Several couples emerged from Love Island USA Season 5, including the show’s winners, Hannah Wright and Marco Donatelli, and fourth-place couple Carmen Kocourek and Kenzo Nudo.
Carmen and Keenzo were Bombshells during the Fiji experience, with Carmen arriving at the villa just a few days in along with Hannah.
She and Hannah entered the game with a returning Carsten “Bergie” Bergersen, and Carmen seemed to find a connection instantly.
However, it was a shortlived coupling with Victor Gonzalez as things between them didn’t work out after drama involving Carmen, Victor, and Bergie. Victor was ultimately sent home by a vote, and Carmen told Bergie she and him were better off as friends.
It wasn’t until Day 10 in the season that Kenzo arrived and became coupled up with Carmen soon after. With both islanders living in Arizona, it seemed like a perfect match as they could continue dating after the show.
Their coupling seemed almost too coincidental and perfect for some fans and gossip sites. Many frequently called their Love Island USA relationship out on social media during the season, suggesting they already knew one another.
With that in mind, they addressed the “wild” rumors, much like the show’s winners recently did regarding the validity of their Love Island USA story.
Carmen and Kenzo address unexpected and ‘wild’ rumors about them
While at the Fijian villa, the Love Island USA contestants are cut off from the rest of the world. With no phones and no way to find out about any news, they have no idea what is happening online.
There was plenty of chatter over online rumors about Carmen and Kenzo having known one another before getting to the villa. The speculation was driven by the fact they had been living in the same state and both worked out at the same gym in Scottsdale, Arizona.
However, they have since addressed those rumors, calling them “wild” and shutting down the gossip about them pre-gaming in an attempt to scam the show for TV time and money.
They both answered “No” when asked if they had known each other before they arrived at Love Island USA’s villa in Fiji. They also shared that they’d discovered they had worked out at the same gym in Scottsdale during the show, but that conversation was never aired.
“It was wild to come out and see all those rumors. We weren’t expecting that,” Carmen told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“There’s nothing we can honestly do,” Nudo said. “We didn’t know each other. For them to think that and still keep thinking that I don’t know where they’re coming up with all this stuff, but we’re alright.”
“But yeah, no, I don’t really take the hard comments personally,” he said. “I know what we have going.”
Are Carmen and Kenzo still together after Love Island?
A fan vote determined the Love Island USA 5 winners to be Hannah W. and Marco Donatelli, and the winning couple received $100,000 in prize money. Meanwhile, Carmen and Kenzo finished fourth in the voting, but that didn’t end the romantic relationship they built in Fiji.
The two are still dating based on their recent interviews, and their post-show itinerary has included a trip to Disneyland and Carmen’s home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In her home state, Kenzo is getting to experience the Milwaukee Public Market and check out the Third Ward and Harley-Davidson Museum.
Kenzo said he was “very happy” he appeared on Love Island USA but also indicated that he felt “sooner or later” he and Carmen would have met.
While they didn’t win any money, Kenzo also said his “prize” was Carmen becoming his girlfriend at the villa and confessed he “could have left” the show then.
“Honestly, all of the couples, we really forgot there was like a prize,” Kocourek told MJS, adding, “All the couples deserved to be there. Whoever won we would have been happy for.”
Love Island USA Season 5 is available on Peacock.