‘Love Island USA’ star mingles with fans at Buckhead nightclub
Ayuna Whitlow knew she wanted to make the most of her brief encounter with “Love Island USA’s” Nic Vansteenberghe.
The 25-year-old Atlanta resident showed up at District Atlanta in Buckhead on Thursday with two gifts in tow: a list of restaurant suggestions in the city and an Auburn University T-shirt.
Vansteenberghe, who is one half of the show’s popular couple known as “Nicolandria” — he’s dating Alabama native Olandria Carthen, whose favorite college football team is Auburn — spent more than an hour posing with fans during a VIP meet-and-greet before getting behind the booth with Atlanta-based DJ BOGi.
Whitlow said Vansteenberghe initially joked that he couldn’t take the shirt she brought, since he prefers the University of Alabama, but said he was excited to show it to Carthen.
“He said he was going to wear it to the airport tomorrow,” Whitlow said.
“Love Island USA” features single men and women searching for love in a Fiji villa — and a chance to win up to $100,000 if viewers think their relationship is the strongest. Vansteenberghe and Carthen finished in second place.
Miami native Vansteenberghe told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he hasn’t watched the show back yet because the shock of his newfound fame back in the real world traumatized him a bit. Eventually, he said, he will watch.
“And then as time went on, life just got so hectic,” he said. “I started focusing on my relationship and our business and our love and family — I hadn’t seen my family for months.”
Vansteenberghe and Carthen have received career boosts since appearing on the show. Both have modeled in several ad campaigns and Carthen is walking in New York Fashion Week.
Vansteenberghe has amassed large crowds as he tours the country, with several stops at colleges for “Greek Fest” events and other nightclub appearances. Video of a recent stop in Columbia, South Carolina, showed girls rushing Vansteenberghe’s car.
But he has taken it in stride. The 24-year-old posed for pictures, accepted gifts from strangers and danced atop the DJ booth at District Atlanta until nearly 2 a.m. Friday.
Tierra Reed, a 44-year-old metro-Atlanta resident, said after being cancer-free for eight years, this past summer was about doing things that bring her joy. That included embracing “Nicolandria Nation,” a community of people who supported Vansteenberghe and Carthen’s relationship throughout their time on the show.
Reed splurged for the meet-and-greet with Vansteenberghe so she could remind him about the community of people who support him and his relationship.
“I talk about Nic and Olandria as if they’re my cousins, like I know them, but at the end of the day, one thing I will say is I’m super, super happy for them,” Reed said. “I’m happy supporting them from afar.”
But the pairing hasn’t always been easy for the couple. Vansteenberghe and Carthen were paired with other partners for the majority of the 36 episodes that aired near-daily on Peacock this past summer. They got together during the last week of the season.
Since leaving the villa, the couple has faced near-constant questions about the legitimacy of their relationship. But Vansteenberghe told the AJC he was happy with the arc of their time on the show.
“I feel like post-villa is just always (about) being tested,” he said. “But you know, if you stay true to your heart and who you are, I feel like nobody can phase you and nobody can take you down.”
While naysayers have also drawn attention to “Nicolandria’s” interracial relationship — Vansteenberghe is white and Carthen is Black — Vansteenberghe has received praise from content creators on TikTok and other social media platforms for the way he navigates Black spaces.
“I appreciate that they appreciate that about me. I just try to be me every day and not switch up for anybody, no matter who it is,” said Vansteenberghe, who has traveled to 44 countries.
“I think another thing is, being well-traveled helps a lot. I got connected to so many cultures from a super young age, and I’m really grateful to my parents for that, and I think that just gives me a great understanding of all cultures.”
About the Author
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
