Andrea Carmona Kissed The Villain Label Goodbye On Love Island Games

Andrea Carmona was due a redemption arc. The Miami native had a rough time in the Love Island USA villa when she first appeared on Season 6 of the show. After entering as a bombshell, breaking up a fan-favorite couple, and being dumped from the island, Carmona came home to a lot of criticism.

“The amount of hate that I got was really hard and intense. I own up to everything I did, but at the same time, I don’t think I deserved all of that,” she says. Most of that criticism came from Carmona splitting up Rob Rausch and Leah Kateb.

“I got a lot of hate for being a homewrecker — if you know the show, you know that’s not a thing. That’s what bombshells are for,” Carmona says. “I also got a lot of stuff about not being a girl’s girl. That really struck a chord. I’m like, ‘You guys don’t even know me.’”

Despite last year’s backlash, the 27-year-old returned to the world of reality TV for Love Island Games Season 2, which aired this fall. “Going into Games, my mindset was, ‘I’m going to go in and show people who I am. If they love it, amazing,’” she says. “‘If they don’t, you know what? I’ve dealt with the worst of it all. I can deal with it again.’”

Everyone’s been saying I had a redemption arc, and I agree.

This time around, Carmona wasn’t anybody’s villain. Throughout her 16-episode run, she steered clear of drama, became friends with everyone, and proved herself to be a fierce competitor during challenges. “Everyone’s been saying I had a redemption arc, and I agree. America’s perception of me definitely changed, and I’m very blessed that they got to see me for me,” she says a few days after the finale.

“Going into this, I couldn’t even imagine the love that I got when I left. That wasn’t guaranteed. I just wanted to show people who I am,” Carmona adds. Her new and improved reputation has drawn attention from fans and even one notable former castmate — Rausch himself.

Here, Carmona shares all the details about her Love Island Games experience — plus, she weighs in Rausch’s viral comment following her elimination.

Elite Daily: What it was like to reenter the villa this time around?

Andrea Carmona: It honestly felt like a fever dream — very surreal. I was having a lot of flashbacks.

ED: You didn’t have the easiest time in Season 6. Ahead of Games, did you have any reservations about heading back into that environment?

AC: I definitely did. Obviously, I didn’t get perceived the best during my last experience. But literally two weeks before getting the call for Games, I got broken up with. I’m a very spiritual person, so I took it as a sign to jump in. If that relationship never ended, I wouldn’t have been able to take this opportunity.

I’m a very competitive person, so I felt like it would be a good distraction post-breakup.

ED: How did you feel after saying yes?

AC: I thought that I would have anxiety and reservations, but I felt really calm and confident. I was just excited to go back and have people see me for me.

Also, it’s Games, and I’m a very competitive person, so I felt like it would be a good distraction post-breakup — just going out there, having fun, and meeting people.

ED: How else did the Games element change your experience?

AC: Because I had just gotten out of something, I didn’t want to jump into a relationship. So this took a lot of pressure off of finding a connection. I was like, “I’m just here for the games. I’m not trying to find anyone. I’m just here to have fun. This is my hot girl fall.”

ED: Did you have any idea who your fellow castmates would be?

AC: I didn’t know anything until there was a leaked cast on TikTok — that kind of gave me an idea, but it could have been just speculation. No one knew who was confirmed. So walking in with KayKay [Gray] was such a relief. We were already Instagram friends and had mutuals, so I knew I would love her.

Andreina [Santos] and I had also been Instagram friends and had been messaging about trying to hang out, so I was so happy to see her walk in. It felt really nice to see Kendall [Washington] as a familiar face, too. Obviously we weren’t as close last year as we are now, but it was really good to see him and have that good energy.

ED: On Aftersun, you said you’re now focusing on friendship with your couple, Josh Goldstein. What played into that decision?

AC: From the beginning, I told him, “Hey, I want to be forward with you. I just got out of something very recently. I’m in no shape or form to dive into something serious right now. I came in here for the Games and to have fun.”

Obviously throughout the show, we got closer and things started to develop. When it became more serious, I was like, “OK, this could be something.” But I have to put myself first. I know if I rush into it, it will just end up backfiring, which ruins the relationship in the long run. Right person, wrong timing.

ED: After you got eliminated, a fan commented “now I feel how rob felt when she left last season.” And Rob replied, “Finally yall [sic] get it.” His comment has gone pretty viral. What did you make of it?

AC: I think he’s just being funny and supportive. He’s getting probably seeing a lot of comments like that, so he’s just leaning into it. People were saying, “Oh, now he’s trying to get her back.” But it’s not that at all. We haven’t even spoken since last year, so I didn’t read too much into it.

ED: You mentioned going through a breakup shortly before going on the show. Now, some fans are thinking you’ll get back together — or were actually together this whole time. What’s your take on that rumor?

AC: It’s so crazy that people are speculating, “She was with her boyfriend the whole time.” What type of self-respect would a man have to let his girl go on TV in front of the whole world, hook up with all these guys, and then come back? It makes no sense. I wouldn’t even want to be with somebody who would be OK with that.

I’m also like, “You guys, trust me. I’m still getting over this person, so to go back would be like shooting myself in the foot.” I get that people get back with their ex for whatever reason, but generally, if someone is willing to let me go, I’m done. To me, that says you don’t value me. It would feel like a disservice to myself to go back to that.

ED: Another rumor to clear up: There’s a bit of a conspiracy online about Chris Seeley saying he broke his finger in a challenge — people think the injury wasn’t that bad. Can you confirm or deny?

AC: I have seen that online. In the moment, we had to break for an hour. He had to get a medic check. He couldn’t bend his finger. From what I saw, it looked pretty real. I can’t speak on after that because I didn’t see him for three weeks, so I have no idea. I hope he’s fine. I’ve definitely seen a few of those videos, and I’m like, “Maybe Games just wasn’t for him.”

ED: In the finale, when it came to splitting the prize money, most of the Islanders chose to stand behind Isaiah Campbell instead of Lucinda Strafford. What made you stand behind her?

AC: When I saw everybody going to Isaiah, I was very confused. I guess as Islanders came out and saw things on TV for the first time, they changed their opinions on Lucinda. But my relationship with Lucinda was very genuine and fulfilling, so I didn’t want to judge her based on what other people felt.

I know some people did that because they felt like Isaiah really worked for the money in the challenges. So that’s another perspective for why the vote went that way.

ED: What’s coming up next for you?

AC: Right now, my main thing has been working on music on the production side of things. So putting out music would be next for me. I also really want to dive into the fitness space. It’s always been a passion of mine.

I would also definitely be open to doing more reality TV down the road. Because I dealt with so much hate and I got through it after my first season, I feel like I can do anything now.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.