‘Love Island USA’: Connor Sheds Insight Into Relationship With JaNa, Where They Stand Today

Connor Newsum’s time on Love Island USA was quite the rollercoaster. While he experienced connections with JaNa Craig and Leah Kateb, he also dealt with a similar amount of drama. PopCulture.com spoke with Connor after his elimination, during which he explained the root of his apparent tension with JaNa, which was a major talking point amongst viewers. 

One of the biggest things that Connor wanted to clear up was the notion that he was “defaulting” on JaNa and that he was using her as a placeholder to get to Leah. He explained that he was “real excited about” his relationship with JaNa, but noted that their conversations did seem to stall after a certain point. Connor said, “I think we got stuck on the same conversation for probably three or four chats, just kind of this family history like, oh, I live in Vegas. Oh, I live in LA. This is what I do on a daily basis … And I was getting a little bit, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say discouraged, but there was just that lack of deeper flowing conversation, and that’s something that I really need in a relationship.”

He went on to say that he expressed this frustration to JaNa before he started pursuing Leah. Fans may not have gotten to see this conversation, but he explained, “I had just said [to her], it just feels like we’re maybe not getting into that deeper level of conversation right now. And she expressed that she felt the same way and wanted to help with that.” Even though they did have a conversation about the state of their relationship, JaNa still seemed surprised by what Connor was saying when he ultimately coupled up with Leah. 

In hindsight, Connor said that he “absolutely could have paid JaNa a little bit more respect in just giving that connection more of a shot, and maybe not saying this was an easy decision.” He continued, “I think I probably should have said this was a harder decision because I really did feel like I had a connection with JaNa. I just felt like it was potentially stalling out. And then I had this new connection with Leah, and I was really excited about it.”

Despite all of this drama, Connor said that there is “zero bad blood” on his end and noted that they left things “on good terms.” However, following his elimination, fans noticed that Connor referred to JaNa as being the “secretly two-faced” in the Villa during a game with Love Island USA alum Cely Vazquez for the show’s social accounts. Of course, this answer raised many eyebrows considering the past that the two shared. But, Connor put the answer into perspective.

“I did and I felt bad about that, but I tried to make it playful. So one thing that I had always said about JaNa, to her, it was almost a joke between us, is you hide these little jabs in these polite things and it takes me a second to pick up on it,” he said. “And I was like, I had brought it up with her before and we were laughing about it, and she’s like, ‘I’m sneaky sometimes.’ But yeah, I did not mean for that to come off the way that it did.”

PopCulture.com will be interviewing the Love Island USA cast all season long. So stay tuned for more exclusives from the Season 6 cast. Love Island USA airs every day except for Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.