Love Island’s Serena & Kordell Are Shocked America Loves Them

Serena Page and Kordell Beckham’s love story wasn’t a perfect one. The Love Island USA Season 6 winners started off lukewarm, then exploded with a heated fight. Although they were able to work through Kordell’s Casa Amor connection in the end, they were convinced that their drama would prevent them from winning the season. “We had such a roller coaster, and I thought maybe a lot of people got off the roller coaster at that point,” Page, 24, tells Elite Daily.

Little did they know Love Island fans were lining up to ride the Kordena coaster like never before toward the end of the season. After several days of Page chewing Beckham out for hooking up with Daia McGhee at Casa Amor (and one iconically ruined breakfast), the twin flames were finally able to burn together, as Beckham owned up to his mistakes and Page worked up the strength to forgive him.

“Honestly, if Kordell had been acting like Aaron [Evans] was acting, I would’ve gone home,” Page says. “But the way Kordell was acting is what got us back on track. He wasn’t manipulating me; he wasn’t being dishonest. He was just being transparent.”

Looking back on the situation now, the couple can see the silver lining. “I do regret how I went into the situation at Casa,” Beckham, 22, says. “But I would say bringing Daia back actually helped us grow and progress what we have going on.”

“It ended up showing different character traits that I didn’t even realize he had,” Page adds. “So I think it was essential at the end of the day.”

Below, Page and Beckham get into why they thought America hated them, a passionate debate about avocado toast, and what they really think of their fellow contestants.

Elite Daily: How surprised were you to be chosen as the winners?

Serena Page: I thought another couple was going to win. I literally put money on it that we weren’t going to win. People in the villa were like, “It’s y’all.” And I was like, “I doubt it.” I had no clue. I just felt that as long as I was Top 3 with [the Powerpuff Gang (PPG)], I won.

ED: Who did you think was going to win?

SP: I thought it was going to be the either Kenny and JaNa or Kendall and Nicole. We were so shook.

I was like, “Damn, America likes Kordell and hates me.”

ED: It seemed like you didn’t realize how much of a fandom had grown for you two as a couple. Did you have any sense of how you were being perceived by the public?

SP: Not in the slightest. And the challenge where we were reading tweets did not help. Once we got out, we realized people’s thoughts were literally the opposite of those tweets. They were making comments about how Kordell should have done what he did at Casa. So I was like, “Damn, America likes Kordell and hates me.”

ED: What’s surprised you most catching up on social media after the show?

SP: People memorizing my monologue on the dock. And acting it out. I’m like, “Please, this is not what I want to hear!” It’s amazing, though. I love that people thought I ate down.

Kordell Beckham: She did.

SP: But right after that moment, I was tweaking out. I was like, “Why did I just do that?” I felt like I was in a Tyler Perry movie or some Lifetime movie.

ED: What stuff have you been seeing, Kordell?

KB: I’ve been seeing edits of me and Serena, with the slow music in the background. And also, I’ve been seeing small montages of just me and my little random moments, which is weird. It is funny as hell, but that’s so crazy that they pick up on the little things that I say and do, because I really do be in my own little world.

ED: Serena, you went through it after Casa Amor. What kept you going during that dark period in your relationship?

SP: PPG got me through that. Because I didn’t want anybody else; I was like, “I ain’t got time for this sh*t.”

Then I saw that clip of me talking sh*t about him at movie night. I started thinking, “I guess I really could have done more for him at the beginning.” I thought a fresh start was what we needed. That would be best. And he was down for that. We ended up closing things off that conversation, which is not where the conversation was supposed to go.

KB: It just happened. And I was here for it. Everything was good.

I shouldn’t have regrets, but I do.

ED: Kordell, how do you look back on the Daia situation now? Do you regret it, or do you think it was necessary to test your relationship with Serena?

KB: I definitely could have handled myself way better at Casa. But I don’t regret bringing her into the villa, because it made me and Serena stronger. It made us realize what we have is special and real. The only regrets I have are how I went about it. I shouldn’t have regrets, but I do.

It’s specifically because of the conversations we had before I left. I was like, “We’re going to set the boundaries; we’re going to do this; we’re going to do that.” And I didn’t stand on anything that I said. I f*cked up, and I know that. Serena was hurt. I didn’t even take it as her just screaming and yelling at me. I took it as her expressing her emotions, telling me how she truly felt. And that opened my eyes.

ED: Serena, do you see any upside to Daia being brought back?

SP: There was some upside to Daia’s situation. I really wanted him to explore connections, since I had been exploring other people. Although I did do it in a different way, I still think it was essential for me to see how he acts in certain scenarios.

Do I wish some of those things didn’t happen? Yeah. I would’ve rather they explored it more respectfully, and then he’d brought her back. I still would’ve been hurt, but I probably wouldn’t have been ready to literally throw hands.

ED: Serena, you already mentioned PPG. Fans loved your friendship with JaNa and Leah. How did you come up with the Powerpuff Girls name?

SP: We were originally TLC, but it didn’t really fit. So we decided on Powerpuff Girls because we each have a different personality. We loved to go on missions to spy on people and listen to their conversations. We were nosy as hell, so the name had to have something to do with our missions. JaNa’s definitely Bubbles. And we thought Leah was Blossom and I was Buttercup, but we’ve been seeing some debate on Twitter, with people saying that I’m Blossom and Leah’s Buttercup. So I don’t know. What’s your opinion?

ED: I assumed you were Blossom, but I can see you being Buttercup, too.

SP: Me and Leah are both feisty in that Buttercup way, so I guess we can just switch depending on the day.

ED: Has the PPG group chat been formed yet?

SP: The group chat has been formed. Up and running, baby!

ED: What’s one word you’d use to describe JaNa and Kenny’s relationship?

SP: Mesmerized.

KB: Disney fairy tale. That’s not one word, but that’s them.

ED: What about Leah and Miguel?

SP: Hot, hot, hot!

KB: Fiery.

ED: Nicole and Kendall?

SP: Sweet.

KB: Loving.

SP: Or affectionate.

KB: Definitely affectionate.

ED: Kaylor and Aaron?

SP: Dangerously in love. That’s three words, but that’s it. Dangerously in love.

ED: Rob and Andrea?

SP: They’re not a couple!

KB: Meant to be. It’s not one word, but they were meant to be.

SP: OK, yeah.

ED: And then what about Rob and Leah?

SP: Non-existent.

KB: Yeah, nothing.

SP: My one word is non-existent. She’s with Miguel. Let’s leave my good sis alone.

KB: The connection her and Miguel have is insane. They’re so alike. I could see from when they started talking that they were going to hit off of immediately.

ED: Last question, will you ever be able to eat avocado toast again after seemingly having it every day in the villa?

SP: Hell yeah!

KB: F*ck no. Why is that even a thing? Like, who made that? It sucks.

SP: I can eat avocado in any form. I love avocados, babe.

KB: It’s all right, I guess. I do make a pretty good avocado toast, though.

SP: Your head is shaped like one.

KB: I’ve been cutting my hair too much. I’m turning into an avocado.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.