‘Nicolandria’ aren’t just a cultural phenomenon, they’re a beloved part of reality couple history

By Lisa France, CNN

(CNN) — “Love Island USA” has become an obsession for viewers, with one couple in particular capturing hearts.

It’s been quite the summer for Olandria Carthen, 27, and Nic Vansteenberghe, 24, a couple who met on the show and have been dubbed “Nicolandria.”

Not only are they objectively (and ridiculously) attractive, the pair have sparked cultural conversations about interracial relationships and the supportive partnership they model.

If you are one of the few still unfamiliar with “Love Island USA,” the series is the American offshoot of a popular United Kingdom reality dating show in which a group of men and women live together in a villa with the hopes of finding love and winning a cash prize.

As expected, there is also plenty of drama.

“Nicolandria” were the breakout stars this past season, sparking headlines, and fan accounts.

Their fame comes at a divisive time, especially with regard to issues of race in the United States, and their obvious affection has provided summer joy and distraction to “Love Island’s” audience.

Their popularity has meant immense recognition, along with endorsement deals.

Last week, NYX Professional Makeup teased a collaboration with the couple after Vansteenberghe revealed in an interview that he keeps Carthen’s lip combo featuring the brand’s gloss in his pocket. Vansteenberghe, who had been modeling Australian swimsuit brand Kulani Kinis since 2021, has his own collection on their site now and features Carthen in the campaigns.

Carthen said she isn’t just representing “Love Island” in these campaigns – she’s also representing Black women.

“Before we came into this world, Black women already had a label. They’re so quick to label us as angry Black women,” Carthen said, describing how she had to put on a “strong suit” while in the villa during Andy Cohen’s recent “After Show” on “Watch What Happens: Live.”

But in her relationship with Vansteenberghe, she said she was able to let him take the wheel, where he helped set up two photoshoots for her to model in Europe. “The support that I have from this guy is unreal. So, it allows me to be the soft woman that I’ve always wanted to be,” Carthen described.

It’s not the first time that a pair who met via reality television have captivated the zeitgeist. Here are a a few other couples:

Pam Ling and Judd Winick from “The Real World: San Francisco”

Consider them the O.G.’s of this list.

Pam Ling, who is now a doctor, and Judd Winick, a cartoonist, connected in 1994, when they were both cast members on MTV’s “The Real World: San Francisco,” which was the third installment of the then-nascent reality TV show. While they didn’t start dating until after they finished filming, fans were thrilled to learn at the season’s reunion show in 1995 that they were a couple.

They married in 2001 and are the parents of two children.

In February 2025, Winick posted in celebration of the 31st anniversary of meeting Ling on the first day of “The Real World” filming.

“It was my 24th birthday. And it is exactly 31 years ago today that we started filming THE REAL WORLD SAN FRANCISCO. My life would change forever in so many ways,” he wrote on social media. “But the most important by far is that I met Pam Ling. She is my partner. My hero. And the smartest and bravest and most beautiful and best person I know.”

Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter from “The Bachelorette”

Heartbreak led to love for the former Rehn.

The physical therapist was a contestant on Season 1 of “The Bachelor” in 2002, and became the first ever lead of “The Bachelorette” the following year.

As the reality fairytale goes, former professional football player and firefighter Ryan Sutter won her heart. ABC threw the couple a big wedding in 2003 that millions tuned into.

The parents of a son and daughter now live in Colorado.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jionni LaValle from “Jersey Shore”

Gym, tan, laundry and love.

In the midst of all the partying as a cast member of Season 3 of the hit MTV series “The Jersey Shore,” Polizzi met entrepreneur LaValle during filming in 2011.

They married in 2014 and are now the parents of three.

Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich from “Survivor: All Stars”

The now-Amber Mariano not only won “Survivor: All Stars,” she also got a husband out of it.

She met Rob, a.k.a. “Boston Rob” Mariano, during filming in 2003 in Panama.

They got engaged during the show’s live finale in 2004 and married the following year.

The couple are now the parents of four daughters.

Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from “Love Is Blind”

The first season of Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” had one of the most joyous meetings ever.

The premise of the reality dating series revolves around contestants talking with – and ideally falling for – each other sight unseen in the hopes of getting married. (It’s worked for some, like this pair.)

The moment data scientist Hamilton sprinted towards content creator and entrepreneur Speed, it was literally all love.

They married on the show in 2018, and are currently expecting their first child.

JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes from “Celebrity Big Brother UK”

This one was a shocker for Siwa’s fans.

The now 22-year-old former child star, singer and dancer was in a relationship with Australian actor Kath Ebbs when she joined the UK reality show earlier this year

Siwa is now dating Hughes, with whom she bonded in the “Big Brother” house.

To bring it all full circle, he is a former cast member of – wait for it – the UK version of “Love Island.”

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CNN’s Ramishah Maruf contributed to this report.