'Love Island' Recap: Cierra exits show after racial slur, Nic couples up with Olandria

The Villa faces a shocking shakeup resulting in a major love connection we didn’t see coming. Ahead of the season 7 finale, “Love Island” fans were left shocked when one of the strongest couples ended in the wake of Cierra Oretga’s controversy.

During episode 30 of the dating show, narrator Iain Stirling announced Cierra “left the villa due to a personal situation” leaving “Nic officially single.” The shocking exit came after a resurfaced racist post from Cierra, making the former bombshell the third Islander to deal with backlash since filming. Her behavior offscreen -- viewers finding multiple posts of Cierra, 25, using a racial slur against Asian people -- resulted in her exit from the show.

Meanwhile, the Peacock reality series is days away from the season finale, and contestant Nic Vansteenberghe is forced to find a new connection fast. He finds comfort in longtime friend Olandria Carthen who to our surprise is open to starting a romantic relationship with Nic.

To catch you up, Olandria had a strong romance with Taylor Williams, Nic’s closest pal in the Villa. And Nic closed off with Olandria’s friend Cierra early on. Despite the close ties, both contestants agree there might be chemistry they neglected for the sake of their friendships or in the name of girl/guy code.

Taylor seems supportive of Nic’s decision to date his old flame, as he’s clearly moved on to Clarke Carraway. In the episode, Taylor with the help of Ace Greene throws a surprise picnic for Clarke to show how much he cares for her – taking a page from Nic’s romance book. Despite being voted least compatible by America, Taylor and Clarke seem to be in it for the long run.

America’s sweetheart Amaya Espinal, had a tough decision to make in her own love triangle, with three men vying for her attention. After being pulled for chats, Amaya was split between: Bryan Arenales, Zak Srakaew, and Elan Bibas.

Our early prediction was correct, that Bryan could be a perfect match for Amaya after he stood up for her in the “Standing on Business” challenge. If their steamy make-out session (with Amaya rocking a moomoo dress) is any indication, Amaya and Bryan are endgame in our book. She ultimately felt the same way and sent Zak and Elan packing their bags to leave the Villa.

And while Ace and Chelley Bissainthe appear to be one of the strongest couples to win the dating series, Huda Mustafa’s racy move during the heart rate challenge reveals a few cracks in their relationship that may still need some work. Of course, Huda and Chelley made amends, but this isn't Friendship Island.

RELATED: 'Love Island’s' Huda and Chelley’s feud: why their face off could divide the Villa

Here’s where all the couples stand going into “Love Island USA” week 6:

Couples

Ace and Chelley

Amaya and Bryan

Chris and Huda

Nic and Olandria

Pepe and Iris

Taylor and Clarke

Who Went Home

Cierra

Zak

Elan

How to Watch New Episodes of Love Island

Stream new episodes of Love Island USA season 7daily, except Wednesdays, at 9p ET/6p PT on Peacock.