanted to do, and if it weren't now, then it would have been later. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. So I felt like, yes, it was their decision, but that's how I feel my time was supposed to be there.”

Love Island USA's Andrea On Her Rob Romance

Robert Rausch with his arm around a crying Andrea Carmona in Love Island USA

Before departing the villa, Andrea reflected on the balance between friendship and love, emphasizing her dedication to building a romantic connection but admitting a little more socializing may have saved her. But does she have any regrets?

“Definitely a part of me was like, maybe I didn't spend enough time with the girls as I should have, and maybe that's why they chose the other girls over me. But I don't regret it because I was there to build a connection, and I wanted to put all of my time into spending that with Rob," she said.

Finding love on Love Island USA is a rollercoaster of emotions and decisions. Contestants often face the challenge of balancing budding romances with building meaningful friendships. For Andrea, her journey centered on meeting her partner. 

“I definitely am the type of girl that, once I fall in love, my friends say, ‘OK, well, she's gone now.’ I'm just going to be with him all the time," she said. "And clearly that was evident again in the show. Like that's kind of just what happens.” 

Navigating the villa as a bombshell brought its own set of challenges for her. She faced the dilemma of pursuing a connection with Rob, who had been previously coupled with Leah, forcing her to step out of her comfort zone and navigate the intricate dynamics of the villa. 

“It was tough coming in as a bombshell. I mean, you're stepping on toes. You are going after someone's man, in essence," Andrea said. "So, it's not something I typically do in the ‘real world.’ So I had to step out of my comfort zone and say, ‘OK, this is who you want,’ and that's just how it will be. I'm going to have to, unfortunately, finish; you're going to be hurt. But yeah, that played out as far as the girls' vote, too.”

Although this bombshell had her eyes on the prize of love and still has some grievances about her departure, she’s still cheering for the villa couple with the best mix of romance and friendship to come out on top.

“Definitely Kaylor [Martin] and Aaron [Evans]. I mean, from the start, even with me, he was obviously open to meeting me just because Kaylor was, but I feel like if Kaylor never opened that can of worms, he probably would not have really given me the time of day,” Andrea shared.

She continued: “I definitely feel they have a strong connection and a good friendship banter going as well. They look like they have a genuine foundation, which I think is so important. I got along with them well. We had a few double dates, so I'm rooting for them.”

What does Love Island USA's Andrea Think of Rob and Leah Now?

Love Island USA Season 6's Leah

Upon entering the villa, Andrea quickly developed feelings for Rob, who was initially coupled with Leah. As tensions rose from Andrea's attraction to Rob, resulting in Leah becoming single, Andrea, like many currently still in the villa, questioned whether this dynamic contributed to her eventual elimination.

“I don't know if Rob is upset with her because maybe he thinks she had to do with my voting off, and Leah had a lot to say about Rob throughout the entire show while I was there, like really saying some not-nice things.” Andrea noted, “So I would be really surprised if she went back, but at the end of the day, she was emotional. That could all just be like her talking yourself out of it when, deep down, she probably really liked him still.”

The bombshell took time to ponder Leah's true motivations behind her elimination. Having navigated the intricate dynamics of Love Island USA, Andrea understood the influence of emotions on decisions within the villa well. When questioned about Leah's potential involvement in her vote-off, Andrea weighed the possibility that love, rather than malice, could have been Leah's underlying motive.

“It definitely crossed my mind. Like I said, I took him from her, so clearly, she still had feelings invested, and I'm sure deep down she knew that would never be rekindled if I was still there," Andrea said. "So it definitely did cross my mind, but then I know it was a decision between four girls and not just Leah, so regardless of what her thoughts were, I'm sure that the other girls had of like who they just wanted to be there longer, which was their friends where they were close to."

While Rob remains single in the villa for now amidst the upcoming Casa Amor, viewers are left wondering about his prospects for finding love. Andrea speculated on the potential rekindling between Leah and him, saying: “I don't know. It's just the way Leah and I got on very well in the villa, so I didn't think it was malicious intent. It maybe was just like her emotions speaking, but I'll never know...They did have a connection before I went in there, so now I'm kind of out of the picture. You're vulnerable; emotions are high, so you want to gravitate to what's more comfortable for you or what you already know. “ 

She added, “It's kind of like going back to an ex. It's like, ‘OK, I broke up with this girl. My ex is around, so why not explore it?’ I wouldn't be surprised. But I don't know; it's just the way things happened.” 

Watch new episodes of Love Island USA streaming six days a week on Peacock.